It doesn’t matter if the most upvoted comment is pro or against subject in discussion. All that matters is bolstering a comment that is minimally compatible with participant’s thinking and making it win against the opposite argument (competing and most voted one).
So it seems that the most satisfactory comment (for most readers) doesn’t really matter at all. What matters, before anything else, is visibility of an opinion that somewhat aligns with one’s thinking, rather than writing or finding the most corresponding comment for that subject, fully compatible with reader’s perception.
I think any sort of social aggregator will always have this as a challenge it wrestles with.
In my opinion, the onus of applying critical thinking when reading comments/sources lies with the reader.
When a very large upvoted comment takes places, I personally comb through some of the replies to see if anyone has sources/background that might be contradictory (and then I’ll review myself for my own opinion). It’s extra effort but I only apply this things I’m “vested” in.
Agreed but many simply won’t do it, so you can’t just build out a system with the ideal situation in mind if it’s not occurring. Really the only way to truly make a dent in low effort posts is to go text-only and not allow image/videos. Then you apply relatively strict moderation. But the moment “strict moderation” is thrown around people go “AHHH POWER TRIPPING JANNIES!” lol
Just look at how maligned beehaw has become for their moderation style and defederating. People are so salty about how they run their instance, as if it has any bearing on the rest of us. They clearly laid out their goals for the community, people joined it, and they have been consistently executing on it. Is it for me? Meh yes and no. Hence why i’m here on Kbin doing my own thing. But I sure don’t begrudge them and think they’ve been remarkably consistent with their vision.