Does Positive Reinforcement Work?: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Effects of Positive Feedback on Reddit

TL;DR

This study investigates the impact of positive feedback on Reddit users, showing that receiving positive reinforcement leads to more frequent and higher quality posts, suggesting moderation strategies should include positive reinforcement.

Contribution

It provides causal evidence that positive feedback increases user activity and content quality on social media, a relatively underexplored area.

Findings

Users receiving positive feedback post more frequently.

Positive feedback correlates with higher content quality.

Positive reinforcement can complement punitive moderation strategies.

Abstract

Social media platform design often incorporates explicit signals of positive feedback. Some moderators provide positive feedback with the goal of positive reinforcement, but are often unsure of their ability to actually influence user behavior. Despite its widespread use and theory touting positive feedback as crucial for user motivation, its effect on recipients is relatively unknown. This paper examines how positive feedback impacts Reddit users and evaluates its differential effects to understand who benefits most from receiving positive feedback. Through a causal inference study of 11M posts across 4 months, we find that users who received positive feedback made more frequent (2% per day) and higher quality (57% higher score; 2% fewer removals per day) posts compared to a set of matched control users. Our findings highlight the need for platforms, communities, and moderators to expand their perspective on moderation and complement punitive approaches with positive reinforcement strategies to foster desirable behavior online.