Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context? Does it need it?

Posted by anon115 on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @02:18PM
from the self-post dept.

UI design question. Most social media websites do.

( 5 comments | 4 points | on HN )

Re:Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context?... by gus_massa on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @02:38PM (#31184001)

Probably to discourage reaction, to increase the signal to noise ratio.

In cases it's 100% necessary you can use asciiart or a link to imgur or something.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context?... by SOTGO on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @02:37PM (#31183995)

For one images would put even more strain on the server (servers?) that HN runs on. Also, I fear that it would reduce the quality of the discussion, as at least on reddit, image posts seem to lead to repetitive and unproductive discussion.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context?... by theandrewbailey on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @02:34PM (#31183952)

HN is all about sharing articles and talking about them. Images should be left to the articles. If in the rare case images are needed to get a point across, links to other sites (and existing image sharing services) suffice.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context?... by EGKW on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @04:26PM (#31185308)

No, please no. Rather than 'giving more context' images (or thumbnails FTM) would just distract from the subject given in title. I'm 15YO on Reddit and I still use the <old.reddit> interface.

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Re:Why doesn't Hacker News have images to give more context?... by minimaxir on Wednesday April 27, 2022 @02:37PM (#31183996)

Images/cards on link aggregators are primarily about maximizing clickthrough rate and/or time on site, which HN does not need to do.

[ Parent | on HN ]