this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2023
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Relaxed section for discussion and debate that doesn't fit anywhere else. Whether it's advice, how your week is going, a link that's at the back of your mind, or something like that, it can likely go here.
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This may seem very petty, but I wonder how much the lack of permanent user karma has an effect. I doubt many people here even cared about it, but on Reddit it seemed to drive a lot of the lazy hanger-on comments that were cheap karma boosts.
My understanding is that the fake internet points were once a motivator, but with enough karma, an account could be auctioned off and used to post bot content while ranking high in the Reddit algorithms.
I think that once people see Lemmy as a means to have genuine conversations, that's what's going to stick. Heck, this is the most active I've even been across any platform. I've fired up a few communities and I'm engaging after almost 15 years lurking.
It's a small enough community that I feel I'm making an impact. That's why I'm sticking around and ditching my Reddit account.
There was certainly a profit motive. That’s a reason for the kinds of bots that would repost popular posts in an attempt to build up karma.
There was also just good old fashioned psychological addiction to having a bigger number tied to an account. Over the years I’ve seen plenty of huffs about account or post karma by real people who were really riled up.
I mean, if those points could buy marshmallows or something, that's worth gloating. Otherwise, it's an odd pursuit and use of time. I suppose it could be a form of primal resource hoarding, in a way.
I don’t disagree that it is irrational. This is exactly my point: The kinds of people who value meaningless points tied to their account create a lower standard of discussion. When the goal is more points at all costs, it conflicts with quality. The lack of account total points on Lemmy doesn’t appeal to such a person.
Nailed it. I'm curious to see how that turns out. I love the idea that a user, community, or entire instance can be blocked to keep a higher standard of discussion.