Setting Digital Boundaries: Should Steemit Support a Blocking Option?
Hello, fellow Steem-Os. Today I would like to talk about "digital space," and setting boundaries therein.
I recently posted a debate that was held on my YouTube channel, Voluntary Japan, regarding the safety of vaccines and the moral legitimacy (or lack thereof) of state-mandated vaccination.
Those of you that already are familiar with my blog can probably safely assume my general position in the debate. I argued in the negative, defending the position that vaccines/current vaccination practices are NOT SAFE and that vaccines can never be legitimately forced on individuals, from a moral standpoint.
All this notwithstanding, at least three fellow Steemians misunderstood my position (not a big deal or a problem), reading only the headline: Vaccine Debate: VACCINES ARE SAFE AND PEOPLE ARE MORALLY OBLIGATED TO TAKE THEM, and construing said headline to mean that I am "pro-vaccine." These individuals are, like myself, opposed to the corruption in the medical industry and wish to expose the fraud and child abuse that are happening in the name of "vaccination."
Unfortunately, these individuals also emphatically voiced their disagreement (totally fine and acceptable, of course), and then proceeded to spam the comment thread (like, really, incessantly saying I am "in bed" with vaccine manufacturers on other users' unrelated comments, and calling these users my "cronies"), and making false claims about myself and my followers (this spamming is not fine, in my personal opinion). One of these users also flagged the post.
The point of this post is not the safety of vaccines, or agreement and disagreement, but how to deal with serial spammers. Is the only recourse to digital annoyances a flag? The "mute" option doesn't really keep these individuals from the digital space of the comment thread on my post.
As I don't find mere disagreement a valid reason to flag someone, and as I have tried numerous times now to set the record straight, I am left wondering about the merit of an open platform where digital space is basically a free-for-all and the only recourse after a dialogue attempting to rectify the situation is a downvote (flag). Actually, I am not opposed to this system. I like it. I am left wondering, though, if a block option would also benefit the platform.
What do you think? Would an option to block other users (not just mute them) from commenting on one's posts be beneficial to the free and open nature, and overall success, of the platform, or would it be a detriment?
Please let me know what you think. You can view the spammed (in my opinion) post here.
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
I think if you flag a post (newbie here, btw and I have a question on that, is flagging how you down vote a post? Because I don't see anywhere to down vote anything and I keep reading about it in the FAQ) --anyway, I think if you flag a post there should be a public listing of those who flag it and they should have to pick a reason why (spam, illegal activity, plagiarism, etc). And if people abuse it, they should lose their ability to flag.
And yes, we should be able to block people. You shouldn't lose out because of trolls.
Yes, flagging is another name for a downvote, and it does take Steem Power. It is a transaction on the blockchain, just like an upvote. I am happy that there are no enforced rules for flagging, as it leaves it up to individual discretion, and the consequences up to the community (individual free market actors). That said, I agree, "you shouldn't lose out because of trolls."
You can see who has flagged a post by looking for the minus sign in the voter list, or checking your account here, at Steemstats. You can enter your account name and get loads of information on the transactions being made in association with the account.
Well, now @chelsea88 just flagged a few of my comments on this post.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
AM I NOT WELCOME ON STEEMIT? LET ME KNOW AND I WILL LEAVE.
Hi @@@kafkanarchy84, I commented on this blog to talk about the flagging issue and now @chelsea88 is flagging my comments on this.
What is going on here on Steemit? This is nonsense.
Now I can't have an opinion or comment on a post without flag abuse?
I love this idea! I am being flagged for some unknown reasons. The first reason I can understand a little because I posted something using the kr tag but it was related to Korea. I didn't know this but, the Korean community acted like they are the only ones that can use the tag. A few of them flagged it.
I should have just ignored it but, I reposted the video, which was in Korean and made in Korea, and they flagged it again. Then they started to flag all of my replies and comments and had their friends flag it too that didn't even see the first post.
I was upset but now I am trying to be nice to them so they will stop flagging every post I make. I even stopped posting until they hopefully stop. I have even been upvoting their post, replying to them and also sending them small tips in hopes of ending this flag abuse.
I leave nice comments to them wishing them the best here on Steemit and they flag those too, like this one:
https://steemit.com/kr-agora/@oldstone/72fnzt#@elegente/re-elegente-re-oldstone-72fnzt-20170825t080109047z
I'm not trying to spam this reply, I am only trying to find some solution to this. I hope they stop doing this and my rep score is very low now.
As petty as things are getting - i.e. someone reads only the topic header/ main photo and then proceeds to make a dumb comment because they didn't actually read your article, a block function could be useful.
