I post a lot in Reddit almost every single day. For the past couple years, I upped my effort per post by making embedded links and typing way more than I should.
After posting in Facepunch forums for more than a decade, I found Reddit to be better. In FP, my username and avatar make me out more as an individual to be remembered. Users will know my gaming preferences, my character, and some of the past history I’ve done up to a couple years ago. If worst comes to worst, users can look up someone’s social media pages (ex. Twitter, tumblr, Instagram, Facebook) to find any sort of dirt.
In Reddit, I am a faceless nobody. My posts are taken at face-value, which I loved. I have seen some “investigatory callouts” where users look through someone’s profile to bring up a specific detail about them.
Only certain Reddit users stand-out, such as those who regularly release their short and funny webcomics exclusively for the site, gimmick accounts that post something related to a topic but twist it in a way that is surprising (ex. kinda like Rickrolling), or be on the front page of various subreddits way too much.
Misinformed FP users assumed that Reddit is primarily a “offensive nazi-ridden site” as it had some subreddits pertaining to it. Eventually, though, Reddit has scrubbed the overtly offensive content away as the site grew into a larger brand.
Reddit is the type of place where people see different kinds of content that pertain to their interest. Some top rated submissions would end up going viral and appear on various news and blog sites. Aggregation is common between Reddit and journalism. It’s crazy, but makes sense.
And as such, Reddit touts itself as, “The front page of the internet.”
To a fault, the voting system can easily be abused in various ways. Other than hiring someone to use bots that can manipulate the voting system, specific communities dislike certain pieces of news that doesn’t adhere to their ideology.
Now obviously, overtly offensive posts are downvoted and usually removed by moderators, but that isn’t the point.
The points involve…
Anything remotely positive regarding a thing people dislike.
Example: Star Wars Battlefront 2 is getting a major free update. Certain people who browse new posts would downvote it. Any negative news about EA or something that would continue their hate (loot boxes are surprise mechanics!) would get upvoted.
The Problem: This kind of vote manipulation changes people’s thinking. People would be misinformed that a game is always dead since everyone else talks about how it’s dead. In reality, the game is still alive and kicking because subreddits still serve as a thought-bubble that people are comfortable living in.
Certain subreddits have disallowed certain media to be posted.
Example: In the Overwatch subreddit, they disallow any direct images. It all require a link, which becomes annoying. Fanart and cosplays become a rare sight since users don’t want to make an extra click to see those, especially if they’re on their phones. Thus, easy-to-view media like Play of the Games become watchable.
The Problem: People are lazy. We have been reprogrammed to be lazy thanks to social media. Most people who may stumble upon this blog may quickly back out because of how many words or clicks/scrolls they have to make!
We all rely on the voting system.
Example: Well, that’s why I made this list. A lot of upvotes can make someone’s post viral, while downvotes will be left in the dust. You can tell a subreddit’s preference is too, such as r/Gmod preferring memes or hastily-made comedic images. Effort is rarely rewarded if it doesn’t cater to the userbase’s desire. You can say the same for virtually anywhere else for that though.
For another example, a person posts a picture of their dog with the title, “My good girl has protected my house from burglars!” It goes well and good for a couple hours, with the topic being upvoted for the masses to see, until someone reveals that the picture and title has already been submitted months ago!
The Problem: Some people want more virtual numbers so much, they would be willing to repost someone’s post without any credit. Reddit users have said/speculated this is done by bots so the accounts can be sold to anyone wanting a high number count.
Content is also heavily decided upon what the masses should see. Also, as I mentioned with the video, bots can be used to manipulate the system and the people’s viewpoints.
Since I’ve posted in Facepunch forums for more than a decade and moderated Gametrailers’ forums, I’ve seen a wide array of colorful users. Some of whom hold a grudge as they have a crappy behavior.
Reddit is no shining diamond either as there are so many users without a face, they become “lost in the crowd.” Some users also make accounts primarily for toxicity purposes, such as harassment or threats.
Reporting their account to a mod or an admin doesn’t work as they would just say, “Just ignore them.”
Politics seem to be a fickle subject in Reddit, as r/Politics is primarily anti-Trump news, and r/The_Donald is widely hated by just about most subreddits I’ve been in.
Now I have no idea where to go with this blog post. Reddit is not bad by any means since voting has its ups and downs (pun not intended). I do find the site preferable compared to regular forums now.
Updated post with more thoughts as of 3/16/20.
Ross Siev's blog 
2 thoughts on “Reddit”