Get rid of the Laugh reaction

[LetsNCagain]

We don't need the Laugh reaction.
I've now only had it had used mockingly.

Specifically for example, in a thread where the op is upset about something and I gave a supportive message. Some loser gave me the Laugh emoji because they think op is being ridiculous and by extension, so am I for showing sympathy.

Mumsnet, please just get rid of it. If someone says a funny joke, the clap hands or thumbs up is perfectly adequate. The Laugh emoji is the only one that can be used in a mocking way

Edit to add Please!

It is easy to click on the laugh rection by mistake when using my phone. I have done it when I meant to select the thumbs up reaction. Luckily I spotted it and amended it.

Agreed

Well then I'm glad the function does not exist, and you were instead forced to express your reasoning on this thread instead of simply eye rolling it. It's added to the discussion and clarified why you disagree.

I absolutely hate all the new emojis popping up accidentally when I am scrolling down a page. At some point I will hit one and not notice and start a flame war I didn’t even mean.

I only want the MN emojis that I have to deliberately write. What’s wrong with those?
HQ please listen. I want and value MN as a clean, clutter- free, less shitty version of the rest of social media. I avoid all those sites apart from for work when I have to use them. MN is voluntary for me to use. Please don’t ruin it with these inflammatory emojis.

Do you understand the joke now about the posters laughing at your OP?

Yes. See what you mean. In a private message I think it can only be used in a negative way. This is not shared laughter.

It makes sense to take it away in this context.

Do you understand the joke now about the posters laughing at your OP?

It always was a weak joke but doing it off thread without any words is even weaker. If, indeed, that was what these reactors did mean by it, who knows?🤷‍♀️

i’d go further than the OP and take the whole react feature out. by encouraging populatlrity and unpopularity votes on posts, MN will shut down minority opinion and discussion on the site, deter everyone except a core group of like minded people. The breadth of discussion is what makes it interesting and keeps the advertisers interested, I don’t come here to vote on polling.

HQ please don’t turn MN into the below the line comments on a social media post. That already exists elsewhere and as we all know it’s toxic. We’re all adults here. As I spend my whole time saying to kids: Use your words.

As far as I can see the only real value of 'reactions' is to avoid quotes or bare posts just saying 'I agree' or ^This or 'good post' clogging up a thread.

I think that there should be a disagree button. Why not? Yes people could do as you suggest in your post, but they could also do the same when agreeing with a post, which is what they would have had to do, before MN went all Facebook!

I sent someone a laugh emoji and not sarcastically. She said something witty and I thought it was great! So I laughed

Obviously that's what it's meant for but equally obviously it's already being misused.

I’m happy with people writing ‘I agree’ etc not many people are incentivised to do it whether they agree or not, so clogging up isn’t a massive issue. also loads of emojis on a post will off put someone from writing their thoughts for or against the consensus or adding something new.

This is meant to be a discussion site. If people stop discussing or only discuss in socially approved directions because of emoji shaming then MN is fucked long term basically.

Clap hands is also being used sarcastically

That's good and nice that you're using it as it's meant. I have used it in that way on another thread, that fab thread with anecdotes about ex husbands. But if Laugh reaction wasn't available you could also have used the clap hands reaction. So I reckon we wouldn't lose anything by disabling Laugh

I agree OP. Thanks worked fine, these new emojis just make it look like Facebook and invite the kind of dickish responses you see on there.

Do people actually get bothered by someone laughing at their post? Have you seen some of the threads & posts on here?!

Exactly. It changes the culture of the site in a bad way. It’s less participatory to have emojis. People who care less about something find it easier to just leave a reaction to it.

So what’s better in Relationships, say: a proper chat when an OP is being dangerously defensive of the abusive situation she and her kids are in… or slow claps and laughs when she posts yet again about how he’s a nice guy really apart from those few times?
While also mentioning that she’s isolated and has got no other family to support her.

I agree.

If one can't justify a disagreement in words, but mock anyway, it lowers the whole tone of the discussion and also disproportionately promotes opinions/viewpoints that aren't logically or scientifically justified.

When disagreement is required to be written out in words, that forces the disagreeing person to come up with a coherent argument rather than just (effectively) booing

If you want to agree, like, thank or laugh you could also just do it publicly. I can't see the point of only positive emotions. Some people will then think the world agrees with them and they're totally right when they're actually mad!

I agree with you
Think of how Brexit would have ruined the site with the combination of paid shills and emojis
Or Covid misinformation
Or I think of back in the day on FWR when parents were desperately worried about their struggling kids, who had suddenly decided gender identity was the solution for them and wanted to take that in medical and surgical directions. Those women’s perfectly reasonable concerned posts would have been piled on horribly in that atmosphere. Posters used to join the site only to make shitty comments at ‘TERFs’ etc

I agree. I think having Thanks worked fine too.

Everyone hated Thanks when it came in too. The different reactions just brings things in line with most other online communication (although I'd prefer the count to be publicly visible).

I like the laugh emoji actually, and have used it already this morning for something genuinely funny.

Removing it won't prevent people from being arseholes on a thread. They'll just post something snarky instead, for all to see.

Being snarky publicly is better, it can be challenged, reported if it's really inappropriate, and we can see who the arseholes are.