[–] [deleted] 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I think the problem lies with the fact that a user can punish/award other users so popular opinions are elevated while unpopular opinions are buried just by merit of democracy (The bigger group is able to punish/award more than the smaller group). This could drive out the other group to make their own little world where they are the majority and similarly can punish/award those things they want to.
I think that problem is the biggest in opinionated subs as opposed to topical subs though even there such a divide can exist (See /r/fitness with SS+SL and /r/bodybuilding with PPL).
I'm just thinking out loud here but smaller groups fracturing to make their own doesn't seem that smart as it just leads to opinions going to the extremes and discussions turning into circlejerks.
I think being civil while disagreeing would prevent dissenting opinions from not talking.
And having karma reset to 0 every 6 months or so would also help.
[–] RipSteakface 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
By not downvoating comments you disagree with. Use your downvoat to sort relevance. If you disagree with something, reply to the comment. Have a conversation, maybe see their point of view and why they believe what they believe. Otherwise, the top comments will always be a circlejerk of the most politically correct thing to say, and any real depth in controversial questions is lost.
[–] SexySexySkeletor ago
I think both upvotes and downvotes (and unique child commentors) should contribute to a comments visibility. So a comment with 10 upvotes and 10 downvotes should be higher in the comment thred than one with 10 upvotes. This will encourage intellectual debate and discourage people from giving trolls negative attention.
[–] AlderaanDuran 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Honestly, on any site that keeps track of "points", it's impossible. Many people don't like getting downvoted, so they will tend to withhold comments they know would be unpopular. This means that "popular" comments dominate. If there's a circlejerk going on about how much Reddit sucks, and how banning FPH was a violation of free speech, a comment coming in and saying "It was a toxic community and I agree with the banning" would be heavily downvoted. And that's just one relevant example. So, people refrain from posting that sentiment. So all your left with is the circlejerk/hive comments getting heavily upvoted.
That's the one problem with sites like voat and reddit, the "points". Not all of us care about them, I don't. I've taken plenty of downvotes on here for unpopular opinions and don't care. So have many others. But there is a large majority of people who care about upvotes, and more importantly don't want to get downvoted. So they withhold comments. In the end, that prevents true discussion, and what you're left with is a comment that everyone agrees with, followed by a bunch of other comments that are "Yeah, I know right!?" All of them getting upvoted.
So, I don't have an answer, but displaying points and keeping track of points is like keeping score for a lot of people. It will guide discussion whether that is the intent or not.
[–] NicolaeCeausescu ago
You can't. It is simply impossible. Don't try and make people behave the way you want them to - that's what happened to reddit and good riddance, too. No one is going to change their ways. They'll just move somewhere else where there are less restrictions. And that's basically why this site exists.
Don't ruin this site, too.
[–] newoldwave ago
The true purpose of PC is to stifle dissent and promote conformity. I think the "hive mind" is the group that all agree with each other and try to silence anyone who doesn't agree with them.