RE: THE LOST ART OF MAKING COMMENTS ON STEEMIT - FRIENDS FOREVER ALL YOUR UPVOTES, OKAY?
Thank you for taking a few minutes to read, think and then comment @aboutyourbiz.
The fact that people even find themselves needing to let off steam or vent their annoyance says to me that we need a more constructive way to deal with the issues of programmed bots. More specifically how their roles have developed on this platform and whom they target. Based on what I have observed, many target new people with comments that look like they have been awarded something of merit or accomplishment and then softly sell that if they upvote they will be supported or they will be supporting someone even newer than they are. I think this teaches that it's ok to ask for upvotes and follows.
Combine that, with one of the first things that new people learn, which is to do whatever they can to attract the attention of folks who have higher reputation scores and try to get them to take notice. People want to succeed.
Isn't that part of the reason that most people have chosen to comment the way they have on this post?
They have done so because they want to be acknowledged and counted as fully supporting the issues that have been brought forward and/or they are attempting to secure the author's attention so that they might receive an award of SBD for their comment or inclusion in a song that satirically may poke fun at this moment in Steemit's history.
It is human nature to commiserate in negativity with other people as a way to form bonds of friendship.
As a person's reputation increases so does the responsibility of that person to "care" for the community at large, "constructively". This level of responsibility constantly escalates. It never stops and unfortunately it does put the people at "the top" at a different level of socially "expected" behaviour, because their actions and opinions carry so much more weight. These opinions can be really helpful or completely devastating. So I am suggesting that with @papa-pepper's current level of reputation (like it or not) he has moved into another league of expected behaviour as he is a global leader on this platform and as such will be held accountable for his actions in a much different way than others with lower reputations and lower public visibility.
The top is a lonely place to be and it's not all roses. You must think of every single ramification that your words will create and specifically how those words will be interpreted.
Thank you for thinking and being confident enough to start a communication thread about it. :)
If it were up to me, I'd ban the use of bots entirely because I think it would level the playing field and make the game more fair. In my eyes a decision must be made: is Steemit a social platform or is it an artificial construct of bot-ism?
You make salient points.
In my short time on Steemit I don’t know if the bot problem has gotten worse or I’ve just become more aware of it, but it is definitely something that could at some point cause steemit to go the way of myspace. I’m not interested in being social with bots. And I don’t see action being taken to stem the tide. Maybe it’s happening in the background, I don’t know. And I don’t know what that action should be anyway.
I do believe the bots can also influence some ESL people in the way they comment. People try to learn by copying what they see, I’ve done it, like how to fill out some form you have to turn in. That too is human nature.
And let’s be honest, there are ESL scammers/bot programmers too, not just on Steemit. I had an experience with one a couple years back when I had put a burial plot on craigslist for my parents. (They had moved and wanted to sell it and get another one where they moved to) Anyway, I got an email from someone telling me their father had died and they needed to get his body to the US for burial and they would give me more money than I was asking to sell but I needed to give them my bank account number.
As to the reputation responsibility you have a valid point. I see it just a little differently though. (Think 3 blind men trying to describe an elephant by feel, different perspective). I agree that as your reputation grows so does your responsibility to lead by example. The trouble is as your reputation grows you don’t become more saintly or less human. You’re still you, human, and people make mistakes.
I’m still not convinced @papa-pepper made a mistake with this post, but I do see how someone could think he did. And while I’m not willing to hold him to a standard of perfection in posting, which is what this ultimately leads to by definition:
I am going to watch his response when someone diplomatically draws his attention to a possible issue just like you did. I believe this is where he differentiates himself as a leader, in his response. He’s allowed to make mistakes, but how does he handle the repercussions of his actions?
So basically while what you said in the above quote is true, I believe the application should be made to their response to their mistake or perceived mistake, not to expecting no mistakes.
In this case, I don’t think @papa-pepper did anything that would sully his reputation, and I think you may agree based on your response to his response to you.
Let’s hope Steemit stays a social platform and doesn’t become an artificial construct of bot-ism :)
I agree completely. Not one of us is perfect. I have stood by @papa-pepper's side from the beginning and will continue to do so as long as my values continue to align with his or I understand why they don't and I still make the decision to continue.
I think that his post was a true reflection of what was on his mind at the time that he wrote it. It's his opinion, just as I have formed my opinion of his words and why I asked for further clarification because I truly do think that he has everyone's (who is real) best interests at heart. He has always supported the people and gone above and beyond to help and include everyone. He has demonstrated this time and time again, whether it is driving 100's of miles with his family to make sure someone in need had what they needed in times of crisis. He has also worked very hard to support a translation program that he developed to help others who don't speak English as their first language. When I read this particular post, it didn't seem to align with his normal "helping, let's find a solution to a problem" style. I could have easily skipped leaving a comment and simply un-followed him. No one would have been the wiser but it felt to me like a lynch mob was forming as I read through all the comments and I did read about 100 of them. In doing so I quickly realized that one Steemian was attempting to out-do the wit of the next in a bashing-style competition.
It felt like bullying to me and I couldn't sit back and turn a blind eye because that's like saying that I find this behaviour to be an acceptable way to solve a problem that is impacting us all.
I am not perfect and nor is @pappa-pepper. The fact that he chose to upvote my comment to the placement where it currently sits and he acknowledged my original comment at all, tells me that he is currently thinking a little deeper. Thinking is good, blindly following for acceptance is not (in my humble opinion, of course) and I suppose that it high-lights the dangers embedded in "groupthink".
It's dysfunctional decision-making. If we all think bots and scammers are negative, then let's simply get rid of them and move on.
Just catching up on some of this conversation now. What an interesting read and solid discussion to observe. Thanks for having it.