I agree that this is a potential downside. However:
I think this has the potential to elicit more information rather than reducing the maount of information, if the use of reacts by lurkers sufficiently exceeds the downgrading of comments to reacts by non-lurkers.
I think this has the potential to improve social norms on LessWrong by providing a neat way for people to express directions of desired change. Social norms aren’t always about providing precise information, but instead also often about adjusting broader behaviors.
But I agree that this is potentially concerning enough that it should probably be tracked and that I think LessWrong should be ready to drop it again if it turns out bad.
Galaxybrained idea: use this system to incentivize more detailed texts by allowing people to get custom reacts made for posts that explain some problematic dynamic, and have the reacts link back to that post.
Another potential option: the person who is getting reacted to should have an option to request explanations for the reacts, and if requested, providing such explanations should receive bonus karma or something.
I agree that this is a potential downside. However:
I think this has the potential to elicit more information rather than reducing the maount of information, if the use of reacts by lurkers sufficiently exceeds the downgrading of comments to reacts by non-lurkers.
I think this has the potential to improve social norms on LessWrong by providing a neat way for people to express directions of desired change. Social norms aren’t always about providing precise information, but instead also often about adjusting broader behaviors.
But I agree that this is potentially concerning enough that it should probably be tracked and that I think LessWrong should be ready to drop it again if it turns out bad.
Galaxybrained idea: use this system to incentivize more detailed texts by allowing people to get custom reacts made for posts that explain some problematic dynamic, and have the reacts link back to that post.
Another potential option: the person who is getting reacted to should have an option to request explanations for the reacts, and if requested, providing such explanations should receive bonus karma or something.