In recent years, social news
websites have grown in popularity. A few popular social news sites include Slashdot,
Digg, and Reddit. Reddit differentiates itself from these other social news
sites by allowing users to vote stories up or down and allowing them to create
Subreddits. Unlike other popular news sites, users exclusively determine which
stories make it to the "front page." Popular stories will get up
votes while users downvote unpopular stories. Reddit also allows users to
create subreddits, or a smaller community about a specific topic. For example,
a subreddit exists to cover only Penn State topics. This creates an interesting
dynamic where subreddits become Internet communities. Reddit is one technology
that Friedman would absolutely love. Reddit is creating a space for people to
communicate globally, no matter where a person is from.
One of the fascinating things
about Reddit is the sense of community within the various subreddits and the
community as a large. Within the community at large, there is a sense of
belonging of a bigger entity. People are not simply users, but fellow
redditors. Redditors have a history of coming to the aid of fellow redditors in
need. In 2011, created the site randomactsofpizza subreddit to help fellow
redditors in need. The idea behind the site was to connect the less fortunate
to those that are willing to help. To request or offer pizza, one simply has to
post within the subreddit. If someone feels particularly moved by your request,
that person can then place an order for that request. One of the interesting
dynamic of the movement is that the two co-founders have never actually met. The two connected online and have since
started a movement to help the less fortunate online without ever meeting the
other person in person.
On Reddit, two interesting
dynamics exist that would both impress and annoy Evgeny Morozov. Historically, Reddit has become well known for
its user's generosity. Last year, redditors donated over $600,000 to DonorsChoose
in support of Stephen Colbert's March to Keep Fear Alive campaign. Redditors
also donated over $150,000 to support Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. Instead
of using technology to promote slacktivism, users created a community of activism
and charity. However, there does exist within Reddit a community that are
simple slacktivists. A recent trend on Reddit is that a user will agree to
donate X for every upvote the post receives. The slacktivists simply upvote the
post and do nothing else. These are the actions that Morozov so reviled in The
Net Delusion.
Reddit is not without criticism
however.
While the website does allow users to connect from all around the
world, it does allow "shady" users to connect. On Reddit, there is
very little moderation and users can post pretty much anything but illegal
content. Until recently, there existed a semi-large subreddit dedicated to the
posting of questionable pictures of underage females, or jailbait." While
the main jailbait subreddit was eventually shut down, various smaller
subreddits still exist today. While
technically legal, this creates an ethical dilemma for moderators. Where do you
draw the line and begin censoring questionable material? While the line
eventually became quite clear for moderators, the heart of the issue remains a
problem for the internet as a whole.
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