Maybe it is time for the "like" feature to go?

Maybe it is a good idea to disable likes in this forum because it is encouraging people to use the forum for the wrong reasons. On 60 minutes tonight, they suggested that things including likes can create a physiological rush which is a form of addiction.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-brain-hacking-tech-insiders-on-why-you-should-care/

I used to give out likes like candy and I did so because there was a positive vibe generated by them. Perhaps there was, but also perhaps it was provoking people to hang out and engage, not because they want to, but for the rush of feedback (sometimes in likes).

Most would be dishonest if they did not admit to the impulse to reload the page in hopes of something. The side effect is that there is a fair amount of toxic banter no matter what side of an issue they are on. Maybe, if the likes went away, more people would visit the forum because they have a question about something in the game.

SOTA is the game, not the forum.

 

Better a like button rather than having to post a reply telling someone you agree with them or like their perspective on the matter is better I believe.

Heh.

I personally doubt that the like button is a contributing factor to forum toxicity. There are probably other bigger factors.

 

Tahru, if I like your post, am I being sincere, sarcastic, or ironic?

 

I suggested we remove the like function years ago. Not because people that like posts are "addicted" to it. But more so that we have people on the forums that are actively posting to get likes as a form of keeping score. I've spoken to a few long term posters that have explained to me that they have made a habit of posting in general "populace" terms in an effort to attract the most likes. Something short and sweet that many people agree with. For example, "I love that song!"

It's annoying and often disruptive to the entire discussion because whatever general point they're making has no real value other than to generate likes (but it is likely to turn the conversation towards something irrelevant to whatever was being talked about previously).

 

they need [ half like ] buttons and [ dont like ] buttons.. I mean lets be real here... right.

 

Says the man with 32,934 likes.

 

Yet no one can accuse me of being the most liked person in these forums. I don't post for the likes, I post despite them.

 

What a refreshingly innocuous topic to argue about.

 

Don't take my likes away from me, @Tahru !

 

I am actually feeling anxiety about not giving likes. I sometimes wonder why I keep a browser open to this forum when I have nothing to say at the time. Maybe it because I cannot play the games at that moment, but it is not like I am playing all the time when I can. So maybe I am looking for something interesting, or am also being affected by the interaction, maybe I feel connected to people here, ...

I may force myself into a long hiatus from the forum just as an experiment. Man, I am almost never without a computer screen in front of me. It's almost scary. I'll probably get a lot more done.

 

I'm guessing people post issues in the general populace because it gets the most views/responses for their concerns. (as in its more of an issue of wanting to be heard rather than wanting to be liked.)

But I guess you guys have a different perspective on this. *shrug*

 

I post generically because I don't want things to get personal. Personal heated debates can be very unnecessarily stressful.

 

Thanks, Tahru, for posting this even though I don't know if I agree with you as this tool does bring up angst for me as well. Yeah, I also get that anxiety if I don't give likes. And it's probably the same reward center of the brain that games like this rely on to be fun, so I just take breaks for long periods. I can't figure out what a like means. Sometimes I want to say a quick thanks for posting, or I like that you stated your opinion, but I don't want to imply that I necessarily agree with that opinion. A deafening silence, though, for us social creatures is a harsh thing to do to our fellow man or woman. But usually there are people that seem to agree (but I don't know for sure) with that person and throw in a few likes, and they don't stay in the void for long.

For new people just joining the forums, however, it is probably nice for them to receive a like as they are otherwise sitting in a vacuum if nobody responds (I know it was for me at first). I agree with Autumn Willow that likes aren't the root problem if a forum becomes toxic. I play the game and read the posts every few months, make sure any bugs I experience are reported, then take a break and wait for the devs to make substantial changes before checking it out again. When I return, there are names I recognize that have thousands of posts to their name, and then there are a lot of new names that I've never seen posting before. However, this time around for me was different, as the forums were a war zone and less people were posting--this anger shows just how important this game is to many people. I may stick around for a while longer this time to keep up the active population as I want the game to succeed. I find it surprising (and saddening) many nights when I see a 30-minute gap between new posts-I don't remember this happening in the old days. Likes might be a tool that I can use to tell people that I am still engaged and paying attention to their posts without a full-blown discussion that could spark an argument.

 

Definitely a thoughtful and reasonable response. I'll be the first to admit I may be wrong, but am curious if it is a net positive or not. We are indeed social creatures. My tendency is to believe that those that are passionate would still visit. I am just not fond of the idea that likes may be mostly a social drug.

 

I think there should be a 'I acknowledge your response' button. I use likes for mostly for two reasons, the intended and that. But when a discussion has run it's course and you're just rehashing the same ideas at each other, 'like' is a nice way to let it end without an endless stream of 'I must have the last word'.

