Sure - it wasn’t meant to be a hidden feature, and is mentioned as the top item in the release notes:
If a user is being ignored by multiple users, it’s an opportunity to evaluate that user’s presence in the community - are they being ignored because they, for example, are a particularly vehement defender of their beliefs, within the guidelines (in which case, moderators should be paying attention for possible harassment of this user), or as another example, someone whom no one really wants to talk to, and isn’t contributing productively to discussions here - the latter case has resulted in a few bans over the years, usually because their posts inevitably result in derailing topics.
The ignore feature is used by a relatively small number of users, against a relatively small number of users. I have a report and can see the interconnections, and in many cases these appear (to my mod eyes anyway) to be users that never really agree on anything, have agreed to disagree, and have chosen to go about their lives ignoring one another. But what it isn’t is a pervasive feature wide-swaths of the userbase are using to shut out wide swaths of discussion.
to the topic: If someone has an unpopular (but guideline-abiding) opinion or position, we will defend your ability to post it here. It may be flagged, but (as I’ve said elsewhere) more often than not flagging is for other reasons than disagreement - but in that case, we’ll reverse the flag.
What we can’t do and won’t do is prevent others from debating you on your topic or position, nor will we try to “force” others in any way to respond to the post in question, either. That’s not the position of the moderation team or, IMHO, the position of technology to do - people will just walk away rather than deal with that.
More than that: I’d argue that this is the mindset of many a bully and/or harasser, in real life and online.
Having been a victim of it back in my school days, I can say, that behavior should not be welcome here. And, fortunately for all of us, the Guidelines agree.
I don’t always get reactions to what I post. Some of my most carefully crafted arguments get overlooked; some of my silliest throwaway jokes get tons of Likes. I never know how, or if, the community at large will react… and that’s part of the fun! I’m neither conceited nor arrogant enough to think anything I post is The Source Of All Wisdom and MUST BE HEARD. Thanks to this lovely site, I get to hang out with some amazing people, and I can chime in (or not) as I choose… and that’s enough for me. If I get some love doing it, it’s a bonus. If not… oh well. Maybe I didn’t say anything worth saying after all.
Or, commonly, the former victim of bullying turned bully. See Gamergators, incels, or the conservative and Libertarian pundits (Ben Shapiro comes immediately to mind) who insist we must give members of the far right a “fair hearing”.
Interesting, because the people who would benefit the most from this feature are women, minorities, people with disabilities and other “less thans” who often get harassed online when we don’t know our place. There are plenty of people out there who are intelligent enough to play by the rules, and are always polite to the other cis white males, but harass these “less thans” in a way just plausibly deniable enough where the mods can’t do much.
I can’t see why anyone would advocate for not including this feature unless they were worried it would make it harder for them to bully people. Seriously, this is not a hypothetical. If you have a valid reason for standing up against this, other than the widely debunked “echo chamber” theory, speak now.
While I don’t use it myself, I’m more than okay with the Ignore function. I’m trying to agree with @orenwolf’s post where he says nobody can, or should, be forced to listen to attention-seeking bullies and harassers.
If I was unclear, I apologize. Sometimes I’m not writing as clearly as I think I am.
Good to know that we can no longer post supportive posts using gifs! I guess as long as it’s not at least a master’s thesis level of engagement, we should STFU?
Once again, no one is owed a conversation. No one.
Nor is anyone owed meaningful discourse in literally every single posts that exists on here. People are allowed to discuss these issues in a variety of ways, including via visual short hands. Maybe if you don’t like that, just ignore the person whose style you don’t like?
I’m trying to have a good-faith conversation about how to create a community that listens to each other, is civil to one another, and can agree to disagree peaceably. I resent the implication of @orenwolf@KathyPartdeux@DonatellaNobody@gracchus and especially you that this is anything other than that, or that I do not share concern for others who might be victims.
But sure, go ahead, cast me as the bully. Run me out of town. Great example of how to have a rational conversation.
And I expanded on that general concept, which itself was a response to a statement of this site’s official moderation philosophy and how it relates to the Ignore feature.
An example is right here in this thread (also happening in other threads): women posting support for other women or those who are supporting us in fighting against harrassment are being flagged. Especially since they’re using non-textual (or not purely textual) forms of communication.
I almost never see it happen to men, or those presumed to be men. They can use all the gifs and memes they like.
It’s happening here and recently in the misogyny thread of all places. And there’s been a huge uptick recently.
This right here is a big part of why the mod notifications on ignore are so useful - if I look at the report and see that a user has been ignored by large numbers of members who have self-identified as female (a minority in online discussions), or other oft-targeted groups, it’s an important indication.
Seriously- some dude complaining about people not being forced to listen to others opinions they wish to avoid- effectively deletes others posts that don’t violate the community standards because he doesn’t want to hear them?
Neither did I. This is part of a long term pattern that’s been well documented here. Most straight white cis males, or those assumed to be, have never experienced this, but to the rest of us, this happens everywhere we go. It’s okay if you don’t know this, but if we tell you this and you continue to push back despite our experiences, why would you be against a mute feature? Why would you be so against a feature that would be so beneficial to so many of us, especially when it’s no skin off your ass whether it’s implemented or not?
I wasn’t being misogynistic. I wasn’t opposing those who fight harassment. I was challenging the idea that an “ignore” feature would actually be a healthy thing for this board. And I flagged posts that were attacks on me, rather than on topic. And BTW @KathyPartdeux, turns out you can’t flag the moderator.
