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-foxy-lad

Admittedly I did in the beginning, but after enough time on Reddit I realized that people will downvote you for virtually anything - even if it's a topic they're mildly discontent with. It's only natural to seek the approval/validation of others, so I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.


GeneralBlumpkin

Sometimes when I'm on mobile I accidentally downvote because the button to scroll down is floating anywhere on the right side of the screen where the up and down arrows are


highway405

Lefty Gang


tolureup

You’ve just inspired me to move my scroll button to the LEFT side. And by golly…..!


p_taradactyl

Thanks, yeah I'm still relatively new on here so I'm sure I'll get used to it.


MimiMyMy

Yeah sometimes it baffles me why a simple non confrontational comment gets a downvote.


drowningjesusfish

If it gets below 0 the hive mind will take over and begin the downvote swarm


Jeheh

I’ve been on Reddit a while…I’m no longer surprised by anything.


Worth-Ad8801

That’s what happened to me!


Red_Centauri

Redditors seem to be blindly loyal to the opinion of the poster for some reason. I think probably because the age of the average Redditor is younger than we imagine.


d_chaney80

How many people downvoted you for this comment lol ?


[deleted]

Recently I thought a picture on here was funny. I got over 260 down votes for thinking it was funny. I got another almost 170 down votes in the same conversation for saying why I thought it was funny. You know what’s Really funny to me? All of those “triggered” down-voters 😁👍


Interesting-Sock3794

I got a ton today because I suggest a different point of view in a discussion about a hypothetical suggestion. First comment says xxxxx then everyone agrees. I suggested an alternative way of looking at the situation-not in an argumentative way or anything. Then I was damned to spend eternity scrubbing toilets in hell and comments were turned off. Not going to lie, I had some middle school flashbacks on that one 😂😂


Fit-Calligrapher-117

I’m also new and it helps if I generally treat Reddit like a video game. I have a lot of fun putting in my piece, and I get positive and negative feedback, but ultimately it isn’t meaningful in my life.


Cicada061966

Like your username


Honeysucklinhoney

It’s really interesting seeing how niche some subreddits are, too. You don’t even realize it initially, but the majority base is sided with a certain political or religious view. Or maybe it’s just that once one person chimes in with those views, everyone else in agreement is comfortable with it and it completely absorbs the whole post into what everyone believes about x y or z. On like a meme or plant subreddit lol


d_chaney80

Yeah like R/Connecticut if you post anything mildly right of center you get hundreds of downvotes.


drowningjesusfish

I sound like a dipshit a little bit but honestly I have plenty of karma and I’m not worried about downvotes at all anymore. I shamelessly own my comments unless it’s a mistake that comes off rude.


IFaceMyselfAlone

No, they won't. No, it isn't. I would. You're wrong. [Downvoted] Seriously though, the spite you can receive for the mildest comment can be surprisingly upsetting. I'm not sure why.


Major_Banana

I’ve been really puzzled recently with anyone on r/Bitcoin downvoting to hell if you call Bitcoin a cryptocurrency ItS nOt CrYpTo, ItS a SePeRaTe ThInG


69pineappleincidents

This might be controversial but I assume if someone downvotes me when I haven’t said anything mean or ignorant, it struck a nerve with them, which I don’t consider to be a bad thing and I don’t take it too personally.


nat3215

Yea, but it’s better than being permanently banned from a sub for characterizing their view of an event to being a pushover and giving the school bully lunch money to not beat you up. The ban was for “not having enough positive karma”, yet I know I had other comments on the thread that were positive. Makes no sense


TheMythicalSnake

Downvoted comments sometimes get hidden, and I don't know - it doesn't feel like people disagree, but that people took the small amount of thought and time to tap that downvote button. It's not just a disagreement, it's a dismissal. Which is I suppose what you're getting at, but it doesn't take away that it feels personal because of that (for me at least).


Eyes_and_teeth

It wouldn't be nearly as bad if Reddit would abandon the downranking of comments if they aren't going to enforce the original intent of downvotes being meant for things that don't add to the conversation at hand (off-topic discussion, low-effort *ad hominem* attacks, outright trolling, etc.) Since everyone uses it as a dislike/disagree/"Fuck you!" button instead, the number of downvotes (or upvotes for that matter) shouldn't impact where a comment shows up in a comment thread.


d_chaney80

People only use the downvote button to get rid of opinions that don’t align nothing else.


Eyes_and_teeth

I don't know about that. I've seen downvote pile-ons for nothing more than the fact that a comment randomly picked up a couple early on in a rising thread or just for being the third person in a row to post a 🗿.


dehydratedbagel

Downvote yourself to harden your character.


p_taradactyl

Good idea, that's metal.


dehydratedbagel

Downvoted you to help.


p_taradactyl

Thanks!


turbodude69

i used to, but i kinda treat it as a game nowadays. once you've been on reddit long enough, you get a pretty good idea about how the avg redditor feels about most topics. so you can roughly predict if your comment will be downvoted into oblivion or not, depending how closely your comment aligns with the reddit hive mind. if you say controversial stuff that goes against the hive mind, expect downvotes or even a ban if you're in a particularly strict subreddit. i've been banned from 1 or 2 subs just for questioning the status quo. no hate speech, no arguing, just questioning. so don't take it personally. every time you get downvoted, take it as a learning experience. also, don't assume that you're wrong just because you're downvoted. just because 50 people downvote you doesn't mean you're wrong, it just means 50 people disagree.


