I think Mastodon people should use the "like" button more.
People are told not to like because liking doesn't broadcast posts like boosting does, and the site needs boosts. And replies are preferred because they're deeper engagement or something.
But, on some level, we want people to keep using Mastodon. If someone posts something and followers like it, they know stuff is getting seen here and they'll want to keep using the site. I just don't see what's gained by holding back on the likes
There's tons of posts you enjoy seeing for a second but don't want to boost (for all sorts of reasons), and sometimes trying to build up the energy to interact is way more work than it feels worth just try to tell someone you liked their post (even if you love interacting, you're only going to reply to a small fraction of posts you enjoyed seeing).
Those would be great times to hit that "like" button! How is it better if everyone is encouraged to just scroll past posts like that?
Haha, I can't keep up with replies to this post & thread at all so I'm mostly giving up! [Edit: Muting this conversation so my notifications are legible]
Lots of thoughtful and supportive and interesting responses though, truly appreciate this place. And I hope I contribute to more clicks of the star or heart thing in general!
Marcus
malena
Ryan The Red 🖥️🚲🍺🏳️🌈