Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
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Title: How Stack Overflow's Reputation System Led To Its Own Downfall

Link: https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/06/0...

A new analysis argues that Stack Overflow's decline began years before AI
tools delivered the "final blow" to the once-dominant programming forum. The
site's monthly questions dropped from a peak of 200,000 to a steep collapse
that began in earnest after ChatGPT's 2023 launch, but usage had been
declining since 2014, according to data cited in the InfoWorld analysis. The
platform's remarkable reputation system initially elevated it above
competitors by allowing users to earn points and badges for helpful
contributions, but that same system eventually became its downfall, the piece
argues. As Stack Overflow evolved into a self-governing platform where high-
reputation users gained moderation powers, the community transformed from a
welcoming space for developer interaction into what the author compares to a
"Stanford Prison Experiment" where moderators systematically culled
interactions they deemed irrelevant.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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