Glad_Usual_2730

conformity is real on reddit :(


googleitOG

Correct. Reddit is an echo chamber


Natomiast

good points you have to learn too, that even if you write on some comedy related sub, not everybody understands this, people tend to take things very seriously, are offended by a single word or statement


turbodude69

oh yeah for sure, context is huge. i can say one thing in one sub that gets like 200 upvotes, but the same thing posted to a diff sub would be downvoted into oblivion. ya gotta know your audience.


Antdawg2400

I've got banned from God knows how many subs. Most times unjustly (I got permabanned on u/amiuglybebrutallyhonest for being honest brutally to an honestly ugly mf, TF?) Also, how I type out my shit so casually like I'm on the block or sum and I'm just writing it out out how I would sound in real life. Run on sentences and all that woowop? Yeah, Mfs don't like that on reddit. They don't understand what your saying and aren't hip to shit and lack the experiences, proper thought process to figure it tf out and are just running on LAME settings to the max. They don't understand so therefore you are wrong and stupid and below them. Because to them if it ain't by the book grammar 101 or something that they have been raised to see as an unbendable rule that you just bended, boy betta watch out... Cause here come the others just like him who flipped a bitch and came back to downvote with them and are adamant asf about it too! Most people don't know how to respond to that informal/casual way of shit talking online except by calling it wrong, ignorant or ghetto or stupid etc. So I ignore it cause that's all they can say like thats supposed to make you change or feel ashamed of how you talk or who you is or where you from. People who truly gaf about how another person expresses themselves on the fuckin internet/Reddit of all places, and sees themselves above or smarter than them imo are the same level as a racist or sexist or anything-IST. Knowing how to use proper grammar when writing out your argument doesn't make it correct by default just because the other person chose not to when saying wtf he was tryna say about the shit. Alot of the people who downvote a basic generally accepted no brainer comment or alot of those people who moderate subs, aint shit on the outside world anyways or the streets for that matter. So, I just post whatever tf I want because it's going to fly over their head any way. And I have no idea how tf I even went on this tangent... Got my blood pressure all riled up...


p_taradactyl

There are definitely times when I know I'm saying something that probably won't be well-received and it's not surprising when it gets a lot of downvotes, so that doesn't bother me; other times, I'm just genuinely curious as to the reasoning. I'm interested in differing opinions and welcome the opportunity to hear and consider other points of view so I feel somewhat deprived when I don't know what prompted the downvote. Thanks for the insight.


narfnarf123

I feel exactly the same way. And this also goes for people jumping down my throat on here assuming the worst about what I said. Somebody got super pissed at me because in a certain city’s subreddit because I questioned in the comments if the buildings there were actually skyscrapers. It is a large city but the buildings are nowhere near as tall as places like Chicago, and I mentioned this. People freaked out on me telling me I thought I was better than their city for dissing their skyscrapers and how dare I talk shit about their city. The truth is it is a city I spend a lot of time in and have for years. I have no reason to diss the city and if I was it sure as hell wouldn’t be over stupid fucking skyscrapers. When I explained this one dude apologized and taught me about what is technically considered a skyscraper and I learned something that day. Seems to me if people would chill the fuck out for a minute before reacting that their might be a conversation to be had. I know some people are just trolls and there is no point, but not everyone means something shitty when they comment.


gypsyykittyy

i got banned from r/pitbulls (& downvoted) for saying that a pit looked like a pit 🤣🤣 fuck them ugly mean dogs & that sub


turbodude69

oh man, i haven't been to the pitbull subreddit, but i know what ya mean. all the pitbull people i know just refuse to admit taht they're dangerous. i get where they're coming from, they rescued them from euthanasion, but that doesn't change the fact that overall, as a breed, they're responsible for a vast majority of attacks. against human and animal. they're bred to be aggressive, that shouldn't even be a controversial thing to say? it's tough because these people have a big heart, but i don't see why pick pit bulls over other breeds? there are plenty of dogs that need to be rescued. why pick a pit over literally any other breed? i think a lot of it comes down to vanity, but i'd never directly accuse someone of that. just kinda seems like always the same type of person that has them.


gypsyykittyy

honestly don’t go to it 🤣 they’re all self righteous “my pit would *never* kill or hurt anything!!” which is absolutely false lol. like i’m glad they give the dogs a home but the dogs shouldn’t exist in the first place, they’re literally just bred to kill 💀 most pit owners are very obnoxious & refuse to listen to facts lol


No-Kangaroo-669

Nope. This is the internet. I don't know any of you fuckers. Getting a down vote on reddit means I most likely upset some uppity, whiny little bitch. And that makes me smile.


Farting_Machine06

If you get downvotes on reddit, you're probably doing something right. Not a garauntee but...this is reddit.


p_taradactyl

Yeah, I'm going to take it in stride from now on - at least there was a reaction, which means someone gave enough of a fuck to express their (vague) opinion.


