By all accounts, SN should have failed. I should know because I speak from experience. I spent too much time shitposting on r/cryptocurrency to farm their in-house currency called Moons.
Banter was fun and sometimes, I even picked up knowledge. But it kinda felt like a dog-eat-dog world there. You have to gauge the sentiment on the sub. Post at the wrong time, and you will be greeted by downvotes. It seems that some people rampantly downvote others in order to get a bigger share of the Moons pie for themselves. Trample on others to benefit yourself.
Toxic much, huh?
I took the downvotes like a pro, but on hindsight, I think it might have poisoned my mind a little and given me a tainted understanding of human nature. I thought the world is consumed by greed because of inflation and depreciation. And who am I to judge, because I’m just looking out for myself too. Self-preservation mode.
This explains why I was baffled for the longest time. Stackers write freakishly long essays to expound on their experiences and opinions. How do you guys find the time and energy? Why do you guys care so much? It cannot just be the promise of sats. Even if you get a thousand sats for your post - which I think is above the median sats for a post here, it still doesn’t pay enough for a cup of coffee in many countries.
I got fresh insights on my question recently. It began when someone gave me a huge zap and encouraged me to zap Stackers more. So I did. I set my default zap to 168 and realised something I didn’t expect. When I zap others more sats, it just seems natural for me to flesh out my thoughts. I take myself more seriously. Suddenly, I have so much to say! To share!
And I think these thorough insights and lived experiences are the greatest strength of Stacker News. Stackers may not be purely driven by the promise of sats even. I write longer comments these days because I trust that when I put myself out here, my words will resonate with a Stacker or two and prompt them to respond. That what I give out is proportional to what I will receive. That I will gain either different perspectives or validation of my opinions - either way honours the time and energy I spend typing out my comments.
SN is a Proof of Work system, isn’t it? That we work hard to ensure the smooth operation of this circular economy instead of writing cheap comments like wen lambo and siphoning off all the sats, thus depriving others of oxygen.
Feels as fresh as a terrarium and I hope it stays this way.
Have a good day, lads. I’m off to zap some posts!
1324 sats \ 1 reply \ @Scoresby 24 Jan
I think the majority of stackers are here for the community, the sats are just part of how we talk to each other.
It's like a we are all buskers on a giant subway platform. We are on our way somewhere, but many stop for a second and to a play a song or listen to something new.
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Oh what a cool analogy.
Glad that Stackers find the time to “stand and stare” (poem by W.H. Davies https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/leisure)
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That’s true! Ngl
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The truth of this makes me wonder how many of us are trading working with foreign currencies.
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28 sats \ 2 replies \ @fm 25 Jan
every time :)
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All the time
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Learning, knowledge, fun, dreams, stories, discussions, philosophy, art, economics, politics... SN is much more than bitcoiners stacking sats! In my opinion we are a whole community of human beings loving freedom and tech fighting common enemies 🤠⚡
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It has been a great platform for free n civil speech
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This is what I've been so impressed by. It was so refreshing after living in highly combative echo chambers. Stackers are actually thoughtful!
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I have been quite warmed by how Stackers often preface their comment with a “Thank you for sharing”. Whoever said Bitcoin Maxis are unagreeable and unreasonable need to have a different perspective haha
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I set my default zap to 168 and realised something I didn’t expect. When I zap others more sats, it just seems natural for me to flesh out my thoughts. I take myself more seriously. Suddenly, I have so much to say! To share!
Cool unintended consequence!
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Ikr! It has been interesting observing my own state of mind heh
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As someone very fresh to the community (about 2 days now), I am struck by and, frankly, a little suspicious by the congeniality and support, all existing in a micro-economy!
A terrarium is a beautiful analogy. Unlike the wild, it's cultivated chaos. It is a frame around beauty attempting to highlight the sublime. I'm not sure you all ( and I guess now me) are trying to highlight the sublime, per say, but you have certainly showed me something beautiful about strangers interacting.
As for the sats--a little competition, a little commerce, well, maybe that brings out some good stuff in the people on here.
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28 sats \ 1 reply \ @rarson 25 Jan
Yeah, I was instantly surprised by how a thoughtful comment would garner a decent amount of sats. People here definitely seem to value quality posts, which is pretty awesome. But once you've got yourself a small pile to throw around, you get into the habit of rewarding people for giving you something worthwhile to read. Even if you're just throwing down 10 sats here and there. It adds up, especially since SN people seem pretty generous with the zaps.
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I do think the good vibes here so far bring out the best in people
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Welcome! And you are already holding on to your cowboy hat. Awesome
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245 sats \ 14 replies \ @ek 24 Jan
Feels as fresh as a terrarium and I hope it stays this way.
I hope we will be a backyard one day
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The one-stop hub in every Bitcoiner’s life
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603 sats \ 12 replies \ @ek 24 Jan
Btw, I had to google "cathartic". I found this:
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that accelerates defecation.
Is this what you wanted to say? No worries if so, it's definitely funny. I am just not sure if I am missing something here haha
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It also means “providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions”.
I might have given my title a pun xP
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They are related, at least for me.
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381 sats \ 5 replies \ @ek 25 Jan
If someone wants to found ~oddly_satisfying, I would like to be your angel investor. This video1 would be my first contribution.

Footnotes

  1. Please consult your internet friends of trust before clicking on random links
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I ignored your warning, chose to live dangerously, and paid the price.
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You are hilarious lol
It is oddly satisfying though, no? It's just perfect. The sound at the beginning, then the story arc. The end is just the cherry on the top. I think it set expectations at the beginning and it delivered.
I wonder if there are labels for such content, too. I am only aware of nsfw and explicit. But this is neither of those, I believe.
I like how the names of the territories you favour are enriched with adverbs, like mostly harmless n oddly satisfying haha
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Maybe we're all just commenting while we're sitting on the toilet. And then stackers give each other great ideas for posts and then they want to get off the toilet sooner to have a real keyboard to work on their posts.
That could be a nice interpretation of your title.
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No comment. I refuse to reveal my source of ideas
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