 

I agree with this post.

 

Removing the like button will bring back the +1 times where four out of eight pages are +1 posts where people add their support for the cause but nothing else.
In my opinion there is nothing deep, psychological in the like function.
But if the majority of people would want it to go away so be it.
I just think the majority of people doesn't even care.

 

Go take a look at imgur. Like farming is so encouraged there that you're totally unable to post anything except the popular view without being downvoted to the point of even becoming shadowbanned automatically for having too many downvotes.

For example, if you post positive things about a certain political party (persay) you will be downvoted and trolled, to the point of the system completely silencing you, which causes people to pretend they feel a certain way or have a certain opinion. It's midleading.

This is also a problem on reddit, especially without any form of professional moderation. It's a horrible platform for discussing budding games such as SotA or any game where money is involved as the industry is so cut-throat.

Keep in mind, forum likes aren't as bad, but why would we want to breed that type of culture in an early development game?? It certainly is a burden where 'popular' demand is responsible for changes to the game.. when the popular opinion is being influenced by like farmers. Can anyone really argue that like farming doesn't exist on these forums? I see it every time I read here.

I can't think of a single reason why it's necessary or helpful.

 

Our Forums "Like's" Edict!'
At some point in our game, we will have the ability to place our good Karma or bad Karma upon them Think about that for a moment and ponder on what effects that will cause within our game...

...

...

...

OK done thinking? Well this is the way I think of our "likes" and with those likes comes a thought of responsibility for what ourselves have posted. Did it get a good karma response from it or a bad Karma response from it? It's the prior thought that goes into the post which is directly related to what was posted, yet with consideration for it's Karma's flavor, comes from the acceptance or reception it gets from others. I appreciate people posting good comment of rhetoric, both pro and con which helps define what is being attempted to come into a community view of the subject. I like allot of posts because I appreciate people's time it took and well wishes to become engaged in the topic and I'm learning from what they have related there. I issue out more likes than I receive, yet that's because I see those I like engaging and becoming more knowledgeable about our game. Our @Baron Drocis Fondorlatos is a fine example of a very knowledgeable player and a player that any player would do well to seek out his vast wisdom which can only come from having engaged here in our forums "with good information or levity" on any subject matter dealing with our SOTA. Without the "likes" someone like he could be seen by others as having been a "fliberty jibbit". Such players that post allot gain a count of those and thus without the like, players would be encouraged to post meaningless short posts, instead of well thought comments with regard to their Karma. (I apologize for putting you on the spot like that @Baron Drocis Fondorlatos , but you're such an easy target ).

Now I'll target myself *gazes into the talking mirror* "Mirror, mirror on the wall" It's going to be said, so I'll say it... "I have allot of likes" !'

My abundance of likes began long ago when I'd see posts that read;

"We are going to have an event tomorrow, please come" ...

and when I would see that, I'd post something thereafter like;

' "Can You Smell What the <insert sponsor's name> Is Cooking?" !'


The Beginning of The New Britannia Theater Troupe were another similar topic which needed the highlight of and I responded to in their time of need.


Then there were other controversial issues which came up within our development which no one would even place a thread up about because they were so controversial that they didn't want their name associated with it like "cannibalism"
Well... since our Lord British had brought the subject up himself within a developer video, "I posted the thread" because no other would. I was banned 3 times as that subject needed it's boundaries well tested in order to find the middle and what that middle ground would look like. "I did NOT set myself out to GET BANNED" yet that's what sometimes happens when we test the boundaries of what may be seen as SOTA socially acceptable ... But I will always thank @FireLotus for having set me strait within her bans of me because I had gone "too far" ...


Then comes the issue of me having logged so many hours into our forums which has caused some to have said I never sleep ...
I do sometimes sleep, but I have PTSD which keeps me awake quite often. But, it's one of the reasons I enjoy life so much when I'm awake to bring more joy into the world, far away from the butcher who fought for the cause of other's freedom. Sometimes that causes me to "blurt out" in raw substance on issues, which I will forever thank our @Berek for having set me strait on! Our moderators are not our enemy, they are our closest of friends who will save you from jumping off ideological cliffs or harm the harmony of our game which we came here for...



And so, some may see likes as harmful, while others see them as Karma and still others may even hate you for them, but they are quite essential for players who don't know to listen to those who "may know" by seeing someone has them

Now hold on while I like all the comments here Because it's all in good Karma and I enjoy you all for talking about it!
~Time Lord~

 

Maybe they could add stickers instead. Special emojis/stickers that you can post on a post you would otherwise like or dislike. That way if we neither dislike or like something we could stamp an ape picture. Then it is up to the viewer to figure out what they think you meant by that sticker.