RE: Just So We're Clear - The Tech Manager of Steemit Is Anti Democracy and Pro Oligarchy - in His Own Words.
Just for clarification since I didn't see anyone else say this explicitly, the U.S. is not a democracy, even though at least one recent U.S. president has called it such. It is a constitutional republic, which attempts via the constitution and bill of rights, to ensure that the individual has inalienable rights that can't be trampled by others. Unfortunately these rights are being trampled anyway by the patriot act, etc. I would suggest that the same idea of individual rights needs to be applied to this community so that no individual can downvote, and thus suppress and effectively silence, anyone else's visibility or ability to monetize their content. This is already the unfortunate and undesirable situation on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter. I can tell by your posts that it is here as well, just with a different censoring mechanism. I came here to escape that content censorship. If that doesn't get corrected, there's no reason to be here as a means to escape censorship on these other platforms.
What I've often seen is that things often start out well intentioned (like YouTube) and then get corrupted or co-opted by others with interests to institute their own brand of control. Bought out is generally the way it seems to go. Money is the vehicle. Looks to me to be the same here on Steemit at this time. More Steem = more power to control others. The idea seems to be to let it go free for as long as possible in order to get people hooked. Then gradually start taking away things in a boiling frogs manner. I suggest that the same will inevitably happen here as long as the Steem=power over others dynamic exists. I'd suggest that needs to change much sooner than later or people will see through this and leave - or not join and/or not suggest for others to join.
In fact, I kind of hate to raise this issue, but it is entirely possible that this whole Steemit experiment was set up on purpose to fail in order to have an example to point to and say: see, it was tried and it doesn't work. Forget it, censorship free social media can't be done. Just a possibility to consider - not claiming any evidence in support of this potential.
p.s. thank you for your posts, I very much appreciate you making them.
You are welcome. An open mind considers all possibilities and asks all awkward questions. As long as we don't assume, judge and get stuck on beliefs, it's fine and a wise move. The good thing is that the technology itself is replicable, so whatever the outcome of any particular project - others can thrive later.
That is indeed a very good thing.
I think there is a solution and it's easy - get rid of flagging.
But the fact that the no flagging option is not even considered is suspicious.
Hell I just had a comment flagged today because it was more popular than a comment by a whale who flagged my comment and upvoted himself - flagging is all about dominance and censorship...
I agree. I think there should be a thumbs down, but that should have no effect other than the ability to say you disagree. Flagging should be reserved for trying to point out things that are illegal, and only things that are illegal.
That is exactly the solution .. Steem is really great, almost indestructable in its structure of protecting freedom of speech.. But the flagging is flawed in how powerfull it is in destroying accounts!
Look at my account! I was sabotaged for using the words islamists and islam ! I was not hating or lieing! The islamists just got together to downvote me! of course, all they could flag they did and I went from REP 35 to 7 !
Flagging could be there as an option to make a notice to everyone on a comment or post being bad in some way, like spammy f.x.
BUT .. it should not destroy reputation! not when reputation is something that is needed for operating your account..
Either, reputation should be inactive in operating your account (making posts, uploading fotos etcetera, buying resteeming services) and only be a reference number for information in that way.
Or: Flagging should not be able to negatively affect reputation score!
or: reputation score should just be eleminated totally, which it could be, it is not an essential part of a Blogging Network!
we can have a flagging system without a reputation system!
making it transparent for everyone if a post or comment is "undesireable" in any way by others and by whom!
but without that person actually being hindered in his further blogging from having recieved f.x. 50 downvotes / flags on his recent post!
Generally, as we can just comment our thoughts and feelings, we can use that to convey anything that we otherwise use the flagging to convey..
For instance just a comment where you write "Flagging this!" or a jpg or gif with a flag or thumbs down !
like this
Yeah - the people flagging you that I saw are just minnows and their downvotes are easily reversed. But often people have bigger connections in the background, so I choose my fights carefully, and do my best to keep out of this flag war bullshit - just ignore them and let it go is my best advice