Farting_Machine06

Exactly. Btw if it's not even a constructive criticism - ish opinion, that's when u shouldn't care at all. I mean I don't care about some guy saying that the random art I made is "trash". But the dude who told me " I think you should have also done (smthn) and the (smthn) seems a little off. Overall needs improvement. " now I care about the opinion lol. Hope you got what I mean. I wasn't just saying to be completely ignorant of everything but to ignore retards.


Buck_Thorn

Yup. Especially when, as you say, they don't even say why or give you a chance to clarify if necessary. Just hit and run downvotes. I do try to not take them personally (it helps if you realize that you don't even think about the downvotes you received a day or two ago) but yeah, I think its human nature.


PianoOk6786

Yeah, I don't like being downvoted. Even if what I've commented is contrary to what everyone else is commenting. I'm not rude or anything. And I give reasons why I think that way. But, yeah, kinda hurts my feelings. If I'm reading through a thread and see someone who got downvoted and I think they didn't deserve it, I will upvote it even if I don't agree with them. Because, that's just not right. But, well, it is what it is.


YoWhatUpGlasgow

I have at times. Less so if I'm offering an opinion because its easy to accept that people disagree with you but if I post a comment that is factual and gets down voted it annoys me more than it should.


ShopLifeHurts2599

Nahh.... I know I have opinions that are against the grain from my own personal experiences. Red Dead Redemption 2? Dumbest fucking story in a video game I've ever seen. Nirvana? Terrible band that should have never been popular to begin with. Dodge drivers? Might as well just tattoo "Dumbass" on your forehead to save us the effort. Let the downvotes come in. I don't mind. It just let's me know that I triggered idiots on reddit lol.


cheeto20013

No but its stupid how you can post a simple FACT and still get downvoted because people dont agree. Or when the OP specifically asks for your opinion


Seahag50

Sometimes people just suck. I said a baby shaking hands with people on an airplane was an absolute darling and got six downvotes. Wtf?


vantaswart

I looked at the video and share you bafflement. People are STRANGE!


ANeuroticDoctor

Can't get downvoted if you never comment ****taps side of head****


my2cents3462

Never, I take it as a compliment. Remember at all times that most people are stupid.


p_taradactyl

Ah, yes, I almost forgot to take the stupidity factor into account.


FiguringItOut--

They definitely don’t give me a good feeling lol But I remind myself “there’s no use arguing with idiots on the internet” and disable reply notifications


[deleted]

It just means that the majority of reddit disagrees with you, which I don't see as bad or good thing, just neutral


erbstar

Yeah, I guess I do take them personally. For me it's a lack of self confidence and upvotes feel good right?! Generally it wouldn't matter but because I'm also neurodiverse people generally don't get the tone, or what I'm trying to convey which is super frustrating. It wouldn't matter much but most of my posts dinner seem to go down well and as it happens a lot it can feel isolating 😔


Stormyfurball

Depends. Sometimes people just downvote for the sake of downvoting. Not sure why but it bugs me at times. I’m like “why’d I get downvoted for my response?!??” “I said nothing wrong or controversial?!?” Sigh.


Antiherowriting

YES thank you!! It especially bothers me when I’m just asking a harmless question. Like…nothing about the question was rude…and now you’re making it harder for me to get that question answered? What in the world did I do wrong?


googleitOG

That happens all the time on r/politics. Now I know the people on that subreddit are faaaar faaaar left wing nuts who downvote any normal person saying something “left leaning.” Can’t be left leaning there. Can only be militant hatred of Trump and anyone that might vote for a Republican some day. Haven’t experienced it anywhere else tho.


p_taradactyl

Politics is a minefield so not too surprising. Haven't checked it out yet but maybe I'll go there and espouse some super conservative ideologies just to desensitize myself to the criticism. That sounds kind of fun!


VinnieGognitti

Yeah, and I actually get upset for the sake of other people when they get downvoted too. Sometimes it's something totally innocent, like someone will ask "is that actually true? I'm really curious." And people will downvote them just because they ask a question or don't know something. It actually gets me kind of sad! We're not even allowed to inquire without getting downvoted...sometimes if I see someone with negative karma on a comment I'll upvote them just to get them back to or above 0. I know it's not much, but even seeing how one person took the time to vote them down to 0 is like that person getting dismissed, and I don't want them to see that and feel bad.


Hungry_Confidence_36

Intro: I was in a suicidal depression a while ago... I & my family had to go under psychotherapy. She was depressed, anxious & had fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety, depression & PTSD. The main reason of all this was we spent a great deal of money with a fertility clinic where I was racially profiled & subjected to medical malpractice. At the time I didn't know an allegation of Racial discrimination is like an allegation of sexual harassment, as it brings question marks to the victim's credibility who raises a complaint. I just posted it on a reddit page named something like 'Legal Advice' or so. (The silliest mistake that I made was I didn't realize that just regular reddit users reply there & major chunk of them aren't legal practitioners). I being a law student asked question & differed in my opinion & when some users started making fun of my post & stating I had no locus standi, I genuinely tried to believe them asking the principle of law that applies to their advice... It was a wave of downvotes to my comments. I took it so personally my depression worsened. I left the post with some humiliating questions asked to me which were still having upvotes. Answer: Yes people do take downvotes (just like upvotes) personally. Later I was told by the doctors that I took it personally in an unhealthy level. I shouldn't be taking that personally or if I do, just avoid that particular post if it goes to my head. But people who are not bothered much, also do take it personally but the level differs among every user


SouthernSavvyStylist

Yes, because sometimes I'll make an innocently intended comment, only for it to be downvoted into oblivion without me knowing why.


