Am I Crazy, or Is Everybody on This Platform Too Supportive?
Only positive feedback can have a negative effect
So before you grab your pitchforks and start the hunt, hear me out.
This is me trying to understand.
I am new here. Just started this writing gig. No prior experience, no remarkable English skills, no memorable life experiences. Just plain old me. With a dream.
Having a place to publish my work, thoughts, and stories, where there is a chance that even one person reads them, is a privilege I am not sure I deserve. But I appreciate it nonetheless.
The fact that a random individual out there gave their precious time to read my stories is not something to take lightly. It is a gift. And many writers feel the same respect and appreciation as I do. And they try to give back. Through reading, clapping, and commenting. As simple as that.
And yet, understanding how this platform works, escapes me.
There is quite a spectrum of articles on this platform, from quality articles written by professionals to articles, without proper proofreading or grammar checks. You can find everything, regardless of whether it is self-published or chosen by some publications.
So, occasionally you run into an article, that doesn’t quite meet the standards of the craft (Grammarly would light up like a Christmas tree). But then you see the response and the number of claps and comments. So naturally, you start to fret about that person’s ego being torn apart by the comment section.
But the comments are as follows:
„Great read”
„Keep going, you are doing great!”
„Great article!”
Only one comment attempts to point out that not a single sentence is in perfect order.
So the feedback on this article?
Amazing.
The feedback my brain got?
Confused.
Now, I derived three things from this.
Firstly, maybe I don’t know how to read articles and would need to prioritize the meaning over delivery. So if I have an inspiring message for the world, it shouldn’t matter if a couple of letters are missing. If it is from the heart, there will be positive feedback. The only problem is that I hardly see a 2-minute article about 5 things Bitcoin related to be from the heart.
Secondly, there might be a secret shortcut to success where you like and comment on every article you encounter and the almighty algorithm gives you a golden ticket to the front row. Now that I said it, this could be half the answer to my inquiry.
Content creation is all about feeding this enormous monster of ones and zeros.
Thirdly, this may be the writing community giving back the support they expect to receive from others. No matter the quality of the article, or whether or not they agree with it, if the author puts the time into creating it, he should be rewarded and appreciated for it. This community is all about supporting each other. And this could be the other half of the answer.
But is there a thing as too supportive?
I believe there is.
Only positive feedback can have a negative effect.
If there is only positive feedback, that leaves no room for constructive criticism and therefore no room for growth. If you receive only positive feedback, would you try to change or correct your work, or would you be content with it? And with 10 people giving the same positive feedback, there is no room for doubt anymore. You would keep writing in the same manner, with the same mistakes, and eventually with the same response. Stuck.
Constructive criticism is crucial for growth; provided it comes from a place of mutual respect.
And it can come in lots of shapes and sizes. It doesn’t only refer to correcting people’s work and giving them actionable advice. It is also about sharing your experience that can help others grow. Tens of thousands of individuals with unique stories, memories, experiences, and accomplishments are active on this platform. And it is not the similarities that keep us together, but the fact that we can learn from each other’s differences to achieve our goals and improve along the way.
We shouldn’t be afraid to correct an article in the comment section. Or to give an opinion on the topic, that is opposite to the author’s view.
There is far more value in such comments than there will ever be in generic, shallow supportive sentences.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I support the “Great article” line when it is meant. But if your understanding of support and engagement equals spamming only positive feedback, your claps and comments grinding might be doing more harm than good.
So before you write another „Great article” on a not-so-great article, remember this:
You could be taking away someone’s chance to improve.
