Is Attractiveness Key to Receiving Upvotes on Quora?

There is often a debate surrounding the role of user appearance in garnering attention on platforms like Quora. Specifically, one might wonder: if I were to create a fake account with an enticing profile picture, would it result in increased upvotes for my ridiculous answers?

The Role of Content Over Appearance

One of the fundamental differences between Quora and other social media platforms like Facebook lies in the basis for user interaction. On Facebook, it is common practice to like or follow others based on their physical appearance, personal interests, or life stories. However, the dynamics on Quora are quite different. People upvote answers based on the quality, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the content, not because of the writer's appearance.

According to User-9506844891128553813, the image displayed next to an answer is too small to provide any meaningful detail for the user to judge the writer's appearance. Hence, most users do not even pay attention to the visual element associated with the answer.

Given the nature of Quora, it might seem counterintuitive that someone would try to exploit this alleged link between appearance and upvotes. However, User-9506844891128553813 argues that even if it were possible to judge the appearance of the writer, it would not necessarily translate into higher upvotes. The quality and usefulness of the content remain the main factors influencing upvotes.

Counter-Claim and User Experience

Despite the general consensus, Jack strongly disagrees. Jack’s comment highlights his experience after checking some user profiles, revealing that some of the most distinguished and handsome men are some of the highest-rated answerers on the platform. This counters the idea that appearances play no role in the probability of getting upvotes. However, it is important to note that Jack's observations might not represent a statistically significant sample size and may not apply universally.

The challenge with relying on appearances for upvotes is that most users do not bother to find out. According to User-9506844891128553813, the vast majority of users do not even check if the author is attractive. A larger visual element might not be enough to sway the majority of users' upvoting behavior unless the content is otherwise compelling.

Conclusion

The concept of a fake profile picture increasing upvotes on Quora hinges on the assumption that users base their upvoting behavior on aesthetics rather than content. However, according to established norms on the platform, content quality is the most crucial factor. While there may be rare exceptions, it is highly unlikely that creating a fake account with an attractive profile picture would significantly impact the upvotes for an otherwise subpar answer.

References

Comment by User-9506844891128553813

Comment by Jack