SUGGESTION: Idea to replace laugh emoji with something less open to abuse

[AmethystAnnotation]

This was just an idea I had.

The laugh emoji was being abused by posters who used it to laugh sarcastically at serious posts. Instead of having an emoji which is aimed at recognising a post is funny, why not introduce an emoji that recognises the wit of the poster?

This could be a positive icon such as a little trophy, scroll or rosette. It could be used for funny posts but also if a poster suggests a particularly clever answer to a dilemma, or solves a puzzle, identifies a book or item that is being searched for, etc.

Since the aim of the icon would be to say 'you are very witty/clever' I think it would be less effective as a 'sarcastic' reaction but would still allow posters to specifically recognise a post that is funny or clever.

Interested to know if others think this might work and what MNHQ think of the idea.

🏆📜🏵

Can we have 🤦‍♀️ or 🙄
I feel it would be extremely useful

Me too.

Just make the reactions public, that way fewer people are likely to abuse them.

The reason not to make them public is because of cries of "buuuut MN will become a popularity contest!"

Well if that's the case, how is it any different to when a poster comments and it gets quoted over and over again with people using the laughing emoji, or saying 'Agreed'?

At least clicking the reaction button wouldn't clog up the thread with all the quoting.

I hate 🙄 when it’s directed at another poster

The laughing reaction is a fairly new thing in MN years and we managed fine without it before. If it’s going to be reinstated then it should be made public.

I agree, a complete over reaction, MN should have just removed the posters who misused it not ruined it for everyone else, it’s like primary school on here recently, the flowers emoji could be misused as well if posters were so inclined, are they going to remove that if it someone deems to misuse it as well?

As with language, things evolve.

I used the word 'cope' in response to FlyingSolo16 who used it in their post.

Yes but imagine if there’s an active thread with 50+ posters all posting a laughing emoji?

You don't think a trophy would be 'abused'? I can see some people giving people trophy's sarcastically, especially when they think they are smug, OTT etc.

I'd prefer to have the laughing emoji back and people grow a thicker skin.

Strongly not in favor of a “laugh emoji”. It would absolutely be used to target people with disabilities.

People do it blatantly in threads and respond by saying someone’s reports of their own life are laughable. If they can do it with an emoji for no one else to see, the bullying will be even worse.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they evolve for the best though

No, indeed not - I take that point. In many ways I miss the old monochromatic internet of the early 1990s. There will always be an element of subjectivity. That's why I started a thread rather than emailing MNHQ directly with my idea - to see whether others agreed with it.

But it's so easy to just say that people should grow up, be adults, learn resilience, grow a thicker skin etc.

What about people who can't do that? People may have mental health issues, be grieving or have any number of other vulnerabilities. They may reach out desperately to the MN community about something that is really upsetting them - possibly with a post that, to a non-vulnerable person, may well seem absurd or pathetic - and then somebody with nothing better to do comes on and mocks them privately.

You wouldn't do it in real life, to somebody with physical difficulties, would you? If you were out driving and saw a very old lady using a zimmer frame, crossing the road extremely slowly in front of you, in a lot of visible discomfort, you wouldn't lean out of the window and shout at her to grow up or learn how to cross a road properly, would you - and then jeer at her if your shouting at her made her panic and rush and she had a fall requiring an ambulance?

Assuming not, why would anybody want to do that to often mentally vulnerable people on here?

I'm not saying that everybody is vulnerable by any means - some are clearly just madly entitled or arrogant and need telling straight; but even then, do it in the thread where everybody can see and not in private.

(where I've said 'you' above, it's a generic 'you' - I'm not accusing you personally of anything!)

As I said, pretty much anything can be abused - 'support' in the sense of tiny violin, 'thanks' in the sense of slow handclap. But it seems 'laugh' was particularly open to this.

My train of thought was a reaction aimed at the poster, not the post, if that makes any sense, and a symbol that was unequivocally positive - unlike a 'laugh' which in any context can be either appreciative or derisive.

There are 3 hidden emojis that already do just what you want

I'd just make the reactions public and bring the laugh reaction back.

Do you mean the existing agree, thanks and support? Because if I want to signify that something has amused me, none of those really fit. Or when you say 'hidden' do you mean there are some secret emojis we don't know about?

Agree, thanks and love. If I love the humour of a post and can't be bothered to use my words or the 😂 on my phone or keyboard then I'll use the hidden ❤️ accordingly.

I was glad to see the back of the hidden laughter emoji.

Another vote for the return of the laugh emoji, coupled with visible reactions by username.

If people have to stand by their reaction there would presumably be less of the unpleasant inappropriate laughter that ended in the emoji being withdrawn.

How does that differ from adding an emoji in a quoted post?

👌

It saves people having to scroll through a thread of emojis

But you just wouldn't get that - you might get a few 😂 but it wouldn't be pages of them.

How would you couple them with visible reactions by username?

At present reactions are only visible to the individual - they could be made visible to anyone.

I am on other fora where I can see how many reactions a poster has, and if I hover over that can see type and username.

Edit to say: you should get fewer of the 'thoughtless' laughing reactions, and the deliberate nastiness could be reported like any other type.

I have them all taken away.