About Respect
We want to try something different from thumbs up or thumbs down. A way to respond to someone's work that takes them seriously — even when you disagree. And for us, that feels like respect.
What Respect means
When you tap R at the bottom of a story, you're saying: this was worth my attention. Whoever made it took it seriously. I respect the work.
You don't have to agree with the conclusion. You don't have to love the angle. You just recognize that real work went into it and the community is better for having it.
Disagree with Respect
Tapping the D · R option means: "I disagree — and I still respect the work."
It says the piece made you think. It challenged something you believed, or it argued a position you don't share — but the reporting was honest, the reasoning was fair, and the author clearly did the work. You're not endorsing the conclusion. You're saying the person on the other end of the keyboard earned your attention.
Why this matters to us
Respect is one of several inputs in the algorithm we're developing. We're hoping it helps incentivize the kind of discourse we want to see in the world.
This is evolving
Respect is new. How strongly Respect feeds the algorithm is still being tuned. Whether Disagree with Respect gets used the way we hoped — or gets abused, or just gets ignored — we're going to learn that as you use it.
If something feels off, if the pair doesn't quite fit how you want to react to a piece, if you have a better idea — tell us. This is an important piece of the platform, and we'll get it where it needs to be with your help.