4 ms·

I'd say Reddit is good evidence that the beauty element is optional, for the goal of Many Users.

by catach 9y ago

criley2 9y ago
Reddit is a perfect example of a tech-focused product for a minority of young, white, tech-oriented men (and a minority of others) that while it influences the outside world, is mainly invisible to it. If you want to build a reddit, you'll never end up with a facebook, that's just reality, the target demo is completely different.
- davvolun 9y ago
  I don't think that's true. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't at least occasionally use Reddit; my aunt told us a story at the family get-together that started "I saw this on AskReddit...". Certainly anecdotal evidence, and I'm inclined to believe the largest user base may still match your description, but personally I feel like you're describing 4chan, not Reddit.
  - criley2 9y ago
    Sure let's use your anecdote: Ask your Aunt if she has a reddit account. Ask your aunt if she knows ANYONE AT ALL her age that has a reddit account. I'd love to explore your anecdote further because while I know that many non-redditors get linked to AskReddits and AMA's through blogs and webpages, I also know that the 90-9-1 rule of the internet means that it's highly, highly, highly unlikely she is a member of reddit or contributes at all. On the other hand, ALL LURKERS ON FACEBOOK HAVE AN ACCOUNT. Biiiiiiiiiiiig difference.
    - davvolun 9y ago
      1) It's anecdotal evidence, so I'm not trying to argue you're wrong with it; it's simply not convincing enough even to me to try to do so. 2) You're making a lot of assumptions. I can tell you without asking her that she has an account because she was talking about the subs she likes the most, such as AskReddit and IAmA. As for commenting and contributing, she -- this specific person -- is extremely introverted (but not tech-savvy -- I know because "family tech support"), so I would be inclined to think not. As for asking her any of those questions, because she is introverted, I don't feel comfortable asking her -- she definitely doesn't want to hear she was being talked about on the internet, even anonymously. One thought though...I think you have to look at the way she started the discussion "I saw this on AskReddit..." not I saw this on Reddit, or "the internet, this site called Reddit", that sort of thing. She not only expected us (of which I am probably the most tech-savvy and near to the youngest) to understand wtf she was talking about, but to understand she was talking about a subreddit. And I know one person (looking at my mother-in-law) who had no clue, but there were other people probably 5-15 years older than me who did at least a passable job of looking like they understood.
- catach 9y ago
  According to Alexa stats, Reddit is 6th in the world and 4th in the US [0], while Facebook is 3rd and 3rd [1]. [0] https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/reddit.com https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/reddit.com [1] https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/facebook.com https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/facebook.com
- 908087 9y ago
  If that was the case, I wouldn't expect to see so much objectively false information treated as fact and massively upvoted in subs such as /r/technology. Reddit's user base might enjoy the belief that it is technically skilled and knowledgeable, but that isn't at all the reality of the situation in my experiences.
  - criley2 9y ago
    They ARE technically knowledgeable for the 16-21 year old average demographic. Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc. You probably outgrew their age demo and realized that smart 18 year olds are still dumbasses.
    - catach 9y ago
      > Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc. While I think this is generally a valid point, I also suspect there's quite a bit of When in Rome effect in play. Uninformed r/Technology posters may step their game up to match the consensus style, while informed Youtube users may feel a bit of pressure to dress down.

I'd say Reddit is good evidence that the beauty element is optional, for the goal of Many Users.

by catach 9y ago

I'd say Reddit is good evidence that the beauty element is optional, for the goal of Many Users.

Reddit is a perfect example of a tech-focused product for a minority of young, white, tech-oriented men (and a minority of others) that while it influences the outside world, is mainly invisible to it. If you want to build a reddit, you'll never end up with a facebook, that's just reality, the target demo is completely different.

davvolun 9y ago
I don't think that's true. I don't think I know anyone who doesn't at least occasionally use Reddit; my aunt told us a story at the family get-together that started "I saw this on AskReddit...". Certainly anecdotal evidence, and I'm inclined to believe the largest user base may still match your description, but personally I feel like you're describing 4chan, not Reddit.
- criley2 9y ago
  Sure let's use your anecdote: Ask your Aunt if she has a reddit account. Ask your aunt if she knows ANYONE AT ALL her age that has a reddit account. I'd love to explore your anecdote further because while I know that many non-redditors get linked to AskReddits and AMA's through blogs and webpages, I also know that the 90-9-1 rule of the internet means that it's highly, highly, highly unlikely she is a member of reddit or contributes at all. On the other hand, ALL LURKERS ON FACEBOOK HAVE AN ACCOUNT. Biiiiiiiiiiiig difference.
  - davvolun 9y ago
    1) It's anecdotal evidence, so I'm not trying to argue you're wrong with it; it's simply not convincing enough even to me to try to do so. 2) You're making a lot of assumptions. I can tell you without asking her that she has an account because she was talking about the subs she likes the most, such as AskReddit and IAmA. As for commenting and contributing, she -- this specific person -- is extremely introverted (but not tech-savvy -- I know because "family tech support"), so I would be inclined to think not. As for asking her any of those questions, because she is introverted, I don't feel comfortable asking her -- she definitely doesn't want to hear she was being talked about on the internet, even anonymously. One thought though...I think you have to look at the way she started the discussion "I saw this on AskReddit..." not I saw this on Reddit, or "the internet, this site called Reddit", that sort of thing. She not only expected us (of which I am probably the most tech-savvy and near to the youngest) to understand wtf she was talking about, but to understand she was talking about a subreddit. And I know one person (looking at my mother-in-law) who had no clue, but there were other people probably 5-15 years older than me who did at least a passable job of looking like they understood.
catach 9y ago
According to Alexa stats, Reddit is 6th in the world and 4th in the US [0], while Facebook is 3rd and 3rd [1]. [0] https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/reddit.com https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/reddit.com [1] https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/facebook.com https://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/facebook.com
908087 9y ago
If that was the case, I wouldn't expect to see so much objectively false information treated as fact and massively upvoted in subs such as /r/technology. Reddit's user base might enjoy the belief that it is technically skilled and knowledgeable, but that isn't at all the reality of the situation in my experiences.
- criley2 9y ago
  They ARE technically knowledgeable for the 16-21 year old average demographic. Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc. You probably outgrew their age demo and realized that smart 18 year olds are still dumbasses.
  - catach 9y ago
    > Go compare a reddit technology thread to a youtube comment section. Big difference in writing quality, avg length of post, use of source and data, etc. While I think this is generally a valid point, I also suspect there's quite a bit of When in Rome effect in play. Uninformed r/Technology posters may step their game up to match the consensus style, while informed Youtube users may feel a bit of pressure to dress down.