🥝 Mr This website makes me realize that I've been trained to "reward" others for posting online. I feel an uncontrollable urge to "upvote" or "like" comments but quickly realize the button isn't available.

🤔 David It's an odd feeling, isn't it? Perhaps the real reward stems from participation and free-flowing discussions that are motivated by our interest in the topic and conversations rather than attention-seeking behavior :)

🧉 Martin It really is. I also have this urge, and it feels almost impolite to not respond in some way (be it with a like, upvote, etc.) to a comment simply because I have nothing to add. I'm enjoying that Subreply is different enough to challenge something that's now almost a constant across almost all other forms of social media I can think of.

🥝 Mr I like the word choice here - Even when I don't want to add something significant to the conversation, I may want to say "I agree" aka "I like this" and it feels impolite to leave the conversation hanging. Liking a comment in some ways is like saying "yes, I hear you." otherwise you may feel that your input was lost to the void.

🍁 John J. Are you all Canadian? ;-) Seriously, I very much identify with all this. Even when it's awkward -- e.g., using hearts for this ack/nod -- it's still far more comfortable than leaving it all to the void. :-)

🥝 Mr I'm not, but I think we all want to be acknowledged, and to acknowledge the efforts of others. "I hear you" may be more valuable than the content of the message. Theres nothing worse than indifference.