ER Eddie
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 1,794
Just a quick note to say that I like the absence of likes and other reactions on this forum. Most forums and social media discussion groups incorporate some form of emotive reactions to each post, which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.
Social media companies have discovered that these "likes" and reactions are a great way to drive traffic and thus income, because they stimulate little dopamine hits. They tap our vulnerability to social cues regarding favor or disfavor, even in a virtual world. As a result, these "like" systems are almost ubiquitous.
The problem is that the constant attention to "likes" or others' reactions shape our behavior, unconsciously. We become sensitized to whether we get "likes" or other reactions. We can see how other people are voting with their likes, and so we get a sense of which views are popular, which are not, and how ours stacks up. As a result, our behavior changes -- e.g., what we say and how we say it changes, what opinions we express are subtly influenced, and other factors change as well (e.g., polarization, antagonism, time spent in back-and-forth).
I much prefer this old forum style, where you just say what you think and that's the end of it. No "likes" or any of that stuff. You have no idea what others' reactions are to what you've said, so it doesn't really matter. Maybe one or two people responds to an occasional post, but that's about it.
You do have "thanks," but that's something that is private. I think public "likes" function very differently, because everyone sees them, and so they touch on the social ranking sensitivities we know people pay attention to, whereas a private message does not.
So, please don't update your software anytime soon. I like no likes.
Social media companies have discovered that these "likes" and reactions are a great way to drive traffic and thus income, because they stimulate little dopamine hits. They tap our vulnerability to social cues regarding favor or disfavor, even in a virtual world. As a result, these "like" systems are almost ubiquitous.
The problem is that the constant attention to "likes" or others' reactions shape our behavior, unconsciously. We become sensitized to whether we get "likes" or other reactions. We can see how other people are voting with their likes, and so we get a sense of which views are popular, which are not, and how ours stacks up. As a result, our behavior changes -- e.g., what we say and how we say it changes, what opinions we express are subtly influenced, and other factors change as well (e.g., polarization, antagonism, time spent in back-and-forth).
I much prefer this old forum style, where you just say what you think and that's the end of it. No "likes" or any of that stuff. You have no idea what others' reactions are to what you've said, so it doesn't really matter. Maybe one or two people responds to an occasional post, but that's about it.
You do have "thanks," but that's something that is private. I think public "likes" function very differently, because everyone sees them, and so they touch on the social ranking sensitivities we know people pay attention to, whereas a private message does not.
So, please don't update your software anytime soon. I like no likes.
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