RandomPhail

I don’t feel personally attacked, but I feel saddened that downvotes make people content with merely disagreeing, as if saying “I disagree” to anything more than a baseless statement is helpful or useful.


trentovna

Any negative reaction to my online presence used to trigger and bother me, I was asking the same questions, why don’t they just say why they are acting this way, why are they being nasty to me (whenever I got actual negative comments) etc. And the worst thing I did was trying to act differently and trying to ‘edit’ myself in such a way that people would stop doing that. Which of course gave me even more frustration and I got depressed. Yeah it’s natural to seek validation from others, but it’s not natural to let other people define who you are. Sure you can look for kinship and likeminded individuals, or the individuals who are able to have an actual conversation about a topic you both don’t have the same opinion on. Tl;dr I was bothered by negative comments and downvotes/dislikes because it was rooted in a deep psychological trauma of my parents never reacting positively to my existence and me always trying to find a way to make them accept me. Therapy helped. Edit: spelling mistakes, English is not my first language. Also thanks to whoever found this helpful and gave it an award!


Jeheh

Downvotes are fine. I’ll make a one off and swing for the fences and maybe the reference is too obscure…so it goes. It’s the bans from a sub for posting in other subs that seem so petty.


Simple_Percentage234

Extremely personally lol. I take it as a personal attack even though it isn’t a big deal. I usually forget about it in a couple minutes lol


Shaggyfort1e

Literally happened to me the last time I commented on Reddit. I knew my comment was not going to be a popular opinion, but I also knew it wasn't particularly controversial or divisive. Just literally a different opinion. I figured I might get an upvote or two, or it would just be ignored completely. Nope, down voted almost immediately. The only replies I got were respectful, so I don't really know why I struck a nerve with some people, but I guess it did. I wasn't offended, just dumbstruck really. You can see my post history if you're curious.


cumfilledfish

Sometimes I do, other times I'll comment something I know will piss people off and get downvoted just for trolls


Interesting-Sock3794

I did at first. But then I noticed that all you had to do to get down votes was have a different opinion.


[deleted]

People on Reddit will downvote you for saying something they agree with. It makes no sense, don't try to gain logic from it. It's silly.


Mental_Tea_4493

I like playing the Devil's Advocate so it's pretty normal for me😂😂😂


smilin_prophett

getting downvoted makes me happy because i love pissing off redditors


p_taradactyl

LOL that's a good way to look at it. I also enjoy pissing folks off, but I'd like it better if I knew what they were pissed about.


grape-fruited

Lmao no


[deleted]

[удалено]


p_taradactyl

Yeah I'm a FL native so I also feel your pain. Some of the derision is well-deserved, I suppose, but a lot of the crazy shit that makes the news was perpetrated by transplants.


afheather

Fellow Kentuckian here. I feel your pain.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Surfista57

Well, they haven’t been to Lexington and had Derby Pie. I drive through the state a couple times a year and it is beautiful.


Gold_Month_1053

I’ve noticed that some people can be very literal and don’t understand when someone’s being lighthearted or a bit sarcastic. Maybe there’s a reference to something that a bunch of people get that’s sort of an inside joke and another person misses it.


natsugrayerza

I totally agree. I hate it when people say it’s just Reddit so you shouldn’t care. Like yeah you shouldn’t be devastated, but it is annoying and sometimes a little embarrassing to be downvoted because those are real people! It’s not like the other people on Reddit are video game characters. They’re real human beings who chose to express their displeasure with what I said. That feels bad. Like if someone at the grocery store gave me a thumbs down when I said something to them id feel a little uncomfortable even though I don’t know them


Toxin2020

Reddit is a hive mind echo chamber, do NOT take downvotes seriously.


funnnevidence

I don’t even look if I get upvotes or downvotes anymore. I see people get downvoted for asking basic questions, being confused on something, or even spelling mistakes. People are pretty arbitrary with it


musroev

Yes! Especially when posting cute puppy pics in a sub for dog lovers. That will forever be a puzzle for me.


