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Removing the dislike count is the worst possible thing YouTube could do. Youtube is not just people talking about their day or political content. It is practica

Removing the dislike count is the worst possible thing YouTube could do. Youtube is not just people talking about their day or political content. It is practical content, like how-to videos, and entertainment. When you search how to do something the number one indicator it will be useful or helpful video is the dislikes. This is critical for sifting through all of the garbage videos that don’t work or aren’t related who are just trying to make a buck or get views. Even in entertainment dislikes offers the same feedback, and while it’s not a perfect measure, it absolutely provides a good indicator.

tediousdemise 5y ago
I am in support of dislike/downvote buttons being removed across all platforms, for the sole reason that people and groups misuse/abuse them. Legitimate opinions get silenced and squelched by the hivemind, or hidden by propaganda machines such as the JIDF. You can make the same argument that like/upvote buttons also get misused and abused, but the consequences are not the same. You might disagree with this and justify your opinion by saying that misinformation is dangerous. But that's why you have a brain, so that you can make that decision for yourself! When you censor an opinion by downvoting something, you are making an unfair decision for future viewers of that content who would rather make that decision on their own. Moderation/censorship of content that doesn't break the law should be illegal. Edit 1: I should clarify that I wasn't necessarily referring to YouTube here. Likes and dislikes on YouTube are just for measuring engagement and don't reduce access to content. On other platforms, such as HN, hitting the downvote threshold removes it view (or makes it otherwise more difficult to read). To me, this is a weak form of censorship, making it harder to view the content, if not impossible for some people who have poor eyesight or mobility skills. If you have to explicitly toggle on a setting (i.e. showdead) or use JavaScript hacks to make this content visible, I think that's a big problem. Edit 2: I'd love to continue contributing to the discussion, but ironically and unfortunately, I'm rate limited on this website by the moderators to 5 comments per day. So maybe now you can understand where I'm coming from with my seemingly absurd ideas. I don't even know why I continue to use a website that limits my ability to comment and use it effectively. Maybe I'll request deletion and become a permanent lurker, watching all you model citizens engage from a safe distance.
- Bud 5y ago
  First: So anything that can be misused or abused should be abolished? That's your argument? I think I would prefer a more nuanced view and a more nuanced response. Second: You claim here that downvoting an opinion "censors" it. All I can say to that is, you need to look up "censor" in the dictionary. Third: You are seriously arguing that moderation should be illegal? Please tell me that was a joke.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - Fogest 5y ago
    Yeah this doesn't make sense. I don't know if they don't understand how YouTube works, but downvoting something doesn't remove the content from view. On sites like reddit and hackernews downvoted comments become less visible but they are still there. I don't think anywhere that implements downvoting ends up "censoring" that content based on just downvotes.
    - tediousdemise 5y ago
      Making it harder to read is tantamount to censorship. It also erodes the user experience. Why do I need to highlight or squint at something a ton of ignorant people disagreed with?
      - kortex 5y ago
        A) you can click on the time / hours ago to link to the comment without lightening B) text selection C) I think HN is one of the least ignorant communities out there on the net. Occasionally downvoted comments are merely controversial or against the grain, but more often then not, they are flawed in some way. In fact their rarity makes them neat to read (high surprisal) if only to understand where they might be coming from.
      - Fogest 5y ago
        Okay but we are talking about YouTube. YouTube doesn't even do this. Nothing changes about your experience watching a video if it has a lot of dislikes.

tediousdemise 5y ago

I am in support of dislike/downvote buttons being removed across all platforms, for the sole reason that people and groups misuse/abuse them. Legitimate opinions get silenced and squelched by the hivemind, or hidden by propaganda machines such as the JIDF. You can make the same argument that like/upvote buttons also get misused and abused, but the consequences are not the same. You might disagree with this and justify your opinion by saying that misinformation is dangerous. But that's why you have a brain, so that you can make that decision for yourself! When you censor an opinion by downvoting something, you are making an unfair decision for future viewers of that content who would rather make that decision on their own. Moderation/censorship of content that doesn't break the law should be illegal. Edit 1: I should clarify that I wasn't necessarily referring to YouTube here. Likes and dislikes on YouTube are just for measuring engagement and don't reduce access to content. On other platforms, such as HN, hitting the downvote threshold removes it view (or makes it otherwise more difficult to read). To me, this is a weak form of censorship, making it harder to view the content, if not impossible for some people who have poor eyesight or mobility skills. If you have to explicitly toggle on a setting (i.e. showdead) or use JavaScript hacks to make this content visible, I think that's a big problem. Edit 2: I'd love to continue contributing to the discussion, but ironically and unfortunately, I'm rate limited on this website by the moderators to 5 comments per day. So maybe now you can understand where I'm coming from with my seemingly absurd ideas. I don't even know why I continue to use a website that limits my ability to comment and use it effectively. Maybe I'll request deletion and become a permanent lurker, watching all you model citizens engage from a safe distance.

Bud 5y ago
First: So anything that can be misused or abused should be abolished? That's your argument? I think I would prefer a more nuanced view and a more nuanced response. Second: You claim here that downvoting an opinion "censors" it. All I can say to that is, you need to look up "censor" in the dictionary. Third: You are seriously arguing that moderation should be illegal? Please tell me that was a joke.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- Fogest 5y ago
  Yeah this doesn't make sense. I don't know if they don't understand how YouTube works, but downvoting something doesn't remove the content from view. On sites like reddit and hackernews downvoted comments become less visible but they are still there. I don't think anywhere that implements downvoting ends up "censoring" that content based on just downvotes.
  - tediousdemise 5y ago
    Making it harder to read is tantamount to censorship. It also erodes the user experience. Why do I need to highlight or squint at something a ton of ignorant people disagreed with?
    - kortex 5y ago
      A) you can click on the time / hours ago to link to the comment without lightening B) text selection C) I think HN is one of the least ignorant communities out there on the net. Occasionally downvoted comments are merely controversial or against the grain, but more often then not, they are flawed in some way. In fact their rarity makes them neat to read (high surprisal) if only to understand where they might be coming from.
    - Fogest 5y ago
      Okay but we are talking about YouTube. YouTube doesn't even do this. Nothing changes about your experience watching a video if it has a lot of dislikes.