I've had this happen on a post that i did on my SIL who's deceased due to her heroine addiction.... what did I get
"Nice photos "
Posted about my old POS Mercedes and all the problems I had -
"Whoa rich girl "
Flags are being abused when they're used due to personal disagreement. That's frankly bs. Flags should be used for spam/ abuse/illegality etc. Some people are too immature to get that so yeah.
In another post I had suggested a function on Steemit where an individual has to be on your blog for 2 minutes before they can make a comment. This would help deter some people who only want to read headers. What do you think? Might work better than flat out blocking. And a longer than 20 second period before one can re-comment. Maybe 45 seconds?
Personally, I wouldn't support a minimum time requirement, because that feels authoritarian to me. I am in total agreement with you, though, about the inanity of the spam comments. I just don't always want to waste Steem Power in dealing with these fleas.
I feel you. But without it, you can gurantee more people will just read your topic header and be done with it. Blocking them wont stop their behavior, it will just stop it on your page. Just saying :)
Right. I am not really concerned with that behavior in regard to the whole "Steem-o-sphere," because I am confident other Steemians (individual market actors) will do the same (flag, block, etc.) and these spammy fleas will be effectively flushed out from the market, more or less.
Fair point :)
Well, if they are blocked, would that prevent them from seeing your topic header?
I do also. There are some "authoritative" members who are flagging everything I post so I stopped posting until they stop. I am showing them kindness and forgiveness by upvoting their post and sending them small tips. i leave them nice comments and they flag those too.
I would ignore them but they flag anything I post so I tried to be nice to them but it's not working.
Why did you flag my reply? Did I say something wrong? Am I not welcome here on Steemit?
I have some members who are flagging me whenever I post something so I stopped posting and tried to make peace with them. I leave them nice comments and upvote their post and also send them small tips. It's not working. They flag the nice peace making comments I leave and when they do reply to them, it's not nice replies. I would usually ignore this but they are not ignoring me and flag everything I post so I stopped until it's resolved.
It's not working:
https://steemit.com/newslink/@claudia/earth-newslink-russian-tanker-sails-through-arctic-without-icebreaker-for-first-time#@logic/re-elegente-re-claudia-earth-newslink-russian-tanker-sails-through-arctic-without-icebreaker-for-first-time-20170825t160132468z
It could be abused by blocking out dissenting opinions. I would agree that something needs to be done. Perhaps the ability to block but with a limited number of them and with time limits.
I am totally okay with people blocking dissenting opinions on their own posts though, if they want to. This to me is akin to me keeping Neo-Nazis from holding demonstrations in my living room. I guess the real issue being raised here is: is a blog post a digital analogue to private property?
I am all for blocking people on your own posts as the post is your property but you are still speaking in a public area. Having a limit just means you need to reserve your 'blocks' for the extremist biggots and big hairy trolls and not waste it on someone who just has a different opinion.
If the rolls were flipped and you were responding to the racist in order to point out the folly of his or her post you could be blocked along with everyone else who might reject thus leaving only the biggots to freely reaffirm eachother in their biggotted beliefs.With a limit they would be forced to deal with at least a few dissenters.
I understand that, but still support bigots being able to be bigots on their own blog posts. This is because I do not wish for my blog to be censored when people disagree with me. I think each blog "owner" should be the ultimate arbiter and authority in deciding what can or cannot be posted on said blog.
I think @cogent-pursuit raises some good points.
I think the blocking thing is just too face-booky. I don't want a bunch of "yes men " on my blogs. I can see people just blocking for bs reasons. It will create other problems too, since everything is seen in the blockchain (via other sites), you'll have posts popping up "oh, I'm so sad "xyz asshole" blocked me " that's tame. You'll have people making comments like you can't stand up for yourself or whatever. Its a pain in the ass but the muting is enough of a help for me, to choose to ignore or not. You create sort of an artificial environment when a block feature is readily available. The blog is on a public space so it's not quite the same as a "neo Nazi demo in your living room." That being said i do see where you are coming from. Just not sure blocking is the answer
This is an interesting point, and I do hear what you are saying. I appreciate the alternate perspective.
Glad to do it. Hope you have a swell day. Free of rude posters/trolls =)
You too!
Personally, I don't think I'd bother to block anyone, but then, I haven't yet been subjected to a tirade of bullshit.
I think people such as the commenter on your vaccination debate post don't deserve even the significance afforded them by being blocked. Allow them their say and let them display their obvious inanity.
That said, I suppose a blocking option would allow each to decide for himself.
Cool!!!
Upvoted.
Hi friend, I am also threaten by a fellow steemian,as I had commented for your favour. She /he commented that "what a total liers you all are",like that you can check it out on my reply sections. Yes I agree that current vaccination process are not safe, so it should not be mandatory but should be voluntary. Any way please have a look on my new post, you will be happy after watching it. Thanks have a good friend.
Thats some interesting point of view.