I think calling it meaningless, while helpfully putting it in context (first world problems, etc.) is still a bit inaccurate. Sure, the kudos number on a Svbtle blog is basically meaningless, but more generally, karma points on a post can serve two important purposes:
1) Social signaling. Others approve of the post, which factors into your own judgment heuristics when encountering it.
2) Upvotes and downvotes are the basis of vote-ranked message board systems like HN and Reddit, and they result in very interesting dynamics (whether or not these dynamics are optimal is another question altogether).
So no, I'd say internet karma points aren't exactly meaningless in certain contexts.
1) Social signaling. Others approve of the post, which factors into your own judgment heuristics when encountering it.
2) Upvotes and downvotes are the basis of vote-ranked message board systems like HN and Reddit, and they result in very interesting dynamics (whether or not these dynamics are optimal is another question altogether).
So no, I'd say internet karma points aren't exactly meaningless in certain contexts.