tokenadult, from all of the things I've read from you over the years, I
believe you are too kind and well intentioned to notice the reality of
the situation. Then again, maybe I'm too harsh and jaded.
If you're as jaded as I am, you've already realized that the ancient
days when people put great stuff on the Internet because they enjoyed
working on it are long gone. The commercial interest of the web combined
with human vanity have transformed the Internet into a for-profit
popularity contest. The vast bulk of submissions to HN support this,
both the stuff on the front page, and all of the countless things that
have slid off of the 'newest' page into oblivion.
A large part of the supposed "sentiments" show in comments, submissions,
and voting/flagging are really just playing to the crowd. Though it
might be offensive to some, the typical phrase is "karma whoring." It's
really just human nature at work; if you buy or buy into some expensive
widget, you promote your choice publicly to gather the esteem of your
peers. Similarly, if you abandon something, you disparage it publicly
to promote your choice and gather the esteem of your peers.
Using gmail/google?
Bought an Apple?
Programming in javascript?
Love/Hate copyrights?
All of the "consensus" issues boil down to pimping for profit and
praise, or resisting the resentments of others. A prime example is, when
was the last time you saw someone really speak out against javascript?
It does happen on occasion, but voicing a negative opinion of javascript
is always severely punished -- negative comments threatens the capacity
of js coders to make a living, so they respond harshly.
As noted by others, positive opinions of javascript are promoted
endlessly, and for the opposite reason -- positive comments increase
the value/income of js coders, so they respond beneficially.
There are plenty of people on HN that work for the big companies (Apple,
Google, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and gasp, Microsoft), so the pimping
and punishing is rampant on every mention of any of them. As harsh as it
might sound, the people employed by these companies have vested interest
in promoting and protecting them.
If someone disparaged the value of the skill you use to make a living,
how would you react?
On the flip side, if someone praised the value of the skill you use to
make a living, how would you react?
(For the record, I'm a typical human language monoglot, so I absolutely
envy your skill with the Chinese language!)
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Did my admission of envy for your skills make you feel good or proud of
your abilities?
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Maybe that was just what I wanted you to feel...
If you have far too much free time and spend it watching the /newest
queue, you'll see the attempted manipulation of HN by both vested
parties and professional marketers. Their efforts are continuous, and
their goal is manufacturing "consensus" by any means possible. The
self-reinforcing echo chambers seen on HN and elsewhere are entirely
intentional, completely dubious in nature, and created specifically for
the sake of profit.
When you hear an echo, the only rational question is, "Who profits from
this?"
With all of the above said, we still see people asking tough questions
and others responding in an honest attempt to contribute help. It's the
very best part of HN. Unfortunately, the bright sparks of HN have been
slowly fading in the face of contentious discussions, ever falling
average technical acumen, and of course, the self-centered motivations
behind promoting and punishing. I honestly don't know if the trend of
decline is inevitable or reversible, but surprisingly, I like to believe
the latter.