So, GirlsaskGuys recently updated the site's UI, and a lot of things have changed. You can now "like" questions and myTakes, and this new system of "liking" has made its way to the opinions as well. G@G has went away with the "upvote-downvote system", and only the small heart remains.
A lot of people have been outraged about one thing: G@G has fully removed the downvote option. Now, you cannot "dislike" an opinion, and if you want to disagree, you must comment on that person's opinion whom you are disagreeing with. Many believe this was a bad move on G@G's part, and I am going to give my reasons (and fellow users' opinions) on why it was. I know many of you are tired of the complaints, and after this I am done complaining, so hang tight with me.
Forcing people to comment on opinions that they disagree with can cause unwanted conflict.
Instead of being able to disagree silently with an opposing opinion, you are now forced to either keep that opinion to yourself, or comment on why you disagree. Usually, this can cause a huge debate that I, and many other users do not want to be apart of. Why should we be forced to leave a comment when before we could just hit the down arrow and be done with it? I mean, I used to be upset when I got a lot of downvotes, but I rather receive a bunch of down-pointing arrows than be barraged with a bunch of mean-spirited comments.
Come on, have you ever seen YouTube comments? They went away with their notorious 'thumbs down' button and now there is only 'like' button. The comment section is like Armageddon. Wouldn't it be just much simpler to leave a downvote and move on?
It silences one side of the argument.
Some people prefer to disagree silently, and now they are forced to comment or gtfo. Now they are forced to keep their disagreement in. This is basically taking away their voice.
This is a site that is fueled on opinions, and frankly, some opinions will be disagreed with. It was much more convenient to see who disagreed and agreed with an opinion with the help of the downvote button, rather than just scrolling through a heated debate.
It is becoming like Facebook and other social platforms.
Many people disliked Facebook for the exact reason why so many people are outraged at G@G: because there was no way to dislike a post!
Yes, I can see why there wasn't a dislike button added for a while, as Facebook was more for sharing pictures and connecting with friends, and many people would be upset if they were mass downvoted on a seflie, but G@G is not Facebook, and G@G has a much different purpose than Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms. It is for asking questions, giving advice, and sharing opinions. And frankly, not all opinions are created equally to many people. That is why the downvote button is needed, to give people a convient way to disagree.
GirlsaskGuys is GirlsaskGuys, not a Facebook wannabe.
I already do not particularly like the 'How Do I Look' topic, but now people will change it into a mini Instagram and will start posting selfies asking for likes. I can already see it now...
"How many likes can my booty pic get?"
"Like if you like my selfie?"
God, please no. Now that the upvote was changed into a "like" button, it will be even more like Instagram and these other social platforms. That could be a good or bad thing for people.
It shows that GirlsaskGuys doesn't care about its users (Which they do, just not in this case).
Don't get me wrong, G@G has much better 'costumer service' than most other huge websites, and I am grateful that I can talk to users when I feel down, or go to an admin when I have a complaint. They also have much empathy and sympathy when you are feeling depressed or suicidal, as the administrators and other noteworthy members will try their best to cheer you up. Also, you have a chance to win an Amazon gift card! Who doesn't love that?
But there is one thing that G@G doesn't care about: What it's users want in the site. I haven't heard many people complaining about the dislike button being an issue, and I haven't heard people saying, "I want the upvote button to be a pretty pink heart!" Seriously, the majority did not want this.
Come on, G@G, I know you try your best to listen, but try a little harder. Maybe you should have put up a poll or something and actually TRIED to listen to us before just going and changing one of the most basic features of the site. Not many people are happy with the changes.
Just start listening to us more, please.
It was a convenient, fast way to show that you disagree.
Again, going back to my first point, it was just easier. Now if someone says that they think eating babies is a good idea, all you will see is the five "likes" from the sick people who agree, and not the 40 people who disagree, and call them out on it by mass downvoting.
It is much easier to click the little red arrow than to type out a huge paragraph explaining why that is a bad idea. They'll understand if they're mass downvoted, trust me.
Final Thoughts
Now, I love some of the new features that were implemented into the site, such as liking questions and myTakes, and the mute button was also a great idea, but it just bothers me and many others why you would remove one of the most fundamental features of the site.
That was one thing that I liked about this site. it was one of the last websites that had a fully working dislike button, as most just subtract a "like" when you dislike a post. This site actually showed how many downvotes there were, rather than doing what many other sites did, such as Reddit, as when a comment gets enough downvotes, it is buried.
G@G responded why they made the changes, and said that the changes were made to "encourage an even more positive community by acknowledging good, helpful and interesting contributions."
But wouldn't more effective community management do that as well? Couldn't we just crack down on the trolls more, and buckle down more on the people who like to start conflict to encourage a more positive environment? There is no foolproof way to encourage positivity, but I think that would work much better.
Look, I get where they are coming from with this change. There are questions asking for people to post selfies, and I think it could just wreck somebody's day if their selfie got a bunch of downvotes. Some people are sensitive, I get it because I am sensitive too. But look, you are on a site that thrives on agreeing and disagreeing opinions, and if you cannot handle a red arrow that points down on your opinion, then you should really not be on the internet.
AND WHAT ABOUT THE GAMES LIKE THESE?
Now we will never have these lighthearted little games again. Now we can only upvote. Sad face.
I hope that G@G has second thoughts about this decision, and starts listening to what it's users want in this site for once in the future. I love this site, and I hope these changes become less and less of what the website wants, and more of what we want.
Thanks for reading this rant, and I hope you have a great rest of your day, GAGers! <3
Rainbow, out.
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