poets in the Soviet Union would take on small jobs like being a janitor
imagine opening an app and you see the local soup kitchen and pet sanctuary as listings
the soup kitchen posted an event for lunch and you hit "volunteer"
you help pack boxes and get a meal
your labor directly benefitted someone
your social credit increases
It wouldn't. It would be cooler to not have a currency, at least for ordinary stuff. Reputation shit spooks me.
It what way are you interpreting it?
I kinda found myself thinking that the "reputation" wasn't like a form of currency that was spent on things, but something like ...distinctions in a video game or "being known for something". You could be a very generous person when it comes to donating your time or be very good at being a mechanic and people would be able to acknowledge that they "hey, Tammy is the person that can be trusted to help out when you need a hand and Chuck is an amazing mechanic when you need your towns train engine fixed".
Alternatively, a person who is kinda crappy could wind up being known for being crappy, which is where this sci/fi conceit probably falls apart. This reputation system was never explained in any real way in 'The Orwell" to know if there are ways for somebody with a bad reputation to improve their reputation.