posted on Aug, 28 2015 @ 10:07 AM
Why do people flag threads? I used to think it was done simply to alert others to content posters considered important but I now feel that is a naive
belief. Here are some questions that I believe shed light on this topic:
Why do posters flag threads without starring the original post?
I think this is a sign that a person is trying to draw more attention to a particular thread but they don't agree with the original poster's
opinion(s) on the topic. I think that's totally legitimate and it's probably exactly the kind of thing the flagging system was created for.
Why do posters star an original post without flagging the accompanying thread?
It seems to me this means that the poster thinks the original post is good but the topic isn't worthy of more attention. I have some theories about
what that behavior could mean:
1. The poster found the original post to be valuable but they have an agenda to try to suppress certain topics.
2. The poster thinks a particular original post was valuable but they don't think the topic of the thread is worth promoting. Question: If you feel
like the original post transcended the significance that the topic has inherently, wouldn't that make the thread flag-worthy?
3. The poster doesn't care about others enough to flag threads.
Why do posters spend a lot of time contributing to a thread without flagging it?
For instance, if you're going to take the time to write a manifesto on a topic like we sometimes see on this site, why not flag the thread that you
put so much effort into? I think that could be a sign of an inferiority complex. Don't you want to alert people to the content that you put so much
time and effort into writing? Don't you think that's significant? If you don't, why did you write it in the first place?
Sometimes it seems like those manifestos are meant to derail threads. If that's the intention, the poster's agenda(s) and/or bias(es) would explain
why they wouldn't flag the thread.
Why do people flag threads?
I've come to the conclusion that many posters use flags as a way to push their agendas and biases, not as a way to promote a search for truth. That's
the bottom line as I see it and it's disappointed me a lot to find that.
edit on 28-8-2015 by Profusion because: (no reason given)