I think I’ve settled on the latter. Disagreement is maybe best communicated by the absence of an upvote? And downvotes work best when they signal something that is just off base, and while not reportable, is not appreciated at a broad cultural level.

  • sunaurus@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I think voting based on quality of content (and NOT whether you agree with it) is the best approach for healthy discussions. If somebody is a low effort troll, then for sure downvote (and maybe even consider reporting).

    OTOH, if somebody makes a well written and thoughtful post about why Totoro is the best Ghibli movie ever, and meanwhile you think Totoro is not even in their top 3, then I would still recommend NOT downvoting 😃

    • maegul (he/they)@lemmy.mlOP
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      1 year ago

      Yes. This.

      Upvoting things you disagree with but are well put and compelling is the litmus test in a way.

      Vote for quality = a better platform

      Vote for personal appreciation = a toxic platform ?

  • Duamerthrax@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Downvote for bad technical advise, I think the person is a bad actor/bad faith argument, or if the person turns hostile to ad hominem attacks. I try not to downvote if I’m putting the effort into debating someone.

    edit: for clarity

    • GerryMandering@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I agree with this. If I’m scrolling through a Linux forum and someone is stating something demonstrably incorrect, I don’t want someone to stumble on the post and run into difficulties so I always downvote that particular post and upvote the posts with the right answer.

      Now, if I disagree with someone that’s different.

      Like if I’m in a thread about your favourite tv show, I don’t downvote someone I disagree with because it’s subjective. I might upvote the people I agree with, but it doesn’t seem fair to downvote someone’s opinion.

      But some things are either right or wrong, and your example of bad technical advice is one such thing

    • Arfman@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      Yeah if someone say something I disagree with but isn’t factually wrong I’ll just leave it be.

  • TeaHands@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The only times I’ve really been downvoting is if someone is giving out completely incorrect information, like in a support thread or something, and confusing matters. It’s not a personal judgement or anything, just trying to keep things clear for the person asking the question.

    If I disagree with a comment, well no biggie. Sometimes it’s worth discussing like adults and sometimes it’s just a subjective opinion. If it’s offensive, I’ll report it and block the user.