No, it is not the same thing. A downvote is disapproval, an upvote is approval, and no vote is neutral.

I find it interesting that you see my “downvote = negativity” as an interpretation problem, but that you don’t see that what you just wrote is your interpretation of the buttons. At no place in any Lemmy documentation and not anywhere in any Lemmy app or web app is written what you just wrote. It’s your interpration of the meaning of the buttons.

For me:

• Upvote can be approval or even a something I disagree with, but is well argued or I want to see more of it
• Clicking nothing means “I don’t care”
• Downvotes are disabled by my instance, which is good. I can’t see downvotes and can’t give them.
• Comments allow me to disagree and share my arguments why I disaggree (as I do now).
• And if something is so bad that it should be gone, there is still the possibility to report a post or comment

The only way to have the same outcome than a downvote with only upvotes is to upvote every single other comment

But why is that even necessary? Why are you even wasting your energy to click that button? If it’s really bad, one can report it. If it’s not worth to report, one can leave it and focus on other stuff. I seriously don’t understand it. My only explanation is “doing it like that because we have always done it that way” and this is why I totally understand why most big platforms removed such a downvote feature.

If you are downvoted more than upvoted, then you know your opinion is unpopular. Doesn’t meant it’s bad or good.

Not even unpopular in general… Unpopular in a specific bubble at a specific time. But I agree. Combined with a karma system, it’d unfortunately by a toxic combination… (Reddit)

For instance, I neither downvoted nor upvoted your comment, because I consider it a valuable part of the conversation, but I still don’t approve it.

That confuses me now, because it feels like the point I’m trying to make.