For the love of everything, get rid of reactions...

[Arnox.5128]

2 hours ago, mythical.6315 said:

and especially if you’re the only one here taking issue with it. 

In any case, a fair amount of people in this thread have already expressed how dumb they find it as well.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Arnox.5128

[Omega.6801]

If the Forums got rid of everything that doesn't add to the discussion, the forums would be pretty empty. Let people emote, it's not that bad.

[Rasimir.6239]

4 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

I thought it was generally agreed upon that they were garbage and didn't need an explanation as to why they should be disabled entirely.

Very few things in this world are "generally agreed upon", and this forum and its topics aren't any exception. The internet, and more specifically social media with its algorithms that strive to show you topics relevant to you, have created an illusion that often leads to people seeing their own opinion mirrored more frequently than being confronted with other opinions, which leads to a feeling that what we think is the "general opinion".

 

In reality we have a lot of different "bubbles" with people being led to exchange opinions with others of similar believes, but if you try to look outside your bubble (which isn't as easy as it sounds, not least due to the mentioned algorithms that make it pretty complicated to get an unbiased view of opinions prevalent in the different bubbles) you will find a lot of people with quite different views on reality than what you thought was the "general" opinion.

 

3 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

it doesn't mean anything because you have no idea what they're arguing. You can't even see who posted the reaction. So there's no discussion.

It does give an indication on what posts spark a strong reaction in the readers. It's an in-between between a full-out discussion and just passively comsuming a discussion others are leading. If a post gets a dozend or more reactions, there's a good chance it has hit home with a lot more people than only those that choose to actively pursue the topic. 

 

A person can agree with, not agree with, or be honestly confused by what you say, but not care to be "forced" into a full-out discussion on the topic. It is a form of participation that we may not be used to, but I wouldn't say it's useless. It does give an indication of the more general opinion on the topic. If you do claim your opinion to be the "general" opinion, then you should be interested in getting the silent masses to at least indicate what side of the fence they're on.

 

3 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

if people can't even be bothered to make a simple post as to why they disagree and need reactions, then maybe they shouldn't be saying anything at all.

Now this doesn't fit in with the other posts you made. If you want to achieve change, then you need to include everyone, not silence those that don't participate in the discussion on your terms.

[Bingus.4236]

Apparently we need to be inclusive of those who have regressed to communicating with pictures.

[ugrakarma.9416]

we need more reactions, not less.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

4 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

Sure, at the time, they probably thought they were fine, but the forums were updated a long time ago now. Perspectives change. New information comes to light.

I don't think any 'new' information has come to light since the last time this particular topic appeared on the forum.  If there wasn't a Mod/Dev response then, or since then (nor has there been a response regarding the lost ability to share screenshots),  there's unlikely to be a response now.  🤷‍♂️

[phokus.8934]

First it was physical touch that hurt people, then words, and now reaction images.

Talk about the regression of feelings in the 21st century.

[Obtena.7952]

Actually I like the emojis ... it's a good barometer.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Obtena.7952

[Gehenna.3625]

11 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

They are so freaking lame and add NOTHING to discussions.

I don't think we see eye to eye on a lot of things, but this one I fully agree with. It really adds nothing to discussions and because it's anonymous, it's a cowardly way of disapproving or ridiculing someone, since we all know that the confused one is used mainly as dislike and the haha one is often used to ridicule people's posts.

I'm not sure why Anet is allowing this easy and anonymous way of being negative. There should only be like and thank you and if you disagree with someone then at least you'll have to do it via a post with your forum name on it.

[Gehenna.3625]

1 hour ago, Obtena.7952 said:

Actually I like the emojis ... it's a good barometer.

A good barometer of what exactly? Some people use them anytime they see a certain person post just to spite them. And when a person makes several points in one post, it takes only one of those items to get a confused for. So which item was that then? Or was it the entire post? We'll never know and those are just a couple of examples.

So I don't see how it could be a good barometer of anything really.

[Borked.6824]

If the reactions are any reflection of the intelligence on this forum, this lot must be the most indolent group of people ever.  *Confused face*  

[The Greyhawk.9107]

Nah, I like having them and would rather keep them around.  Sometimes just a simple agreement, thanks, or laugh is enough of a response.

3 hours ago, phokus.8934 said:

First it was physical touch that hurt people, then words, and now reaction images.

Talk about the regression of feelings in the 21st century.

Indubitably.  Gives ya so much hope for the future of humanity.

