Most Downvoted Reddit Comment

The Perils of Posting: Inside Reddit‘s Most Downvoted Comments

Reddit may be the front page of the internet, but for some unlucky users, it quickly became the walk of shame.

With over 50 million daily users on the platform posting their thoughts, opinions, jokes, and questions on every topic imaginable, lively discussion and debate is inevitable. And Reddit‘s voting system allows the community to instantly weigh in – upvotes indicate approval and signal a comment or post should rise higher, while downvotes demonstrate disapproval and effectively hide unpopular opinions from view.

But in some extraordinary cases, a tsunami of downvotes descends on comments that touch a really raw nerve. In this article, we‘ll analyze the catastrophic wave of negative reaction to some of Reddit‘s most downvoted comments ever.

Mob Mentality: What Drives Downvoting Frenzies

While every Reddit community has its own standards, there are some clear factors behind what drives legions of users to start furiously downvoting:

Herd Mentality: Once a comment has an initial surge of downvotes, others will pile on simply going along with the crowd. This bandwagon effect means downvotes beget more downvotes.

Moral Outrage: If a comment seems to promote greed, ignorance or insensitivity around a sensitive issue,redditors react strongly to signal their virtue.

Tone-Deaf PR: Words directly from a corporate account that seem more focused on profits over people receive intense backlash.

Dishonest Behavior: Tactics like botting votes or posting undisclosed sponsored content is seen as manipulative and deserving punishment..

The Almighty Algorithm: How Downvotes Bury Comments

Reddit displays comments sorted by a combination of recency and net upvote totals. Each downvote removes 1 karma point from a comment‘s overall score. Once enough downvotes accumulate to push a comment below community karma thresholds, it collapses from view.

For example, the default comment viewing threshold in most subreddits is -4 points – so 5 downvotes will minimize it. In smaller subs focused on discussion over sharing, thresholds can go as high as -50 karma before automatically hiding posts.

Understanding how Reddit privileges popular opinions through algorithms provides context around why mass downvoting markedly reduces the reach of unpopular views, rather than just representing disagreement. There are ethical implications to the system essentially shadowbanning unpopular speech.

Hall of Shame: Reddit‘s Most Downvoted Comments

Now let‘s analyze examples of some of the most startling cases where Redditors decisively vented their outrage through downvotes.

EA Earns Reputation as "Most Hated Company in America"

Background: In 2017, users were eagerly anticipating EA‘s Star Wars Battlefront II video game. But the announcement that top characters and weapons would need to be unlocked via loot boxes using real money or significant grinding sparked frustration.

The Comment: EA‘s community team attempted to explain the thinking in a Reddit AMA post. What transpired instead was a swift lesson in virtual public stoning. EA‘s comment of "The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes" earned the title of most downvoted comment in Reddit history.

Impact: The comment racked up over 683,000 net downvotes, accelerated awareness of predatory gaming monetization tactics, became emblematic of tone-deaf corporate PR, and forced EA to abruptly pull all microtransactions from the game.

Fine Brothers Spark Copyright Firestorm

Background: YouTube filmmakers the Fine Brothers built a brand around reaction videos. In 2016 they announced plans to license and trademark the concept of "react content", riling up creators fearing legal threats.

The Comment: As the Fine Brothers weathered extensive criticism across YouTube and media outlets, they took to Reddit to address the backlash over restricting a seemingly generic concept. But the post only made things worse, attracting over 5,400 downvotes from unsympathetic redditors.

Impact: The Fine Brothers quickly reversed the decision in damage control mode. But the controversy left lasting negativity and a reduction in subscribers.

Politician Touches Third Rail of Reddit Politics

Background: During the 2016 US Presidential Election, the main politics subreddit /r/politics skewed anti-Trump in sentiment. Pro-Trump comments were frequently downvoted by communities with opposing views.

The Comment: When former congressman Joe Walsh submitted an AMA post supporting Donald Trump, it received over 9,300 downvotes – one of the most downvoted AMA posts ever. Because of the sheer number, Walsh‘s answers collapsed below visibility for many readers.

Impact: The reaction represented growing partisan polarization and intolerance of opposing political opinions on social platforms. Although the downvotes minimized exposure in one subreddit, the controversy brought Walsh additional fame and recognition in aligned right-wing communities.

The Power and Perils of Downvotes

Reddit‘s upvote/downvote mechanism provides effective crowdsourced curation and moderation. But mass concentrated downvoting can also weaponize the consensus of the majority to suppress minority opinions – rather than just showing disagreement. This violates norms of free speech and inclusive discussion.

As these cases illustrate, unprecedented waves of downvotes serve both as instruments of consumer backlash and cathartic outlets for outrage. But used without empathy, downvotes merely entrench divisions rather than change minds.

Perhaps the lessons around Reddit‘s most downvoted comments is that while just consequences should follow uncivil speech, disagreement alone should not condemn ideas to virtual exile through algorithms. More light comes from thoughtful discussion than heat.