Let me explain. So I wrote a Steam review recently, and someone came by and wrote something toxic. Calling me an idiot and other worse things, because I didn’t like their favourite game.
But here’s the great part: I didn’t even have to fully read their vitriol. I just clicked the trash icon and it’s gone forever. It felt empowering and amazing ~ just the ability to remove toxicity at-will. No waiting 7 business days for a mod to maybe think about removing it; no additional trolls seeing the toxicity and taking it as an invitation.
It was a stark contrast to most other social media, where you’re practically powerless. Sure, you can block the aggressor; but their comment is still there for everyone else, like a giant turd you kicked under the living room carpet. It attracts other pests, and it still affects anyone else who comes by.
Of course, it would probably be immediately abused for all the wrong reasons if implemented here ~ but it would be cool if it wasn’t. What do you guys think? Maybe there’s a middle ground that gives users more control over their posts?
I think that definitely makes more sense for reviews than for other topics. That different individuals appreciate different aspects of a product is what makes a collection of reviews valuable, so you can get a well-rounded understanding of a product before purchasing. It’s not a “right and wrong answer” circumstance, and, because the reviews are considered in their totality, it doesn’t matter that much if one or two reviews are just wrong. Whereas most of social media does involve issues of true and false, right and wrong, and people do try to negatively influence others, so moderation is necessary to create a boundary against hateful spam and such.