You seem to believe that every opinion is of equal value. But I don't think that's true. Some opinions have a negative impact on specific groups, or those with certain values, and I'd expect them to rate accordingly; but in other cases they're just poorly thought-out or based on flawed evidence (think creationism, anti-vaxxers).
Often these are the most extreme or simplistic positions, which tend to be alluring to those who know nothing about a subject and are looking for a shortcut to base actions on. That's what makes them dangerous. You're right to fear an echo chamber; but that comes about when people are unable to express their opinion at all, not when they're unable to get a positive rating on that opinion from the majority.
I also disagree with the implication that people vote solely on the opinion (if any) expressed by the commenter. There is great variation in the ratings received by individuals expressing similar views - indeed, between individual comments by the same person. That's down to variation in the quality of the arguments employed, the tone used, relevance to the conversation at hand, the subtlety of application, consideration for exceptions, and so on.
'Opinions' are most likely to be hidden if they are expressed poorly, in an uncivil or overly-personal manner, or raised repetitively in unrelated discussions. Such comments are, at best, a waste of time and should be discouraged.
You seem to believe that every opinion is of equal value. But I don't think that's true. Some opinions have a negative impact on specific groups, or those with certain values, and I'd expect them to rate accordingly; but in other cases they're just poorly thought-out or based on flawed evidence (think creationism, anti-vaxxers).
Often these are the most extreme or simplistic positions, which tend to be alluring to those who know nothing about a subject and are looking for a shortcut to base actions on. That's what makes them dangerous. You're right to fear an echo chamber; but that comes about when people are unable to express their opinion at all, not when they're unable to get a positive rating on that opinion from the majority.
I also disagree with the implication that people vote solely on the opinion (if any) expressed by the commenter. There is great variation in the ratings received by individuals expressing similar views - indeed, between individual comments by the same person. That's down to variation in the quality of the arguments employed, the tone used, relevance to the conversation at hand, the subtlety of application, consideration for exceptions, and so on.
'Opinions' are most likely to be hidden if they are expressed poorly, in an uncivil or overly-personal manner, or raised repetitively in unrelated discussions. Such comments are, at best, a waste of time and should be discouraged.