Hot take: people on the right understand the value that "likes" have in creating the perception of consensus and as a group are always willing to amplify thoughts they agree with in that way. I would go so far as to call this a deliberate strategy, and one that more reasonable voices need to acknowledge and, quite possibly, combat.
Very happy that likes are not shown by default here.
@TechConnectify the number of them feels quite irrelevant much of the time, especially when numbers get big enough to be meaningless. but as a poster, I do at least like seeing that notification that somebody has actually read what I've said and acknowledged it.
@TechConnectify @wildweasel I feel that a like is a transaction between me the reader, and you the writer, but not the other readers.
I think there are valid arguments to just not show it at all.
Also I’d like more options than one. I do not “like” when something bad has happened to someone. A few more options would feel natural. Imho at least.
@breadbin @TechConnectify This does make me think about the one actually good idea Miiverse had: posts were assigned "moods" by which facial expression you chose for your avatar. The accompanying "Yeah" button would change to "Yeah!!" if it was an excited face, or "Yeah..." if it was a sad one, or "Yeah?" if it was the confused/thinking face, IIRC.
@breadbin @TechConnectify @wildweasel I love all of this.
While I would be happy to have (and use) more options then Favorite, I look at it as a kind of "I feel you" message, whether that is a 🎉 or 😭 or 😡 message. Just a sort of I'm standing with you.
@wildweasel Now see, this is the problem. You and I know those numbers are meaningless but there are loads of people who will be convinced by them.
There's a good-faith desire to believe everyone has the capacity to see beyond this, but I guarantee you that's not true.