Why do people still use Reddit?

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Yasa

According to this (http://mashable.com/2012/10/31/reddit-valuation/) Reddit had 43 million active monthly users last year. I have no idea if that's accurate or not but lets say right now there are 20 million active users. I would be more surprised if there wasn't misogyny, slut shaming, whining, unpopular opinions, blah blah blah.

Most of that stuff is either found in the default sub reddits, or the really specific niche sub reddits. It's easy to ignore the defaults, and you have to be actively trying to find the ####ty subs.

But really, if you don't want to use it then that's fine. There are lots of reasons to dislike reddit. The entire superior circle jerk from a bunch of the users can get pretty annoying. A lot of the content is recycled, annoying memes, cringe-worthy rage comics, mens rights, pictures that you'd expect as a forward from your grandparents, sensationalized news articles, anything from /r/politics. But for every stupid sub, there seems to be a good one that has great content. It's like anything on the internet. Ignore that crap, look for the good stuff and you'll get along fine.

It's a bit silly to condemn the entire site and users based on a small percentage of disgusting content that was eliminated a year or two ago. If you want to avoid ever being loosely connected to any criminal activities you might want to just not use the internet entirely. Then hide, naked, in the woods because you'll find that everything you own and everything you do could probably be connected to some criminal organization and explotation of starving children.

You were doin' great up until the last paragraph.

So close!

I was totally rootin' for yah man.

[Yasa]

I only operate at 75% effort at any given time.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

I actually *like* a good portion of Reddit, and was a user there for 5 years before I couldn't take it anymore.

Curious how you could justify using it for 5 years?

Regardless of when you started you would have been a user there when Jailbait was at it's most active then. It just seems odd now that Reddit has taken a more active approach in removing controversial subreddits that's when you decide it's morally bankrupt? Seems counterintuitive.

[East Coast Flame]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

You were doin' great up until the last paragraph.

So close!

I was totally rootin' for yah man.

I take it you gained your patronizing online discourse skills from your 5 years on Reddit?

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

I take it you gained your patronizing online discourse skills from your 5 years on Reddit?

No dude, read the thread. I'm so goony my neckbeard has a neckbeard.

(Disclaimer: I do not have a neckbeard)

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Curious how you could justify using it for 5 years?

Regardless of when you started you would have been a user there when Jailbait was at it's most active then. It just seems odd now that Reddit has taken a more active approach in removing controversial subreddits that's when you decide it's morally bankrupt? Seems counterintuitive.

I was a fairly casual user for the first 3, mainly only a front page feeder. It was once I started posting in comments and discovering more subreddits that I discovered more of the horror.

I feel pretty dirty for even using it at all.

I started discovering a lot of the underbelly when my (now) wife was getting harassed (along with a lot of 2X) by MRAs. It was a pretty bitter experience.

[Traditional_Ale]

I don't understand why everyone is piling on Psycnet? I thought it was an interesting OP and a good take. It's not like he's accusing anyone of being a perp, although some of the reactions of some posters could be interpreted as quite telling in a way.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I don't understand why everyone is piling on Psycnet? I thought it was an interesting OP and a good take. It's not like he's accusing anyone of being a perp, although some of the reactions of some posters could be interpreted as quite telling in a way.

To wax a bit, I defended my drug use way back when pretty vehemently, but now that I've cut it down to a trickle over the last 7 years I can see how stupid I was.

Reddit is a drug, and this thread is basically an off-shoot of the Unpopular Opinions thread, though it upsets the internet because Reddit essentially is the internet by this point.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I don't understand why everyone is piling on Psycnet? I thought it was an interesting OP and a good take. It's not like he's accusing anyone of being a perp, although some of the reactions of some posters could be interpreted as quite telling in a way.

"I think that all thieves should be tortured and slowly killed, and the only explanation for anyone disagreeing with me is that he himself is a thief!"

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

I don't understand why everyone is piling on Psycnet? I thought it was an interesting OP and a good take. It's not like he's accusing anyone of being a perp, although some of the reactions of some posters could be interpreted as quite telling in a way.

The issue I take with it is the subtle attempts at judgement based on this bizarre pick and choose sense of morality he developed. If looking at Reddit is morally bankrupt then what is shopping at Target? I just see his position as being overly simplistic, and certainly not one upon which you can start casting judgement.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by valo403

The issue I take with it is the subtle attempts at judgement based on this bizarre pick and choose sense of morality he developed. If looking at Reddit is morally bankrupt then what is shopping at Target? I just see his position as being overly simplistic, and certainly not one upon which you can start casting judgement.

Think of it as less simplistic, and more personal, though I tried really hard to keep that out of the OP and the original responses.

