Has the quality of questions decreased on all SE sites, or only on SO? How do we alter this dynamic in the short term? [closed]

Question

Since the recent events, the quality of questions has decreased in Stack Overflow, featuring questions with no code or where the OP does not know how to ask a proper question (Can we re-advertise the minimal,reproductible example again, please?)

As Ms. Teresa Dietrich has been writing, changes are underway.

The question is two-fold:

1. Has the decrease in the quality of questions been seen on all Stack Exchange sites? I guess the answer is yes, but I'm still asking.
2. In the meantime, what can we do to correct the current trend of lower quality questions, especially now that core users have left the site?

Not sure if it is the right time or the right place to ask this question, but I do care about all Stack Exchange sites. I definitely, at the very least, care for the ones I visit often enough to wonder where we are heading in the short run.

Answer 1

I've seen a decrease in quality in the sites I participate in and/or just follow, but it's not been since the recent events; it's something that's been going on for years now, and in one case in particular it's part of a general Internet-wide trend: the "plot hole"/"bad writing" people.

That one certainly can't be laid at SE's door, but what can be laid at SE's door is an increased tolerance for that kind of bullshit. So basically, questions that would have been slammed shut 5 years ago are now more likely to be left open, and that is a case of the welcoming/"be nice" initiative backfiring.

I don't know what the answer is, but sometimes identifying the problem is the first step.

Answer 2

I would have liked to respond more to the point, but - given the lack of data validating your claim, I believe what you (we?) should do first is try to ascertain if even the SO part is true.

I suggest you consider opening a question on SO meta, and ask for help with evidence to support your perception of the situation. The more concrete the evidence is, the easier it may be to check for these specific phenomena on other sites.

Answer 3

I worry that the importance of post curation to the design of Stack Exchange sites is under appreciated.

As a result, I see the tools designed for “fixing broken windows” on our sites such as editing and close voting being under-used by many SE users.

When content is just created and not curated it is inevitable that post quality will decline.

I think those with privileges to edit and close vote should use them appropriately as often as their volunteered time and inclination will allow. Some of our most prolific curators are criticized using terms like “excessive editing” and “over zealous moderation”. I think denigrating their efforts is disheartening and will lead to lower quality if they pull back or leave sites.

Answer 4

There are fewer moderators now after many of them have left. This translates into declining quality of the posts. We can ask for moderator elections to be held sooner rather than later. This will allow to make up at least in part for those moderators who left or checked out.

---

Almost 70 moderators across all SE sites suspended/reduced activity or resigned. This includes 7 moderators on SO. Among other affected sites is Parenting.SE, where 2 out of 3 moderators suspended/reduced activity or resigned. All of this contributed to the decreasing quality of the SE sites.