Laugh reaction

[Itsjustsodepressing]

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.

@gildurthegreen

Are you going to explain what's so funny or is it really not worth verbalising?

Again, you are pointing the finger of blame at the people on the receiving end of this nasty behaviour. Not at the people who are deliberately misusing the emoji.

Before the private laugh emoji, Mnetters quoted the the post and added a or 😂😂😂. Similarly, reposts with ^^ this. The private function stops threads from being cluttered up.🤷‍♀️

And that is how it should be used. But for some posters it is not how they are using it.

The ones who are telling OP she's being over sensitive are probably the ones saying "it's only bantz" in real life. People know it's not funny, it is mean behaviour and as such it deserves to be called out. MNHQ agree with that stance.

Yes but that was visible and gave other posters the opportunity to question or answer it.

The hidden emoji is a very personal attack when used in the negative way it is being used.

It's just so interesting that you and other posters are actually quite happy with the negative use of the laugh emoji.

I think that goes to show MN have got it wrong.

If they really didn't want it used in a negative way they have misjudged how basically downright unpleasant a significant number of posters are .

OMG does anyone fancy a pint?

Yes - and other posters could call out their dickish behaviour or report them for MN to delete them, often (thankfully) before the OP saw them.

It happened to me today.
The person who did it is either too thick or too cowardly to make a proper argument disagreeing with what I have posted so they click on a laughing emoji instead.
It’s pathetic behaviour.
People doing this on fb can be identified and blocked. I spot the inappropriate use of laugh emojis when reading my local fb group and block them. I have found it weeds out the perennial idiots and bullies most usefully.
Here on MN there is no blocking and apparently no consequences for this puerile conduct.

I agree with this.

On the occasions I have reported the inappropriate use of the laugh emoji I usually get the response that MN are " looking into it" or similar.

But no follow up to say any action has been taken.

The feeling is that you are wasting your time reporting because there is usually nothing from MN to indicate that the report had been acted on or even taken seriously.

What if you raised it on the thread? That would be a consequence.

Hey X poster, I'm curious what it was you found funny. I'd love to know.

Yes I did ponder about that. But when I tried doing the thing where you quote somebody’s name and they are notified the name didn’t seem to work. I wonder if because they haven’t actually posted on the thread this function doesn’t work in which case the cowardly one wouldn’t know they had been mentioned.

Excuse my ignorance but how do you report a reaction? I didn't know you could do this...

I reported my own post, referencing the poster who'd done it. As I said, I got a swift reply confirming that the poster would be dealt with.

Well, thank you: I've learned something new today!

I too find the mean-girl use of the laughing emoji quite offputting, OP. And I've had it sometimes myself. I completely ignore it and doesn't affect me, personally. But I agree that it favours a bully culture. I'm not sure how you could counteract it, though. It seems to me that MN tried to do it by limiting the range of reactions to just positive ones. But clearly that is very artificial, because people have all kind of opinions. Maybe get rid of all emoji reactions?

ETA: I personally use the emoji reactions quite often. With the laughing emoji I've had to limit myself, precisely because I feared it being interpreted as mocking when it was not my intention (talking about posts where maybe there's some dark or self deprecating humour, for instance).

Unfortunately, laughing emojis or not, there’s an awful lot of bullying on MN. And I think it’s getting worse.

Nothing will happen about it though because nothing ever does…

Firstly I started the thread on Site Stuff to raise the issue with MN about the misuse of the Laugh reaction. That is totally different from starting a thread to " criticise people".

And secondly you are more or less saying anyone with mental health issues, low self esteem, neuro diversity or whatever shouldn't post on MN because they will be targeted by the " mean girls" who think laughing at people on an anonymous forum is the way to go.

Doesn't that negate a lot of what MN is supposed to about: offering solidarity and support and advice to people who's problems often stem from the very issues you think should stop them from posting in the first place?

As for differences in sense of humour: I admit in a very few cases there is dubeity as to whether the poster intends to be humorous or not. But in most cases it is quite clear that the post is serious and made in good faith but people still use the emoji to mock it.

You obviously have the self confidence to " roll your eyes". I'm sure a lot of people would love to be in a position in life to be able to do that. But instead of having any empathy for thsoe who don't your answer is just to tell them to stay off the Internet. You just want to marginalise them.

I think the MN response on this thread is totally inadequate for the problem.

I'm currently on a thread on Chat where multiple posters are using the laugh emoji to mock posts.

And posters on that thread are openly admitting that is what they are using the emoji for.

And they are openly proud of the fact they are mocking other posters.

What is the point of talk guidelines when so many posters actually believe the whole point of the emoji being provided is to enable them to mock others ?

I've reported some of my posts that have been laughed at but I'm certainly getting the impression using the emoji in a negative way is most certainly the norm and not the exception

Perhaps NN should now be upfront and admit they are actually enabling unpleasant posters by providing them with the means to express themselves in this unpleasant way.

@Itsjustsodepressing don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely behind you on this issue. But:

I'm currently on a thread on Chat where multiple posters are using the laugh emoji to mock posts.

Given that they’re private (i.e. only the poster who receives these emojis can see them), how do you know that multiple posters are using them?

I honestly think if you have some much going on in your life that you can't brush it off when someone uses an emoji then gently, you should give the internet a miss for a while. I say that as someone which an awful lot going on.

I'm currently on a thread on Chat where multiple posters are using the laugh emoji to mock posts.

As you can't see the emoji's unless it is your post, this is either not true, or you must be posting a lot of erm, 'interesting' things to be getting that reaction so often from multiple other posters.

I posted a very innocuous post, not controversial. Actually agreeing to some extent with the OP.
And I got a laugh reaction.

I reported the post to MN .

I then queried with the poster who had laughed as to what they found amusing.

I then got more posters laughing at my original post.

I entered a dialogue about the laugh emoji and every single one of my posts got laughs. Some multiple laughs.

Nothing I said was remotely funny.

Nothing I said was remotely controversial.

I think I said up thread about posters working in tandem with each other to bully people off a thread. This is what happened today. And it's on Chat where the most unpleasant cliquish behaviour is imo - much more so than AIBU.

What the posters on the thread were saying made a mockery of the supposed MN line that the laugh emoji is not meant to be used in a negative way.
The posters on that thread are openly admitting they use it if they disagree with a comment and want to dismiss the poster as stupid.
So I think MN are being disingenuous if they really didn't expect this react button to be used in that way.

I periodically get an email telling me that people have reacted to posts I've made. Rarely do I ever bother looking at them, so this issue simply doesn't bother me at all.

So why post then @BeNiceWhenItsFinished? How nice for you that it doesn’t bother you. When it clearly does bother others.

That does sound really unpleasant, but I have to say that I've only ever taken it to mean that I am being hilarious (deluded person that I am) and also have only ever used it when a post says something funny

Which Chat thread is it @Itsjustsodepressing ? Is it the one about supermarkets or the one about photos from the Caribbean?

As I said yesterday or the day before, if you have evidence of multiple posters laughing at your comments when they aren't funny or meant to be funny, then you can screenshot them and report to HQ. I hope this helps.

Yes, you can report your own posts and ask MN to review the laughter emoji that someone else posted. The point is, no-one should have to do this - the emoji should be public so that other posters can challenge them and report if needed in the usual way. If someone is at a really low point or they’re really worried or upset about something, then being on the receiving end of a 😆 that’s hidden from view must feel awful.