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Cool. I remember when Reddit launched and everyone was trying to figure out how they would make money. It looks like they made $100m last year so as long as

by sjg007 5y ago

Cool. I remember when Reddit launched and everyone was trying to figure out how they would make money. It looks like they made $100m last year so as long as they keep engagement up and optimize I think things will go well. I was surprised at only 50m DAUs.. that means there is a lot of growth left especially internationally. One thing to ask is, what problem does Reddit solve? And to stretch an anthropomorphism: if Reddit was a person, I would ask them, who is Reddit? Also just to ponder for a minute, what makes reddit and say facebook so different?

kupopuffs 5y ago
Well, do you use reddit? Seems like a good place for finding discussion on broad topics (news) and niche ones (small indie games, etc).
emodendroket 5y ago
Reddit communities are similar to Facebook groups, I guess, but pseudonymy gives things a different feel.
- babelfish 5y ago
  Thread-based comments also lend themselves to much more conversation IMO - Facebook hasn’t nailed threaded comments with a depth greater than 1 yet
  - fy20 5y ago
    This is my biggest gripe with Facebook Groups, along with finding old content, but it seems that Facebook is much more niche than Reddit. For some topics, say a speific car model, I've found that Reddit may have a general subreddit for the manufacturer, or maybe a specific subreddit with a few posts a week, but on Facebook there's a group that has 50 or so posts a day. And then there's often even more specific groups, for say modding or regional groups.
mistermann 5y ago
> One thing to ask is, what problem does Reddit solve? Possibly more interesting to ask: what problems might Reddit plausibly create? My first instinct for answers: social polarization and mass distortion of reality perception.
- sjg007 5y ago
  Well it certainly amplifies it but apart from comments it’s not an original content producer. Polarization in the US is manufactured by politicians and monetized by big business donors. This is why it’s Fox News entertainment. In the past we had yellow journalism etc…. It has certainly reduced the cost and effort to reach a lot of people and achieve critical mass. But any community has this. My local school board meetings are filled with covid deniers, anti maskers. These are akin to book banners and the whole critical race theory conspiracy. It’s all manufactured for political aim.
  - mistermann 5y ago
    There's no doubt that the media are thought leaders and I think for the most part set the narratives for the public to divide itself over, but I really think the Reddit hivemind is the base for the emergence of novel phenomena, the stuff your read on there certainly isn't all manufactured by the media.
superkuh 5y ago
>what makes reddit and say facebook so different? After ~2014, nothing. Reddit drove off it's original user base and replaced them with the exodus of people who want to use Facebook but think Facebook is bad for various reasons. Reddit corporate has obliged them.

by sjg007 5y ago

kupopuffs 5y ago

Well, do you use reddit? Seems like a good place for finding discussion on broad topics (news) and niche ones (small indie games, etc).

emodendroket 5y ago

Reddit communities are similar to Facebook groups, I guess, but pseudonymy gives things a different feel.

babelfish 5y ago
Thread-based comments also lend themselves to much more conversation IMO - Facebook hasn’t nailed threaded comments with a depth greater than 1 yet
- fy20 5y ago
  This is my biggest gripe with Facebook Groups, along with finding old content, but it seems that Facebook is much more niche than Reddit. For some topics, say a speific car model, I've found that Reddit may have a general subreddit for the manufacturer, or maybe a specific subreddit with a few posts a week, but on Facebook there's a group that has 50 or so posts a day. And then there's often even more specific groups, for say modding or regional groups.

mistermann 5y ago

> One thing to ask is, what problem does Reddit solve? Possibly more interesting to ask: what problems might Reddit plausibly create? My first instinct for answers: social polarization and mass distortion of reality perception.

sjg007 5y ago
Well it certainly amplifies it but apart from comments it’s not an original content producer. Polarization in the US is manufactured by politicians and monetized by big business donors. This is why it’s Fox News entertainment. In the past we had yellow journalism etc…. It has certainly reduced the cost and effort to reach a lot of people and achieve critical mass. But any community has this. My local school board meetings are filled with covid deniers, anti maskers. These are akin to book banners and the whole critical race theory conspiracy. It’s all manufactured for political aim.
- mistermann 5y ago
  There's no doubt that the media are thought leaders and I think for the most part set the narratives for the public to divide itself over, but I really think the Reddit hivemind is the base for the emergence of novel phenomena, the stuff your read on there certainly isn't all manufactured by the media.

superkuh 5y ago

>what makes reddit and say facebook so different? After ~2014, nothing. Reddit drove off it's original user base and replaced them with the exodus of people who want to use Facebook but think Facebook is bad for various reasons. Reddit corporate has obliged them.