3 ms·

I would disagree. As a counterexample, if there are two contradictory comments with high upvotes, the one that is most upvoted isn't necessarily the prevailing

I would disagree. As a counterexample, if there are two contradictory comments with high upvotes, the one that is most upvoted isn't necessarily the prevailing opinion.

sangnoir 2y ago
I disagree with you - close to 100% of people who open the comments will read the top comment. Less than 100% will read the next highest top-level comment - the reply/rebuttal to the top comment gets more eyeballs than the #2 top-level comment. There are some comment threads I close after reading only part of the first thread, for various reasons.
- kelnos 2y ago
  Right, and that's part of the problem -- the top comment usually has a lot of replies, and so the 2nd-top comment isn't seen as much. So even people who might agree with the 2nd-top comment a lot more than the top comment might not even see it, and not upvote it. (And especially if you see the top comment, and disagree with it vehemently, you might dig through the replies to that comment and start posting rebuttals. You might get tired of the topic before you get down to the 2nd-top comment, and leave the submission or the site entirely.) Being the top comment is self-reinforcing, even if other comments actually do reflect the majority opinion better. I don't think we can say that the top comment is the majority/prevailing opinion. That's just the opinion that, due to lucky/random circumstances, got the most initial views and upvotes by people who agree, which then feedback-looped itself into staying the top comment.
  - sangnoir 2y ago
    > I don't think we can say that the top comment is the majority/prevailing opinion I just realized were using different meanings of prevail - you (and likely gp) are using it as a synonym for majority/widespread, I was using it as a synonym for victorious or overcoming competing top-level opinions. Re-reading gps comment, the majority interpretation is clearly the ine they intended, but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it.
    - latexr 2y ago
      > you (and likely gp) are using it as a synonym for majority/widespread I was, yes, hence the “hive mind” reference. > but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it. Maybe, but you can only say that for that specific submission at the specific point in time you looked at it, it can’t be extrapolated to the “prevailing opinion on this site”. The time at which one looks at a thread makes all the difference. I’ve seen stories explode to the front page, then get flagged, then unflagged, the top comments being replaced with the previous opposite opinion.

I would disagree. As a counterexample, if there are two contradictory comments with high upvotes, the one that is most upvoted isn't necessarily the prevailing opinion.

sangnoir 2y ago

I disagree with you - close to 100% of people who open the comments will read the top comment. Less than 100% will read the next highest top-level comment - the reply/rebuttal to the top comment gets more eyeballs than the #2 top-level comment. There are some comment threads I close after reading only part of the first thread, for various reasons.

kelnos 2y ago
Right, and that's part of the problem -- the top comment usually has a lot of replies, and so the 2nd-top comment isn't seen as much. So even people who might agree with the 2nd-top comment a lot more than the top comment might not even see it, and not upvote it. (And especially if you see the top comment, and disagree with it vehemently, you might dig through the replies to that comment and start posting rebuttals. You might get tired of the topic before you get down to the 2nd-top comment, and leave the submission or the site entirely.) Being the top comment is self-reinforcing, even if other comments actually do reflect the majority opinion better. I don't think we can say that the top comment is the majority/prevailing opinion. That's just the opinion that, due to lucky/random circumstances, got the most initial views and upvotes by people who agree, which then feedback-looped itself into staying the top comment.
- sangnoir 2y ago
  > I don't think we can say that the top comment is the majority/prevailing opinion I just realized were using different meanings of prevail - you (and likely gp) are using it as a synonym for majority/widespread, I was using it as a synonym for victorious or overcoming competing top-level opinions. Re-reading gps comment, the majority interpretation is clearly the ine they intended, but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it.
  - latexr 2y ago
    > you (and likely gp) are using it as a synonym for majority/widespread I was, yes, hence the “hive mind” reference. > but ai feel its self evident that the most-voted comment had the most people agreeing with it. Maybe, but you can only say that for that specific submission at the specific point in time you looked at it, it can’t be extrapolated to the “prevailing opinion on this site”. The time at which one looks at a thread makes all the difference. I’ve seen stories explode to the front page, then get flagged, then unflagged, the top comments being replaced with the previous opposite opinion.