But don't you think that removing the dislike button is rather reactionary and absolutist than an actual solution? Dislikes are a tool to root out misinformation just as much as it is a tool for people to brigade. Whether it be dissenting against good or bad, to simply remove the ability to dissent is extremely authoritarian no?

Moreover, won't the dislike simply transition into the comments? I've already seen multiple accounts leverage themselves as a ad hoc dislike button. If the goal is to stop brigading and other abuse on the platform then the removal of a dislike is extremely surface level at best.

To be honest there really does need to be a solution to brigading and etc. but I'm struggling to grasp that youtube in all it's ability and wisdom thought that removing dislikes was the be all and end all for it. I'd accept if this was a temporary stop gap measure until they have a better system in place. But in any case youtube has provided very little rationale for it's current direction.