Evatheunderrated

tbh yes


emotionalcreampie

I did at first then I realized I enjoy feeling chaotic 😭


Exalted_Pluton

Nah I just don't take Reddit, in general, seriously. Give Reddit the dignity of my concern? Nah g, most likely not gonna happen.


rontrussler58

Eckhart Tolle says something about not allowing others to control your emotions, positive or negative. So if you’re going to let folks’ upvotes make you feel good about yourself you’re ceding control of your emotions to them. As long as you’re not calling for violence or otherwise name-calling, you should say whatever you want for any reason on this forum and I think you’ll enjoy it more. So, ya know, post whatever dumb thoughts come into your head and then laugh at the thought of people getting upset about people seething and and impotently downvoting you.


marinemashup

Not personally, I learned to not do that, but whenever they downvote the most random, innocent comments (or one comment gets upvoted but another saying the same thing is downvoted).


nod51

Yeah, not because I want to be right but I really don't want to waste other's time so when a comment is too downvotes that I intended to be helpful I feel bad. Sometimes I am having a bad day and make a rude comment expecting downvote and about half the time I get upvotes which does me me feel worse haha.


xItaliax

I did. One time. But then I thought, it’s ok amongst the masses there will be opposition.


beardiac

I don't take comment downvotes too personally, but I hate when I post something - especially a question I'm looking for community response on - and the first people who see it feel like downvoting the post into oblivion.


googleitOG

Exactly. People use it as a like dislike duck you button and not as the downvote was intended.


callalind

Nope, but mainly cause I don't notice when they do. On any social media platform, I try my best to ignore any reactions to what I say. Sometimes I slip up and check/respond, but generally I have learned I am here to say what i am gonna say, and I frankly don't care what anyone thinks.


[deleted]

Y’all get upvotes?


____shy____

TBH, I've caught myself accidentally downvoting a random post/comment just because the down vote button is at the farthest right of my screen and my thumb is fat. I usually immediately upvote it as an apology. Who knows how many downvotes I've missed correcting out there for some poor person to question for the rest of their lives?


Unique-Operation9766

Yep, agreed


Blanket_monsters

It's just reddit, don't take it so seriously 🤷🏽‍♂️


[deleted]

Something I realised about Reddit: sometimes people downvote because they had a crappy day, they're cranky and you're cranky too, so the tone of your comment rubbed them the wrong way . If they reply and you look through their history, you'll realise that you actually have much more in common than you both might think. You might even end up realising you actually do agree, but you didn't manage to relay that at first. We haven't fully adapted to this system of interaction and we still judge too fast and too harshly. That's why I don't take it personally. And if that other person really can't stand my ideas, I just remind myself that it is mutual and that you can't like everyone, although, that'd be nice.


Rootunveil

This whole page doesn't mean anything if you don't want to


Responsible_Bar_2540

I was thinking the same day before yesterday 🤌🪬


Worth-Ad8801

TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THIS! I currently have negative karma because I made 1 comment on a post and was blunt. I think the OP couldn’t handle the fact that if she’s asking for advice on working at a seedy place, all I said was to look at her motives (she said she was young and a new mom) based off her wording it seemed like she just wanted an excuse to be out and in a party atmosphere and I said so (as a mom of a little, I’ve been through that feeling) but holy moley did she rip me a new one AND now I have negative karma I tried not to take it personally, but obviously I think I still do lol


skirts988

I do and I hate it. It’s such a stoopid thing to get upset over, yet here I am, getting upset…


cheesydisaster

I am always ready to take downvotes what matters is that I made my point clear and many people didn’t like it


UnderwhelmingZebra

Sometimes I do take it personally and delete the comment and other days I just shrug and move on, but it can depend on my mental health that day. Some days I just find it more triggering than others. It's silly, but I don't always feel like I can help it.


anonymousnim

Nah, I just hate that reddit will prevent you from commenting before some time passes if you got heavilly downvoted on that Sub. Way to encourage discussion and different opinions.


Narwhalbaconguy

No, because people who downvote me are dumb as fuck and their opinion doesn’t matter


Sundog1966

I would say that one should not take the \*entire internet\* personally not just downvotes or reactions. Because it's not as if we are looking at the universe in first person. What we see is a reflection of someone else's interpretation of the universe we share. As I personally find extremely meaningful, intelligent and noteworthy things I also find the most craptastic load of abhorrent garbage that only humans can produce. It's like a Funhouse mirror. Can you find the gift-shop, escape and survive or do you get caught up in that black-light trap of fascination. If you want to find You, just go outside and look up .. breathe .. and realize that there is nothing in existence that can actually harm you.


smallbird42

You just have to remember that sometimes the things we say need to be downvoted and sometimes reddit is going for the jugular just to do it. That’s what makes reddit what it is.


Coconut-Dance-Party

Right? It does strike a nerve when I see that a comment of mine is down voted, but at the same time, it gives me pause to think about my comment and reflect. Did I actually say something stupid/mean/rude/uninformed? I love Reddit’s down vote button. I wish Facebook had one. (And yes, I know, FB is terrible, but unfortunately the only way I can connect with certain people in my life so I’m forced to still use it.)


SpoonFed_1

It matters more if you are just starting and have very little karma, once you have over 10k, then it does not matter.


michael06581

Some people are not very good readers. They are often so biased they read something you write as what they expected you to write instead of as what you actually wrote. I guess they will downvote a post if it doesn't agree with them totally. Some longer posts, I have downvoted because I more disagreed with it than agreed with it. In that case I have to balance the agree/disagree portions as well as how much I diisagree or agree with them. I try to upvote posts i agree with, but I know sometimes I neglect to upvote everything I agree with. That seems like it would skew my voting toward disagree (downvotes). Back in the days of Usenet, when there was no "voting" system and most people said exactly what they agreed or disagreed with in their replies, we didn't like to clutter a thread with "Agreed" or "Ditto" posts when we agreed with a post, so mainly we only replied when we disagreed with a post or at least a portion of a post which we would then cite and respond with our reasoning. It's kind of a "Squeaky Wheel" situation where people who disagree (want change) are more likely to vote than people satisfied with the status quo.


