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Original poster

Laugh reaction

187 replies

Itsjustsodepressing · 28/04/2025 16:12

I know when MN introduced the reaction button which included the Laugh emoji a lot of posters weren't happy about it. And there have been various comments by posters about its misuse.

It is just being used so commonly now to mock and deride serious comments that are in no way funny. That can no way be interpreted as light hearted.

It would appear to be being used to try and drive posters off threads. And the impression I get is that it's actually often certain posters ganging up together to try and silence people who don't agree with them.

I think MN having guidelines for posters to stick to civilised responses to other posters is being undermined because they have given those who are minded to be unpleasant to other posters the perfect tool to be nasty to them without having to verbalise anything and risk getting their post removed.

I'm failing to see any benefit in providing the laugh emoji reaction when it's principal use now is to upset and drive away genuine posters.

I don't think it was a good idea in the first place and I would like to see MN remove this reaction option.

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 30/04/2025 14:47

Thelasttea · 28/04/2025 16:22

Goodness, seems very thin skinned to take umbrage at a laughing emoji

I think this too.

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 14:46

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Original poster
Itsjustsodepressing · 30/04/2025 14:44

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Well given I've made no secret of how distressing I find this.
I don't see how the poster doing the very thing I've been talking about could in any way be interpreted as " just messing about".
The poster must be very aware of the effect of laughing at what is obviously a serious post will have .
So how can it be anything other than nastiness?

OP posts:
LittleGreenDragons · 30/04/2025 14:38

I agree with you OP, and actually posted on that other thread. Too many people use it inappropriately to bully and mock.

BobbyBiscuits · 30/04/2025 14:38

I've had it where it's clearly that someone disagrees and is mocking my opinion. But I certainly don't use it in that way.
I've actually become more wary of using it as I've noticed it becoming commonly used as a negative response.
It's a shame but it's because some people probably often want there to be a thumbs down/dislike button. As there isn't they resort to the laugh to express displeasure. Human nature I guess.

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 14:33

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Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 14:32

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Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 14:31

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SeventeenClovesOfGarlic · 30/04/2025 13:47

Lots of people probably have notifications switched off in their talk settings. I do, and wouldn't see someone has tagged me unless I go back to a thread and look at the replies and usernames tagged.
I have all notifications turned off for everything, so remain peacefully unaware of react emojis left.

Original poster
Itsjustsodepressing · 30/04/2025 13:38

@Voltefarce

Are you going to tell me what was so hilarious about my opening post ?

OP posts:
SeventeenClovesOfGarlic · 30/04/2025 13:38

Zonder · 29/04/2025 20:29

I think a shocked face or a no / shaking head face would be useful. Then people can show disagreement without mocking.

I think there's been a thread about this before and MN said it's better for people to actually type a reply rather than a a disagree react button.

I stopped using the laugh one now, since you never know what's going to be perceived as an attack, on even mundane posts, depending on how a thread develops.

TheWiseGoose · 30/04/2025 13:31

Itsjustsodepressing · 29/04/2025 10:11

You see this is one of the most upsetting things about it to me: that some posters spread a bit of random nastiness to total strangers for no reason and then just get on with their lives.

Just why? If it means nothing to them what is the point?

It's just adds to the drip, drip, drip of unpleasantness that a lot of us see and experience everyday in our lives.

Show quote history

Isn't that Mumsnet summed up? It is not a place for sensitive people. It was nasty ten years ago and it's still nasty now. There are a minority of people who are helpful but I'd say majority are opinionated and can be quite nasty. I'm here only because I'm bored, try not to take anything any Internet stranger says too seriously or you'll go mad.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 30/04/2025 13:29

I know it could potentially be open to abuse by trolls who just do it to every single post as a matter of course, but I can see some benefits to introducing a thumbs down/disagree emoji as well as the laughing one.

That way, there would be a clear mature way for people acting in good faith to briefly express their very differing view on a matter or opinion.

With that in place, it would then be blatantly obvious for all to see that a laughing response to a post that clearly isn't lighthearted, a joke or witty observation has been given with a desire to upset - and repeat offenders could be given a warning or, maybe more appropriately, have their own facility to react with emojis turned off.

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 30/04/2025 13:19

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 08:25

To be fair, you said a bit more than it’s “neither a kind nor mature thing to do” when you referred to it as being

The nasty people's worst punishment comes with living with the person they've chosen to be.
How could you ever be truly happy when your emotions are consumed with hatred and bitterness?
At least the rest of us can experience an unpleasant moment and then move on; for those who are this way, they can't or won't ever escape it.

Show quote history

OK, point taken: some people might just be salty about one particular subject or be having one of those days; but in general, with the kind of people who do this kind of thing as their everyday go-to manner, I certainly wouldn't want to live with that negativity permanently in my psyche.