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by The Greyhawk.9107

[mythical.6315]

4 hours ago, Arnox.5128 said:

In any case, a fair amount of people in this thread have already expressed how dumb they find it as well.

That’s not this thread. 

[Gibson.4036]

It does give a way to respond without bumping a thread.

I appreciate being able to 😕a bizarre OP without ensuring it goes back up to the top of the forum.

[Hashberry.4510]

Ahh but it feels so good when you get that sweet purple shiny.

[Jin.8501]

Reactions are how zoomers communicate. Discussion had died a generation ago 

[Handsel.2891]

My issue with it is that emojis are not all clear-cut in their meaning. Different people interpret the same emoji differently based on their own sensibilities. Other than "like" and "thanks", but even those at times, all require clarification. Without giving me an explanation, I can't do anything but ignore them.

[Strider Pj.2193]

Your second post is quite amusing on this thread.  
 

If you didn’t think that people

were going to add reactions to your post about eliminating reactions, then there may not be much hope for you.

 

And if you haven’t realized, you have at least ONE of every type of reaction.

 

Its quite amusing.  🙂

 

Of course, I’d love to have the option of the ‘eye roll’ emoji.  It would have been PERFECT for this thread.  
 

🙄

[Gibson.4036]

I have to admit, it gives me joy to use an emoji on every single post in any thread about forum emojis.

I loved the "confused reaction" thread. It was like the gift that kept on giving.

[Strider Pj.2193]

15 minutes ago, MikeG.6389 said:

My issue with it is that emojis are not all clear-cut in their meaning. Different people interpret the same emoji differently based on their own sensibilities. Other than "like" and "thanks", but even those at times, all require clarification. Without giving me an explanation, I can't do anything but ignore them.

Well, since I can’t use the :shrug: emoji as a reaction:  🤷

[Handsel.2891]

3 minutes ago, Strider Pj.2193 said:

Well, since I can’t use the :shrug: emoji as a reaction:  🤷

See, you don't seem to care that I ignore the emojis. You are proving the point that they are useless.

[Strider Pj.2193]

7 minutes ago, MikeG.6389 said:

See, you don't seem to care that I ignore the emojis. You are proving the point that they are useless.

I don’t care what other people think which is why emoji’s aren’t a big deal to me.  
 

And let’s think for a moment….  For someone that doesn’t seem to care about emoji’s…..  

[robertthebard.8150]

I simply don't care about them, one way or the other.  I get notifications about them, but other than that, it doesn't mean anything.  Does that mean I think it should be removed?  No.  PvP doesn't mean anything to me, but I'm not going to start a campaign to get it removed.  The same for WvW and Raids.  I'm beyond the point where I really care about this content, in any MMO, but people do like them, so there is a need for them.  My personal tastes aren't and should never be a consideration in anything other than things that I do.

[IndigoSundown.5419]

I like reactions.  They provide a barometer for how my posts were received by a larger subset of readers than bothered to post a reply.  Also, they provide me with a means to react to a post when I don't really have anything substantive to add to a discussion.  I would hate to have to make an involved post every time I see my pet peeve on the forums -- people who knee-jerk shoot down suggestions due to an apparent belief that ANet can do no wrong. 😝

 

I have a thought about the "confused" reaction emoji.  As it is the only choice with any kind of negative connotation associated with it, I suspect it is being used as a surrogate for a downvote/dislike.  I see no harm in this.  I even suspect that ANet uses positive/negative reactions to gauge community reaction to suggestions and requests. 😎

 

For me, the forum would be less interesting without the reactions.  However, I can see why someone would dislike them.  For one thing, they prevent some people from engaging in a favorite pastime, "winning" (at least in their own mind) an "argument" on the internet. 🙄

[Mungo Zen.9364]

The emoji's are fine and offer an alternative way for readers to engage with a post or thread without actually having to type a response.

If someone has posted something that says pretty much what I would say, I am happy to support them with the appropriate emoij.  I don't have such ego as to require I type out my responses to everything, these emoji let me engage without watering down the thread.

If you think emoji are being used as a way to troll or harass you, they could be got rid of sure, but it won't stop those who will troll you from doing so in different ways. 

I have also had people go and waste their time and energy backfilling confused emoji into old posts of mine; and in turn I have had to ask myself, 'what is this persons motivation?'  I don't feel hurt or upset because someone used a confused emoji on a post.  The same way I don't feel hurt or upset when someone quotes me and responds with total garbage.  Typically I hope that that person finds something more exciting to do with their life than trolling a forum looking to upset people.