199 sats \ 7 replies \ @Undisciplined 1 Mar \ on: How could the dynamics of Stacker News change when it gets more popular? meta
I just want to say to anyone who might be "sitting on personal, maybe unpopular, opinions fearing that if they voice them this might reduce their sat flow", let your freak flag fly. Stackers are super chill whenever I've seen odd or contrarian views voiced.
The one concern I have is that we might struggle to absorb a rapid influx of toxic social media behavior. I've noticed that occasionally people come in pretty hot when they first discover SN, then over time they mellow out. I don't know how much of that behavior we can absorb without turning off our current stackers.
come in pretty hot when they first discover SN, then over time they mellow out.
Excellent observation! I noticed it too.
SN right now has the vibes of the "good parts" of HN1. Maybe how it was back in 2008 or so...
Footnotes
-
I was a very early HN poster and maybe one of the first 2000 or 3000 users on Reddit. I can't really stand either now but for different reasons. HN has become a smarmy bootlicker state-lover fest. There is occasionally still some great technical discussions there, but I no longer post because any mention of central banks, money printing, or bitcoin elicits their bootlicking responses.....and poor Reddit, to think that back in 2007/8 timeframe it was basically the Ron Paul site.... ↩
reply
Agreed. Just to follow up on this for @Bitman — it's a 'free speech' zone around here, but a man's got to bring an argument. If someone comes here to advocate shitcoins, the deck isn't stacked against them because “we just hate that opinion, boo hoo,” but because those arguments have been heard, considered, and tossed a thousand times.
Also, in terms of politics, a lot of political content doesn't get much engagement because many guys here just don't care. But I've seen all kinds of views expressed.
reply
Yes, I remember how @Undisciplined was questioned about his veganism and was amazed at the questions and his great answer as to why he became a vegan.
We do get a lot of critical (in the good sense) thought here - a real step up from everyday life.
That's why I like it - it can't help but up your game.
reply
Ironically, I think I revealed that information in a very irritating "conversation" with an obnoxious political partisan. However, there was subsequently a civil conversation where it was discussed, which is probably what you're thinking of.
reply
Maybe I didn't see the closing of your conversation in context.
I think your justification was a bit of a head spinner, it was for me. If I remember rightly they thanked you and just went away.
For me, it was a memorable high watermark for SN.
Yup, that's definitively ironic.
reply
That sounds more like the second conversation.
reply
I don't know how much of that behavior we can absorb without turning off our current stackers.
Just like Bitcoin, whose estuary was born within the cryptography and cypherpunk community met first a river then a sea of people, it's inevitable that SN will too.
Perhaps we could learn a lesson from the samurai in The Seven Samurai and let only a few people in at a time.1
I think I've heard k00b speak about doing things gradually.
We might not be grateful for a swarm of hornets just yet.
Footnotes
-
Maybe not a great analogy - they all were killed! ↩
reply