Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet
So we've tried:<p>- Real identities (Facebook comments)<p>- Voting and self moderation (Reddit, HN, etc.)<p>- Strong moderation (Reddit, HN)<p>They all result in toxic comments, trolling, an echo chamber,or worse, a complete lack of participation. There's no real solution to this problem. However, if you create consequences or a <i>cost</i> to commenting you'd eliminate toxic comments and trolling at the cost of less participation and an echo chamber (though, you could argue that not all participation is equal and you're mainly removing poor participants).<p>There's no perfect way to do this because even if you made a subscription necessary, for instance, you may just create an echo chamber. As part of the solution you'd need to prevent the creation of new accounts to circumvent any punishment received.<p>I'd say the most straightforward solution is that you have a forum and you get an account. Physical mail is sent to your house in order to get a <i>single</i> account. Then, regular moderation practices would be taken seriously as there's no way to create another. The community would be left with those who care enough to not be banned. The problem is that the moderators themselves may be corrupt or wrong.<p>Thoughts?