I guess I did a bad job of that.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by valo403

The issue I take with it is the subtle attempts at judgement based on this bizarre pick and choose sense of morality he developed. If looking at Reddit is morally bankrupt then what is shopping at Target? I just see his position as being overly simplistic, and certainly not one upon which you can start casting judgement.

Boom. This guy is correct. OP is a brainwashed SA follower who spews regurgitated points from the SA forum without an opinion of his own. It's almost as sad as the subreddits he's on about.

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

"I think that all thieves should be tortured and slowly killed, and the only explanation for anyone disagreeing with me is that he himself is a thief!"

To be fair, I did say "could" be.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

Boom. This guy is correct. OP is a brainwashed SA follower who spews regurgitated points from the SA forum without an opinion of his own. It's almost as sad as the subreddits he's on about.

Yes because there is no way I could have personally had a bad experience in my 5 years on Reddit. Also, please explain why jailbait, MRAs, and the rest aren't horrible things.

Kind of humorous actually, hivemind v hivemind.

[DownInFlames]

Do you have any evidence to support your claims, PsYcNeT?

[valo403]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Think of it as less simplistic, and more personal, though I tried really hard to keep that out of the OP and the original responses.

I guess I did a bad job of that.

Well if it's personal then you need to accept a bit of an evolving standard on morality. For some people the mere hint of a connection to something deplorable is way outside of their moral range, but for most of us (at least in this thread) it's going to take a lot more as we've come to realize that there are a lot of things that can be connected back to something we disagree with if you follow the trail long enough. To tie use of the reddit front page to aiding and abetting CP is a pretty massive leap.

So yeah, I guess based on your standard we're all morally bankrupt, but the point I tried to make is that your standard is arbitrary, and I'd be willing to bet incredibly inconsistent, which is why I asked you about products made in China as an example. Are you as quick to make the jump to tying other things back to potential distant harms as you are with clicking onto reddit?

[valo403]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Yes because there is no way I could have personally had a bad experience in my 5 years on Reddit. Also, please explain why jailbait, MRAs, and the rest aren't horrible things.

Kind of humorous actually, hivemind v hivemind.

Has anyone even insinuated that they are anything but? The argument isn't whether those are horrible things, but whether the fact that you go to other parts of reddit makes you guilty by association.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by valo403

Well if it's personal then you need to accept a bit of an evolving standard on morality. For some people the mere hint of a connection to something deplorable is way outside of their moral range, but for most of us (at least in this thread) it's going to take a lot more as we've come to realize that there are a lot of things that can be connected back to something we disagree with if you follow the trail long enough. To tie use of the reddit front page to aiding and abetting CP is a pretty massive leap.

So yeah, I guess based on your standard we're all morally bankrupt, but the point I tried to make is that your standard is arbitrary, and I'd be willing to bet incredibly inconsistent, which is why I asked you about products made in China as an example. Are you as quick to make the jump to tying other things back to potential distant harms as you are with clicking onto reddit?

If I'm aware of distant harms I cut ties with the product/service/etc. as quickly as is feasible. It's nothing new for me, just makes certain things less convenient (ie, not purchasing Hershey chocolate or Chaquita bananas). So yes, knowledge is powerful, and it's difficult to come to terms with some issues, but in the end if we're not trying to be better people, then what's the point?

Originally Posted by valo403

Has anyone even insinuated that they are anything but? The argument isn't whether those are horrible things, but whether the fact that you go to other parts of reddit makes you guilty by association.

The poster I quoted insinuated that my position was by default of being a mindless goon, rather than having a working brain, or a functioning empathy center.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

If I'm aware of distant harms I cut ties with the product/service/etc. as quickly as is feasible. It's nothing new for me, just makes certain things less convenient (ie, not purchasing Hershey chocolate or Chaquita bananas). So yes, knowledge is powerful, and it's difficult to come to terms with some issues, but in the end if we're not trying to be better people, then what's the point?



The poster I quoted insinuated that my position was by default of being a mindless goon, rather than having a working brain, or a functioning empathy center.

I like that quote. I guess it's just a matter of line drawing, I'm pretty comfortable with my position and don't find it at all 'morally bankrupt', but others may disagree.

It's definitely an interesting topic when you get into issues of morality, certainly made the rest of my day go by quicker. Thanks for bringing it up.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by valo403

I like that quote. I guess it's just a matter of line drawing, I'm pretty comfortable with my position and don't find it at all 'morally bankrupt', but others may disagree.

It's definitely an interesting topic when you get into issues of morality, certainly made the rest of my day go by quicker. Thanks for bringing it up.

I enjoyed it as well.

Probably the most Seriousposting I've done in a year.

[Barnes]

Oh God, what's wrong with Chiquita Banana's?