Reddit Sucks, Which is Why I Love It

The same things that make it great sometimes make it awful

By: Sean Ericson

Is Reddit a good website?

That depends on what you mean by “good.” Is it fun to use? For me, definitely. But does it harm people? That’s a more complex question.

I can’t remember when I started using Reddit, but over the course of my adolescence, it became one of my favorite places on the internet.

Reddit (mostly) doesn’t let you post without selecting a specific community. People don’t usually use their real names, and profile pictures are rare.

These things are relics of the old internet, a world predating verification check marks and sponsored content, but I think they’re also part of Reddit’s enduring appeal. You can find a community devoted to just about anything, from TV shows to hobbies to niche meme formats.

However, there’s also a dark side. Pseudonymity and community can lead to groupthink. The site developed a toxic alt-right subculture that spread bigotry and harassment, while administrators often did little to stop it.

Reddit’s anonymous communities can create a false consensus. If you read post after post agreeing with a certain point of view, it can feel obvious, even if it’s ridiculous. I think this is one reason Reddit developed a problem with extremism. There aren’t actually that many incels in the world, but if you gather them all in one place, it seems like a huge movement.

I became an enthusiastic participant in the site’s culture war, spending my time mocking and arguing with the site’s most noxious users. Like many young people, the internet helped form my political views, and these fights were a big element. Reddit drama was part reality show and part debate club.

In the years since then, I think admins have done a better job of cleaning up the site’s worst elements. I am no longer a keyboard warrior. These days, I prefer to simply lurk, which I find less stressful.

While Reddit is minuscule in comparison to some other sites, I think that it is instructive for understanding social media in general, in that the same things about the internet that connect us can also drive us apart.