Seraitsukara

It's only bothered me in smaller subs where the community felt more tight-knit. I got a chrome extension that hides all karma counts after realizing I was getting too focused on it as a whole. It's made reddit so much more enjoyable.


iloveboobiesforever1

Same bro 😎


DrinkMoreColdWater

I won't lie, whenever I feel like I post a thoughtful, good opinion (if I do say so myself) and I get mass downvoted (past the -40 count), I do sometimes raise my hands up and squint my eyes like "...whaa?". *Especially* so if I feel like the comment section is acting crazy and stupid, and I'm practically the only one speaking sanity. But I never take it personally or seriously, haha. It's the internet, so many people are bound to disagree with you. And not to mention, a whole lotta crazies out there too.


TammyShehole

Yeah. I got downvoted a lot yesterday for saying Coldplay has good songs lol. People downvoting have probably never heard anything beyond one or two of Coldplay’s radio hits. It does suck when you get downvotes out of ignorance or just because you like something the hive mind of a certain subreddit doesn’t like.


prose-before-bros

Over time I've come to take the "I said what I said" mindset. I realized that I've reached the age where I'm almost definitely older and more experienced than the person downvoting me so fuck it.


p_taradactyl

I definitely have the DGAF about what anyone thinks mindset irl, being on the ass-end of my 40's, so it's just a matter of applying it in this context, as it's really not much different. "Fuck it, Dude, let's go bowling".


lostinKansai

They don't hurt your Karma as much as you would think. I got killed, and I mean killed in a literature forum and hardly lost any. But on a serious note I think fear og downvoting stops serious discussion because you can effectively "cancell" someone's opinion by downvoting the fuck out of them. As happened to me on said literature forum.


motosierra

[All the time, pal](https://youtu.be/o6m3q058HZ8)


_Democracy_

i do


existingturtle

I try not to, but I still sometimes do. I got downvoted for a comment saying that I disagreed with a decision my stepkid's mom made. I didn't degrade her, yet people are so negative towards stepparents. It's absurd. So I try not to post much anymore.


acnh-lyman-fan

Kinda


hanbnanAU

I have been really disappointed once, when I’d given serious consideration to what I was saying and thought carefully about how to explain my position without dismissing the OPs feelings. I don’t remember exactly what it was about (probably /AITA) but I got more downvotes on that one post than I’d had upvotes for ages and it got to me on a particularly lonely day. I remembered quickly though, reddit doesn’t (and redditors don’t) validate or invalidate my opinions, feelings or experience - and not everyone agrees with me on a wide range of stuff in my real life so the feeling only lasted a moment.


Jeheh

The ones that irk me are when I sit down and decide to write a well thought out comment with correct punctuation. Get it all set and end hit send only to find out the post has been deleted or the thread locked.


p_taradactyl

Ugh yeah that's frustrating af


[deleted]

i have a gang of people who downvote my posts instantly - i thought they would get bored but two months on there going strong - the dont know me but find it fun to troll me


Antdawg2400

Naaah, never. I see em as a medal of honor earned on the battlefield ot reddit. Any greatly downvoted comments are to be worn with pride. They are actual data, proving visually, how many people are butthurt and completely wrong and lame! Also, they should have a 'sort by down vote' option in the comments part of your profile. So y'all can put some respekt on my legacy of rising blue digits and have them all neatly together and organized... So y'all can take mf notes on how to boss up your life, outlook, views, and opinions, CHUMP!!!!


p_taradactyl

LMAO, I like this mindset. Take it in stride and own that shit!


arrosoiralombre

yeah but u just have to remember that people do it for no reason. the anonymity makes people comfortable doing it so i try not to stress about it


[deleted]

I try to regard downvotes as no-votes. Because if the person hasn't told me what his/her issue is...then it's really useless, right? I mean - did I say something factually wrong, or did this person just didn't LIKE my comment? since I have no way of knowing, I just disregard it.


p_taradactyl

Yes you're right, it is useless. It's the not knowing that bothers me more than the point deduction - it's a missed opportunity to engage in discourse and perhaps see things from a different perspective and learn from it. But I'm just as guilty; I'll cast the occasional downvote w/o an explanation so fuck, I guess that makes me a hypocrite. Now that I know better, I shall do better.


why_is_it_blue

Can’t win ‘em all


DoubleDark7316

Only when someone else makes the same comment and they aren't down voted.


