Why It's Important to Flag With Respect
The Unanointed Arbiters of Steem
There are those on this platform with massive amounts of power which, because of how the blockchain operates, makes them arbiters of the Steemit community. Their whims and decisions are final. Period, end of story.
The belief is, that those with such power wouldn't want to harm their investment and will thus act in the best interests of the platform.
Sometimes I see this playing out and working to benefit the system and other times I see it causing harm.
When It Causes Harm
Today, I came across this post by @michelle.gent which was her response to a recent flagging. I bring it up now just to point out that flagging can absolutely turn away exactly the kind of quality content creators we are trying to attract.
The fact of the matter is that flagging has a very negative impact on people aside from just removing rewards.
Flagging is a very powerful tool of the platform and the power of it should be wielded appropriately and with a lot more intention than upvoting. It's also my belief that it should be followed with some clear explanation of why it was delivered.
Flag with Respect
If you want to flag content, go for it, it's your right on this platform. But, also realize the impact it has on the person on the other side. We're all humans here and deserve a certain level of respect (sorry bots, you're out for now). I'd just urge that we give others the benefit of the doubt and make our intentions and thoughts known before bringing down the hammer. There are many users who might not understand what they're doing wrong or why they might be flagged. A simple comment informing them gives them that insight. If they disagree with your perspective and you still want to flag, that's your right, but at least show enough respect to communicate and explain the why.
Also realize that you could be driving away legitimate content creators and community members by doing so.
If you're good with that, then the quality of content will degrade, as will your investment.
Personally, that's fine by me. Eventually, the price of Steem will be so low that large amounts will be sold off and we'll have new whales take the place of the current ones whose beliefs on what the "right" thing to do, turns out to be wrong when applied to reality.
I'm not against flagging when the accounts and content are clearly spam, but I'd urge those flagging to remember when you leave behind the spam accounts and start flagging legitimate users, there's a real person behind that account that's usually invested a lot of time and energy in the community. Taking that kind of action without respecting that person or clearly communicating with them is not helping the platform, it is hurting it. Even worse it's hurting the person.
A response of "good riddance" or "suck it up buttercup" just doesn't cut it. The act of sharing , for many, is a very vulnerable thing. If this platform doesn't create a space where people feel safe to show up and share, it's not going to attract and retain those folks who add value and help make this platform special.
Simply showing some respect brings some humanity back to the action, and that goes a long way in how people ultimately experience this platform and community.
Some of my other recent posts:
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Couldn’t agree with you more. I think the ability to flag is a necessary component for the checks and balances of this site, but as you point out, it can also be used to discourage users. I like your suggestion of communicating with the user first. Seems like a more well-rounded approach.