How Downvoting Affects Creators and What We Can Do About It

42 comments

curamax12 K13 hours ago5 min read

A few days ago, I wrote about how some legitimate content creators on the platform are feeling demotivated due to unjustified downvoting. I received a lot of thoughtful responses from other users, which I deeply appreciate.

First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who engaged with my post and shared their experiences and perspectives on the issue of downvoting here on the platform. That post turned out to be one of the most engaged-with posts in recent months, which made me realize just how many users are negatively affected by this problem.

Importantly, I didn’t even touch on the financial consequences of unjustified downvotes. I focused solely on the emotional impact, how these downvotes have made some users feel unsafe or discouraged from posting or participating further.

created using Sora

In this

, I want to highlight the key takeaways based on the comments I received.

One thing I’ve realized is that there are varying perspectives on the issue of downvoting on Hive. Encouragingly, there are also users who are actively working on solutions to minimize the emotional toll of unjustified downvotes.

As I read through the comments, it became clear that my post sparked a heartfelt, constructive, and wide-ranging conversation.

Many commenters agreed that unjustified downvoting can have a real emotional impact on the recipient, especially when the downvotes are unexplained or perceived as personal attacks. This reveals that, unfortunately, the downvote feature is sometimes being weaponized for personal reasons. Some users seem to have forgotten the intended purpose of the downvote system and are instead using it to exert power over others without offering any meaningful justification.

In my view, this is one of the most troubling aspects of downvoting on Hive.

There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with another user’s opinion or with what they express in their post. That’s exactly why we have a comment section, to allow for discussion, debate, and the sharing of different perspectives.

However, it becomes problematic when a power user downvotes a post simply because they disagree with the author's opinion or with how that author chooses to use their rewards.

One particularly striking case comes to mind, perhaps the most absurd misuse of the downvote feature I’ve seen on this platform. It involved a prominent and well-respected content creator who is also an active member of a large curation group. Despite their credibility, they were downvoted by a power user whose justification was that the author had cashed out their post rewards.

I found this deeply disappointing. In my view, that power user forgot the fundamental values of this platform. It seemed they were so focused on protecting their own investment that they felt threatened when others claimed their well-earned rewards. What’s even more absurd is that the power user wasn’t even upvoting that author in the first place, so their reaction made little sense.

This example perfectly illustrates how the downvote feature can be misused to assert dominance over others. And it reinforced for me how critical it is that we, as a community, reflect on how we use the tools available to us and whether we're upholding the spirit of fairness, respect, and constructive engagement.

On a more positive note...

There are users and developers on the platform who are taking this opportunity to create solutions that help reduce the emotional impact of downvoting. As of now, I’m already aware of two working solutions that aim to lessen the negative effects of downvotes. To be clear, I’m not referring to the financial impact, as that is something we can’t fully control. At this point, no one can really stop others from downvoting. However, there are ways to minimize the emotional impact, and one of those ways is simply to hide the downvotes altogether, haha.

This type of solution focuses on changing how the author perceives the situation. In this case, the developers configured the frontend to hide the downvotes. While the post rewards are still affected by the downvote, the visual indicator is removed, so the negative feedback is not immediately obvious to the author.

The

has already implemented this solution, which is why using Ecency feels less stressful in this regard. It looks cleaner and gives off a more positive vibe, unlike other frontends that display a dramatic broken heart icon in bright red or a dull grey color, which can come across as discouraging.

In the end, it's encouraging to see members of the community stepping up to find thoughtful solutions to a problem that affects many creators emotionally. While we may not be able to control who downvotes, we can work together to shape a more supportive and respectful environment. Let’s continue the conversation and strive to make the platform a place where creativity and expression are truly valued.