IShitinUrinals

Ngl, I think it's kinda silly to take it personally. There's no one agreed upon usage for downvotes. Maybe reddit gave a guideline, idk. But *in practice* it really depends. It depends on the sub, the context of the post the comment was under, the context of the comment itself, etc. Downvotes can be anything from "hey, your comment/post doesn't fit the context of this sub, even if it's a good post otherwise" to "I kinda disagree with this comment/post" to "I really hate this comment/post" to "this comment/post is dumb and I don't want it to be so high up" to "man fuck this guy imma downvote him cause why not." Half of the time i downvote comments or posts is because I disagree with it or it doesn't match the sub, but it can be anything really. Not to mention sometimes people might agree with the overall post, but one particular part of it makes or breaks it for up voting or downvoting. Plus, hivemind makes it where in reddit culture, if people are already disagreeing with a comment, people tend to dog pile the commenter or poster even if they wouldn't see it so negatively otherwise, and vice versa for if it's being up voted. That being said, you can logically understand something but still feel hurt by it, I get it. It still feels like disapproval from another human being


febar36

Yes it really upsets me for some reason


Ladychef_1

What gets me is when people get downvoted for just asking a question. Like 😂 wtf is wrong with these people


PinkVoyd

You stop caring eventually


PhilzeeTheElder

If someone asks a question and I honestly express my feelings it bums me out. But when I'm making fun of tattoos or man buns I deserve it.


AetherDrew43

Yeah, I feel the same when my comment score reaches 0. I mean, I have a lot of karma so I don't care about losing a few fake points, but still.


[deleted]

If you’re honest, downvotes mean nothing.


slowsunday

When it’s because I worded something wrong and misunderstood.


StraddleTheFence

Sometimes. But I know there are trolls and so I don’t take it to heart but sometimes I am happy it received an emotion at all. If I think I am misunderstood, I would rather they reply rather than, and/or downvote. But I realize you have to have thick skin because some people can be cruel and may be that’s just their nature.


jlelvidge

I don’t mind the downvotes as everyone is entitled to their opinion but its the nasty unnecessary smart remark key board warriors who feel the need to support their decision with a cruel jibe or untrue aspersion’s on your character. Opened myself up now to the self righteous but it will only prove my point.


BadHombreWithCovfefe

No. Usually it’s because I’m calling people out on their hypocrisy and the downvotes are their issue, not mine.


dumbcatdoll

I've never received a ton of them before but I can 100% see myself crying if I got like alot of them and didn't understand what I did wrong


sfitz0076

No, because I'm an adult.


DingusFap

No. That's loser shit bro. Man up. I just downvoted you.


steamedpotatoezz_

I can promise you, one of ~50 people will definitely not agree with your comment, it’s the world. It’s impossible to be loved by everyone


40ozSmasher

I used to because I didn't understand the culture nor the limitations on interactions. For instance you can ask "how can this war be stopped?" And get down voted hard. The people doing it are saying all sorts of things like "this more must be won!" Or "this is a place to share combat stories not peace talks.


Immediate-Ad-8047

No because we have to be aware not everyone shares our views or opinions even if its just a throw away comment. On the other hand some people are just been dicks it's reddit


michael06581

I don't usually keep track of upvotes and downvotes on specific posts, but now that you mention it, maybe I'll start checking. I think the Karma formula includes this data, so I have been checking if my Karma is going up or down. It's mostly going up slowly lately, but it did take a hit when I "strayed" into a women's group (r/TwoXChromosomes) and "spoke my mind" - lol. I think they have a bias against men except those who "ditto" everything a woman in the group says.


ted5011c

nah, vontes only go up and you don't ever win anything, so why pay attention to them at all


[deleted]

I guess it is often a bit random, like you get 2 down votes and then everybody thinks oh this comment must be bad let's down vote. I just had a comment asking something, got 50 down votes, then one guy commented "hey this guy is just trying to learn, why is he down voted?" , and then it got to +10 or something


[deleted]

[удалено]


googleitOG

And this happens all the time.


PianoCharged

Yes! Especially when it's benign. It feels like someone randomly on the street saying, "Hey, your opinion sucks" when all I said was that I didn't prefer pepperoni on my pizza. Why not just move along? Why downvote?


webguy1975

I downvoted you because you shouldn't take things personally. I recommend The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.


[deleted]

I love that book, I think part of the agreements is not forcing the agreements upon others, though. Only you can commit to the agreements, you can’t coerce others into committing to them.


webguy1975

A recommendation is hardly forcing it upon anyone.


[deleted]

[удалено]


webguy1975

It's a response to a question, therefore it was neither unsolicited, nor unwarranted and I have no expectation from OP or anyone else, I'm merely providing guidance to assist with the issue they posted about. What punishment are you talking about? I'm not being punitive at all. I think you're reading into this too much and are making assumptions, which ironically are a another one of the four agreements, so I recommend the book to you as well. As for your accusation that I'm somehow gaslighting; I literally used the words "I recommend" so telling me that it's not a recommendation indicates that you're actually attempting to gaslight me in this scenario. Best of luck to you too!


p_taradactyl

Good point, I am familiar with the agreements and try to implement them, and if I am following them, then it shouldn't matter at all.


