Reactions in Speakers Corner.

[Koalaboy]

Apologies if I missed an info post.

Are reactions (like, etc.) no longer available in Speakers Corner threads ? I can understand why that may be, but just noticed it seems to have happened this morning, without any obvious note.

Thanks for any clarification.

 

[Koalaboy]

No, and it’s a good policy.

The reactions were abused in SC. In the immigration thread in particular, people were just reacting with a laughing reaction at every post they didn’t agree with, despite people making the effort to make their point. It got extremely frustrating. Its SC, if you don’t agree with the point being made, then counter it.

Thanks - I have zero objections. I could just see reactions being made up until around 8:40 this morning on the 'Israel-Hamas war' thread and then noticed there were no buttons, so was confused. I guess because it originated elsewhere and was 'updated' to be compliant this morning.

I appreciate the info, thanks again.

 

[Koalaboy]

I always thought forum reactions would be better as "Agree", "Disagree" and "Did not know / Appreciate the information".
They're not as 'emotional' and more based on the sort of in-person response someone would give, but I guess they don't have the same 'viral' nature that platforms 'like'.

 

[Koalaboy]

I think these should be reinstated, but limited to just the ‘like’ button - so you can show approval of a message but that’s it.

I agree that the use of the laughing emoji to goad a poster is annoying. Maybe a rule should be made for that.

The problem with just 'like', is that it helps create an echo chamber. It also still brings 'emotion' with it and a lack of transparency as to what it is you 'like'.

 

[Koalaboy]

I get what you mean, but it also meaningful in a group dialogue to show who (and how many) agree(s) with your posts.

If someone made the best post ever (unlikely to be me!) then there is no real feedback that shows that is the case… the people most likely to engage with the post with a response are people that disagree with it. There’s often not anything to add when you agree with someone that’s well said… and I think people would rather a ‘like’ than additional posts saying ‘good post’.

Maybe... influencers like 'likes' because it helps them decide on future content. I guess some people appreciate likes to tell them they're thoughts align with others.

As with everything else, the 'numbers' on a forum are pointless. Unless you're able to take the number of likes, ratio it against the number of views, and decide that's an overall 'win' ?

I'd much rather assume that anyone disagreeing will state as such - ideally with a reason why - and silence is 'agreement' or 'ambivalence'. Then again, I just post what I think, when the desire takes me, and couldn't care less about reactions, unless it's the laughter emoji against a serious comment, which is where it comes back to emotion and why I agree with the emojis being removed. As stated previously, if they were just 'agree' or 'disagree', with emotion taken out, there's less ambiguity and likelihood of misunderstanding.

XKCD 386: Duty Calls, is to this day one of the most comprehensive answers.

 

[Koalaboy]

It's one of those things, that is obvious when you look at the name: emoji

They're designed to represent emotions, and that is the last thing you want in any serious discussion. It's ideal for signalling and viewer engagement in things like instagram, or threads of funny videos... but not for discussion.
Unfortunately, the world of social media is constantly pushing intelligent conversation away, and more towards emotional/gut reaction, because drama get more views == more advertising revenue.