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 13:04

JaneJeffer · 30/04/2025 13:02

It’s the behind the scenes emojis that are the problem

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Yes and a very very recent addition

the op says she only got them “very rarely” until recently

JaneJeffer · 30/04/2025 13:02

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 12:59

I can honestly say I have never received to any of my post

op you say “very rarely” until recently but the laughing emoji on mumsnet is a very recent addition.

and if you’re referring to the ability of a poster to add a laughing emoji in the body of a post… well that wouldn’t be possible for mumsnet to stop anyway

It’s the behind the scenes emojis that are the problem

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 12:59

I can honestly say I have never received to any of my post

op you say “very rarely” until recently but the laughing emoji on mumsnet is a very recent addition.

and if you’re referring to the ability of a poster to add a laughing emoji in the body of a post… well that wouldn’t be possible for mumsnet to stop anyway

AnSolas · 30/04/2025 12:23

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Laughing at someone is very very different to laughing along with someone.

If you are not sure which you are doing its best to either keep your emotion to yourself or post in public directly on to the thread quoting the post

Original poster
Itsjustsodepressing · 30/04/2025 09:01

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 08:26

Is it something you get a lot to your posts @Itsjustsodepressing

I have to say… I have never done it and nor has anyone ever done it to any of my posts

Show quote history

Up until recently it happened but only very rarely.

It has however recently become much more common and was especially bad this past weekend.

On one thread I was expressing a view point different from the majority of people on the thread. Because I was saying something different I got the mocking emoji from a few different posters. To me it is too much replicating the tendency in real life to mock people who are perceived as different to accept this as an inconsequential thing.

OP posts:
Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 08:52

Op do you regularly get laughing emojis to your posts?

Original poster
Itsjustsodepressing · 30/04/2025 08:51

CarpetKnees · 29/04/2025 23:02

This is making you sound paranoid now.

Are you seriously suggesting there are gangs of friends on MN, who message each other to tell them to laugh at a post, even though no-one can see the response except the person that posted it ? Hmm

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You were implying that there couldn't be any collusion between posters because nobody is aware of what other posters are doing.
All I was doing was pointing out that this is not necessarily the case because some users ARE in communication with each other and some " back up " what others are saying because of their connection with each other.

I'm not being paranoid. I was giving an example .

I wish I hadn't actually because it detracts from.the point that people are using the laugh emoji to mock and deride and be unpleasant.

I've posted on this thread seeing as I started it. But I've not posted on any other threads since starting this. And tbh I really am so fed up about this, and disillusioned, it will be a long time before I consider posting again at all on any thread.
I'm sure me not contributing will be of no consequence to the vast majority of MN users but I think it makes the site a less valuable space because it is narrowing the range of view points expressed - it is having a range of different opinions that help makes the site a much more valid source of information and advice.

I think it's very sad that in effect the unpleasant people who use the bully tactic of mockery are changing the dynamic of the site by driving away posters who otherwise might have a valuable contribution to make.

OP posts:
Springtimehere · 30/04/2025 08:32

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 08:26

Itsjustsodepressing · 29/04/2025 20:27

.
I posted this in explanation of something I'd said which @CarpetKnees
was querying.

The point of my thread is the misuse of the laugh emoji to mock and deride other posters. As I'm sure you are aware.

Show quote history

Is it something you get a lot to your posts @Itsjustsodepressing

I have to say… I have never done it and nor has anyone ever done it to any of my posts

Funnytaste · 30/04/2025 08:25

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 29/04/2025 16:42

I think we'll just have to disagree.

People are free to conduct themselves in their interactions with others however they wish - and they may just be having a bad day, or that might just be how they always are and it makes them very happy; but I personally think that the online equivalent of wordlessly sneering in somebody's face, like a school bully, is neither a kind nor mature thing to do.

Show quote history

To be fair, you said a bit more than it’s “neither a kind nor mature thing to do” when you referred to it as being

The nasty people's worst punishment comes with living with the person they've chosen to be.
How could you ever be truly happy when your emotions are consumed with hatred and bitterness?
At least the rest of us can experience an unpleasant moment and then move on; for those who are this way, they can't or won't ever escape it.

AnSolas · 30/04/2025 06:12

LindorDoubleChoc · 29/04/2025 20:17

"someone came onto a thread and started getting stuck into a poster because of some reply/ comments she perceived as an attack on some one else on the thread. And she actually said that the poster she had leapt to the defence of had been supportive of her some time back when she was going through a bad time and since then they had been friends and kept in touch with each other."

Is this the crux of your argument OP? You were on a thread once and poster X revealed they were friends with poster Y off board.

?

How does this translate to the laugh reaction button being used inappropriately across the boards?

Because people have said that they have on prior threads since the emoji was introduced?

And other posters have said that they had been subjected to bullying using them

And now and again i see someone ask another poster why they have emojied all the persons post but not @ or quoted them in public so others can see what is going on

You can run a general word search to try find examples

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