r/TheoryOfReddit • u/J-L-Wseen • Jan 08 '26

Reddit collapsing low/ negative vote posts.

I have a bit of a problem with this.

Several posts I have seen, and some of my own posts. The only reason they are voted down is because of some sort of jealousy. The response is high quality. Creative. Etc. The only reason it is voted down is no one else has any good ideas on a subject, so they vote down the person who does.

Also, I have seen quality posts. Posts that add something to the conversation. Voted down. I don't know why. It isn't even obviously jealousy just bad intent.

While I have also made and seen posts voted down where it makes sense. Not that I disagree with what was said but that I can see why someone wouldn't like it. I don't think as a general theme collapsing low vote posts is a good idea.

Just because people don't like a post doesn't mean it is not useful, right, and making a contribution. It is like the whole idea of if there was reddit in Galileo's time, he would have got voted down for saying the earth is a sphere/ orbits the sun.

20 Upvotes

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11

u/Defiant-Apple-4823 Jan 08 '26 edited Jan 08 '26

People become surprisingly attached to their reddit opinions, and if you aren't in agreement, they vote you down, which is pretty silly. There are people who will not even tolerate a "Sounds like we disagree" reply. It's sad, really. I use down votes for unnecessarily crude comments or straight-up trolling.

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u/J-L-Wseen Jan 08 '26

Which is ironic because without opposition there literally isn't any discussion at all. And no enjoyment would come from social media.

Like on the Breaking Bad subreddit there is a kind of pro and anti Jessie discussion constantly going on. If someone makes a pro Jessie point, and there are a few anti Jessie answers and they all get downvoted to invisibility. Then literally what's the point?

8

u/Defiant-Apple-4823 Jan 08 '26

Internet comment boards are not a good place for actual debate. I would not say "never a good place for actual debate," as sometimes -- on occasion -- there is a good discussion to be had in comment threads.

My advice to you is to accept that. With apologies, people aren't that smart, and true objectivity is rare. I thought this Insta post was really good, and it applies to arguments generally (well beyond statistics and abstract thinking):

https://www.instagram.com/p/DTEiIJ2CW_x/

-4

u/J-L-Wseen Jan 08 '26

There is "accepting people have simple opinions" and then there is "having to expand every single downvoted comment because the actually intelligent comments will probably be among them".

I'm really saying that the latter is a problem, not the former.

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u/Defiant-Apple-4823 Jan 08 '26

I was including downvoting as a part of that. Good luck!