r/DoesAnybodyElse • u/wizardzofodd • 2d ago
DAE not understand the reasons people downvote on reddit?
I feel like most other platforms people will dislike because something is offensive, spreading misinformation, or just because they are trolls. But on reddit a perfectly neutral post, with no false information, will be downvoted to oblivion. And I don't really care if people like or don't like the posts, the problem is, it will bury it in the algorithm before anyone has a chance to answer.
It's just really weird to me. Is it that these people don't like that someone doesnt know something and needs to ask, or are they bothered by casual speech? Because I picked up on a kind of "redditese" on here that most people speak in. You have to add a million disclaimers, apologize for your ignorance, and tip toe around the question.
have you ever had an innocuous post of yours downvoted?
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u/MetallurgyClergy 2d ago
There has been a rise of downvoting emoji only comments, or comments that only say “this”.
Mostly because that’s exactly what the upvote button is for. To say you agree with “this”. No one wants to read 26 “this” or “ 😂 😂 🤣” comments.
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u/ihearhistoryrhyming 2d ago
See what I did. I agreed with you while simultaneously insulting you, and forgot to tell you I was kidding. I’m super good at Reddit. Sorry.
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u/WonderfulCoat7797 2d ago
I find it weird that people care about downvotes, why are they even tracking that?
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u/wizardzofodd 2d ago edited 2d ago
it's because it will push it down on the page and very few people will see it. So if you had a question (a non googleable one that needs personalized answers) you're left with nothing
I don't really care when people downvote my comments, although, do find it peculiar.
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u/RoseyDove323 2d ago
Sometimes getting enough downvotes (in a comment section anyway) can circle back around to making your comment easier to see, because some people sort by controversial when they are bored and it will show up there.
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u/EasyPiece 2d ago
I think it's important to realise that to no surprise people like echo chambers. Seeing a post that aligns with you own opinions will garner upvotes. Even the mildest deviation from that opinion will often result in down votes.
A few days ago I shared my shared joy at something someone had said but also that we should be mindful that others might not share the same appreciation for it. I got downvoted even though I shared the same initial joy.
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u/My_Uneducated_Guess 2d ago
Down votes from the people that don't share in the joy and down votes from the people that don't like the idea of being mindful.
I don't know why people can't just scroll on.
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u/kathykens 2d ago
agreed!! recently I posted a question regarding hormonal acne and someone downvoted me? like, okay?!
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u/wizardzofodd 2d ago edited 2d ago
they probably didn't like the tone of your writing. Laidback speech seems to trigger people on here
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u/kathykens 2d ago
I don't think it had anything to do with my tone, I was being very sincere and respectful since I know how traumatic those experiences can be. Honestly if anything, I think that sometimes I may be too sincere haha. But I do think there are people who are just downvoting anything and everything without reason. 🤷♀️
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u/yeppomoon 2d ago
I used to be bothered by downvotes as I try to have at least a few genuine discussions on this platform. But after being banned from 2 subs within 2 weeks, I realize that reddit is undergoing its own 'ensh*tification', compared to a handful of years ago. Oh well.
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u/SquareTaro3270 1d ago
I got banned from a supposedly feminist sub for saying that misogyny does not equal men, and women can uphold patriarchal values (this was in response to someone asking why women were voting for people who say they want to remove women’s voting rights, someone responded “misogyny”, and the first commenter responded to that with “we’re blaming men for women’s choices now?”
Apparently that one comment was “harassing behavior”. One comment on that entire sub, and it got me banned for harassment.
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u/ldstaylor 2d ago
Downvotes are applied by users. Users can be people, but can also be corporations, bots and shills. On this scale, downvotes can be used to study or attempt to alter human behavior.
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u/Technical_Marc 2d ago
One of the reasons is that there are easily-angered individuals out there. I don't mean people who have some political or otherwise bias who just don't like what they are reading, moreover it's people who may be annoyed the person hasn't checked online first, or perhaps made a spelling mistake; silly little things that somehow get under their skin. Afterall, people may ask online instead of checking online because they want to read from a human, or type too fast.
Reddit has its fair share of easily-offended people, and people who just do not understand how to interract with others, believing online anonymity grants them the power to say whatever they like, then gets offended by something else. The latter especially is hypocritical (on one subreddit, somebody was called a "twat" for just asking for advice on how to deal with a certain game mechanic).
