Absolutely pay per word is just a metric - and I wouldn't expect to be paid more for more words - good language, is of course, efficient language - to get your point across as succinctly as possible. But if I have a critique of a painting, I am not going to write fourteen different posts critiquing the painting by 512x512 pixel tiles.
There are clearly some users on the chain who consistently post low effort shit posts and get high rewards. This isn't their fault - it is the fault of curators, and people who are too afraid to downvote content within the seven day window.
A downvote should never be seen as a personal attack, but instead as an altruistic move to give everyone else on the chain who has "skin in the game" (a post up for reward) slightly more, and that specific post slightly less.
every downvote i have gotten is because the person didn't like the topic. So, i am kinda biased against down votes.
And i have watched friends get destroyed by downvotes because they got on someone's bad side.
If I disagree with something you post, I would much rather have a discussion about it, as perhaps the void of my ignorance will be filled by the perspective of another. Perhaps not everyone is like this, though.
I too have seen "ordinary" authors be consistently (and perhaps, without apparent justification) be downvoted to the point that they get the impression "you're no longer welcome here", and enquires as to why met with silence. That isn't helpful to anyone.
I rarely downvote people myself, but If I am going to, I am going to directly justify my stance in a comment to the top level post.
What is far more damaging to the platform (except in the case of obvious spammers) - is automated downvotes on authors because of some conflicting intersection of ideas (eg, one might say the sky is blue, the other might say azure) - an extreme example to be sure.
Do we have to go through the Azure Wars again?!! 😝
That said, i have run into people writing tiny posts and upvoting them (or replies) themselves. A long string of 2¢, and that is totally what downvoting is for.
And i welcome dissenting opinions. God knows that i post an article a week poking holes at science. I upvote them, but am not always capable of responding.
I personally prefer to reward comments over the top level posts, I value the engagement and conversation.
It proves that the person has read my reply, absorbed my content, and thought about it. Something like proof of them having a brain, or something :D
I personally don't agree with everything you post. I keep reading your posts though, because they expand my views beyond what I know. I am also aware that I can have an intellectually challenging conversation with you about the subject matter and the semantics.