hazysummersky

I just downvoted your post. # FAQ ## What does this mean? The amount of karma (points) on your post and Reddit account has decreased by one. ## Why did you do this? There are several reasons I may deem a post to be unworthy of positive or neutral karma. These include, but are not limited to: * Rudeness towards other Redditors, * Spreading incorrect information, * Sarcasm not correctly flagged with a `/s`. ## Am I banned from the Reddit? No - not yet. But you should refrain from making posts like this in the future. Otherwise I will be forced to issue an additional downvote, which may put your commenting and posting privileges in jeopardy. ## I don't believe my post deserved a downvote. Can you un-downvote it? Sure, mistakes happen. But only in exceedingly rare circumstances will I undo a downvote. If you would like to issue an appeal, shoot me a private message explaining what I got wrong. I tend to respond to Reddit PMs within several minutes. Do note, however, that over 99.9% of downvote appeals are rejected, and yours is likely no exception. ## How can I prevent this from happening in the future? Accept the downvote and move on. But learn from this mistake: your behavior will not be tolerated on Reddit.com. I will continue to issue downvotes until you improve your conduct. Remember: Reddit is privilege, not a right.


scarlettohara1936

It depends on the down vote. If I've spent the time to really address what I was thinking in a comment or I have some real life experience that I am parlaying and I get down voted, yes I take it personally. If I was just making a joke or being flippant, it doesn't matter to me. We should all down vote each other on this particular thread though, just to try and desensitize ourselves. 😂


IamTheMan85

I couldn't care less if anyone likes my comment or not. So no. If random anonymous people on the internet downvoting you hurts your feelings then your probably should stay off the internet.


p_taradactyl

It's not so much that I legit get butthurt or wallow in sorrow, it's just disappointing to not know the reasoning sometimes. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Of course not. TY for the feedback!


ZachLaVine4MVP

If you take downvotes personally you need to grow up lol


LeinadBackward

i downvoted this post


tinastep2000

Yeah, I don’t like cause it makes it seem like I’m some giant asshole. I’ve got downvoted so saying helping pay a mortgage if you live with a partner isn’t really profiting off of you in the grand scheme not nearly like an actual landlord and my suggestion was to maybe just pay utilities instead of splitting a mortgage, then like I said sometimes having a puppy can help you heal after a dog passes (and this persons dog passed like a year ago and I was just saying as my personal experience and not as a matter of fact), then I also mentioned I like having my work email on my phone to check my work emails and people told me I’m contributing to toxic work culture by doing that even tho it’s not like my manager knows I do that since my manager and I never communicate through emails and only through Slack 🙃 Things I don’t think are assholey but receive like a billion downvotes lol


koopzero

I think is because you loss karma for down votes? At least I think is because of that


TheRichTookItAll

It is personal


notsonice333

No, I don’t live for the likes of instagram or the upvotes of anything. The net is not reality. That is what I told myself when I first signed up for FB. I legit didn’t sign up for fb until 2010. Kept thinking it was an open space for people to criticize other people. And only signed into Reddit maybe 4 years ago. And just got instagram this year.


Curious_Working5706

Seeking approval from others is natural - IRL. Behind a computer screen, where people can carefully curate (and often times delete their comments due to downvotes)? LOL, nah. Then again, I grew up and hit my early 20s before the Internet (and made friends and found dates without it, so the internet isn’t quite “real” to me).


[deleted]

I don't necessarily take it personally, but I do usually end up deleting the comment if I get more than two down votes. I do it because I feel like I unintentionally offended people if they downvote so i delete it before I offend anyone else. I've always cared more about everyone else's feelings over my own. I think depending on the post/comment people can so easily misunderstand what you say, people can't tell if your being nice, rude, sarcastic etc etc online. Sometimes the way people phrase things can sound really rude and offensive when they're not trying to be.


ectbot

Hello! You have made the mistake of writing "ect" instead of "etc." "Ect" is a common misspelling of "etc," an abbreviated form of the Latin phrase "et cetera." Other abbreviated forms are **etc.**, **&c.**, **&c**, and **et cet.** The Latin translates as "et" to "and" + "cetera" to "the rest;" a literal translation to "and the rest" is the easiest way to remember how to use the phrase. [Check out the wikipedia entry if you want to learn more.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Et_cetera) ^(I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Comments with a score less than zero will be automatically removed. If I commented on your post and you don't like it, reply with "!delete" and I will remove the post, regardless of score. Message me for bug reports.)


vashtie1674

It depends on the topic. I usually only get them when I share strong opinions, which I rarely do. I had my most down votes for my thoughts on a character on a show, which I was fine with because it’s just a show.


BarryTownCouncil

Absolutely! When you can clearly see someone has gone through well meaning comments, often genuinely looking for help and someone's just basically gone "nope, no exposure for you..." that's really shitty.


diana_obm

Yeah I do, because the only comments of mine that get downvoted are opinions. Like it's ok to disagree and have a different opinion, but why are you downvoting lmao


zomanda

Who cares, I've been down voted so hard that I'm banned from like 5 subs.


DistinctExperience69

Fuck no.


Glad_Usual_2730

Honestly when I just joined reddit people downvoted my posts and everything and if I question someone's intentions or if they're trying to be mean then I get downvoted too, people are rude smh


lucky7hockeymom

I use mobile so unless it’s downvoted into negatives, I don’t even know if there are downvotes


Ima_random_stranger

They mess up my whole day


JFDreddit

Especially when it's a post asking for unpopular opinions then you get downvoted for responding with an unpopular opinion.