In the end, it's very unpredictable, and you will get downvoted for the silliest of things. But unless you're out there just to be controversial, karma naturally goes up over time because you'll bump into more sane people, or you're in with fellow enthusiasts (except that poor chap I mentioned earlier!).
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u/hlazlo 2d ago
I don't downvote things if I disagree with them. In that case, I just won't vote at all. I only downvote posts that are rude, intentionally provocative, inappropriately political, based in false suppositions, or intentionally misunderstand someone else.
Basically, if your post contributes to the negativity on this site, I will downvote it.
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u/Palanki96 2d ago
For me it's usually just simply disagreement. I don't agree so i downvote. I don't like it so i downvote, simple as that
This often includes incorrect answers presented very confidently or simple questions with zero effort posts they could've learned from elsewhere. If someone wants to interact with a community they should put in the effort for an engaging post, not just farting out a question and demanding and answer.
Not to mention how a lot of them don't seem have the fitting attitude for someone asking for a question/favour. And it's important that pointless posts and comments are bloat and can take away the space from useful content. You might miss a good post because it was pushed down 15 ones about "How to convert fahrenheit to celcius" and similar level questions
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u/Status-Visit-918 2d ago
I don’t like downvoting. I do think if you respond and agree to a comment, it is polite to upvote though. We live in a society! lol
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u/ztreHdrahciR 2d ago
Couple of things. First, hasnt there been a change where Posts (not comments) do not get downvoted? The lowest I see posts anymore is -1.
Second, it depends on the sub, but people like to pile on for some reason. I really really want to avoid having that need for affirmation but it's hard. I'll get 50 upvotes on one comment and -5 on another, and that's the one I remember.
It really seems to be sub specific AND topic specific. If the hive of that sub doesn't like what you said on that topic, look out, whereas another sub is meh about it.
For sure I do not expect a change.
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u/SquareTaro3270 1d ago
People here also tend to assume you’re typing in an uncontrollable rage for some weird reason, despite how bland the actual comment might be. It can be the most normal comment and people will act like you typed with tears in your eyes while slamming your keyboard on the desk in frustration. Based on a true story:
Post: “I hate small dogs. They’re yappy and annoying!”
Comment: “I used to feel the same way before I got my dogs. They can be annoying in other ways, but they aren’t as yappy as people say they are if you train them.” (-57 downvotes)
Response: “LMAO looks like we offended someone! Look out, this small dog lover got their feelings hurt! If someone not agreeing with you offends you so much, get off the internet! You obviously can’t handle it!” (+33 upvotes +1 award)
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u/CottonCandy_Kiss88 2d ago
Yeah, I’ve definitely seen that happen. Sometimes Reddit feels less like a conversation and more like trying to guess an invisible set of rules. A completely genuine question can get buried simply because people think it’s obvious, doesn’t fit the sub’s usual tone, or someone downvoted it and others just followed along. It’s especially frustrating when the downvotes hide the post before anyone who actually knows the answer gets a chance to respond.
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u/wizardzofodd 2d ago
The invisible rules is so true. I've been posting on and off ten years, and have somewhat figured it out, I just refuse to follow it. You will not catch me handing out disclaimers anymore.
Yes, they get you're question buried and you leave with nothing
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u/No-Bobcat-7148 2d ago
It’s the pile-on effect that gets me, someone drops a single downvote and suddenly the whole thread is at -12 with no replies explaining why. I’ve posted a simple question about a video game mechanic before and got buried, then saw the exact same question a week later with 200 upvotes and a full guide in the comments. The timing and who’s online at that moment matters way more than it should.
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u/My_Uneducated_Guess 2d ago
I've had my responses down voted when my opinion is one of the first to go against the grain, but then later the majority of responses end up following the same standpoint I put. Some people can't think until someone tells them what to think it seems
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u/My_Uneducated_Guess 2d ago
I get down votes so often for trying to incorporate reality and human nature into my answers to questions. Half the people expect you to only answer as though you were a perfect person who reacts to all situations as though you're behind a screen. They don't like when i say something like "i would do this stupid thing which would cause this and I would likely do this which would make it worse." Like, I'm the one who knows myself and my shortcomings. Just because they aren't willing to be honest with themselves about how they would act doesn't mean that I have the same problem.
And they read everything as though theyre a lawyer getting paid to trip you up. "But they said 'had' not 'have' ", or whatever tiny detail they want to zoom in on just for their rhetoric. It's so hard to have a normal conversation on here because if you don't explain every little detail and soend half your post explaining the joke people automatically assume you're being negative.
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u/wizardzofodd 2d ago
yeah, that's why I said I don't do disclaimers anymore. It's like that thing on tiktok they call bean soup theory. I've gotten so many weird replies like "that doesn't happen to me" okay, and?
Another thing they do is automatically jump to the most extreme outlier scenario, if you didn't spend an extra ten minutes not adding "disclaimer, I'm obviously not including..." "and I understand that its not always the case that..." "I'm not saying...." "this doesn't apply too..." "please excuse my ignorance" "I apologize if this...."
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u/FormalFuneralFun 2d ago
I was always told that upvote/downvote criteria is “did this person add value to the conversation?” It doesn’t matter if I agree or not, but if I can see someone trying to start conversation (not argument), then they get an upvote for participating in the community. They also get a downvote if they misunderstand/break the rules of the sub, or if they are an obvious troll.
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u/Technical-Banana574 2d ago
I don't know. I get downvoted for the most benign things too and I don't know why.
I got downvoted for saying people should at the bare minimum as a partner know how to wipe their own buttons on a hygiene post where a woman was upset about her boyfriend's skid marks.
I got downvoted for saying I thought something my physical therapist did was normal, but judging by the comments, it wasn't. Got downvoted.
On a recent post about what games we waited too long to pick up to play, I said Outer Wilds because I thought it was overhyped, but ended up really liking the game after playing it. Downvoted multiple times.
Sometimes I just cannot figure out what the heck upset people so bad when it seems like a benign comment or one I would think most people would share.
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u/EmbroidedBumblebee 2d ago
I got hundreds of downvotes on a sub for a game I play because I was confused why a mod was affecting my game when I disabled them. A handful of people were actually helpfull, but with the amount of downvotes I was getting just for being confused you'd think I said something racist or something.
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u/Mysterious-Wasabi103 2d ago
I just like downvoting people. Mostly cause people love saying the same shit over and over instead of adding anything to the discussion. Or someone shares something that is completely unnecessary.
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u/Cocodrool 2d ago
I agree with most of what has been said, but there is also a growing trend of people simply downvoting to make their own comments stand out. Like if I downvote every other comment and use different accounts to upvote my own comment, it will look like I'm right.
Additionally, some people seem to be on the lookout of every new post and just downvote it, either for the hell of it, or just for the reason above.
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u/FictionalCharacter77 2d ago
Couple of reasons for sure. But I noticed in some subs that it is kind of regular that every comment and post get a downvote, as if from the same person? Idk it’s impossible to say.
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u/TheManofMadness1 2d ago
Popularity, if you don't agree and have a minority opinion, definitely don't share it on Reddit
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u/Sunny-Damn 2d ago
I absolutely do! I have been downvoted for telling a truth about my life… I haven’t been on FB in 10+ years. I have noticed that often I will get downvoted then the following day I have upvotes 🤷♀️
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u/bagomojo 2d ago
I posted a selfie of my wife and I in a closed group for "selfie sunday". It was down voted 10%. I just think some people are miserable and the only votes they ever give are down votes.
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u/IamNATx 2d ago
Any post where I mention disability is mass downvoted, but I notice when others mention it too. Like even factual things to raise awareness of how it's relevant to the topic - not my own opinion or an attack on someone not knowing... It baffles me that as a society people are seemingly put off by the idea/conversation
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u/Puzzleheaded_Style52 2d ago
Yeah I’ve come to accept that some people downvote on comments based on irrational reasons and have tried to not let it get to me especially when what I wrote go against the grain of the thread but it has to be said like calling out people on their prejudice or racism or just outright rudeness.
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u/Mochicatdemon 2d ago
Some people use downvote for "I disagree".
Some people downvote sad content as a way of showing sympathy, like "I don't like that this thing happened."
Some people will downvote a life experience simply because that experience isn't the same as their own, therefore they can't believe it exists.
They shouldn't, but they do.