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I would love to explore Reddit's influence on this phenomenon. The timelines seem to sync somewhat and it seems like a perfect vehicle for adversarial nation st

I would love to explore Reddit's influence on this phenomenon. The timelines seem to sync somewhat and it seems like a perfect vehicle for adversarial nation states to use to influence public opinion.

tenpies 4y ago
Also falls perfectly within what Yuri Bezmenov (the KGB defector who explained the Soviet's plan to take down the West through ideological subversion) laid out. At around that time, you would have the first batch of fully indoctrinated (trained by Socialists from childhood to adulthood, with no oversight or counterbalance) graduating. That is also the group that sets the stage for the demoralisation phase of the plan and allows for the next phase: destabilisation. Good summary here: https://www.oaoa.com/opinion/columnists/hart-kgb-defector-reveals-russian-game-plan-against-us/ https://www.oaoa.com/opinion/columnists/hart-kgb-defector-re... And the original interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3EZCVj2XA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3EZCVj2XA I don't think this is purely a Soviet ploy working out, but you can't help but look at the Western education system and realise that's a big part of the problem.
- SketchySeaBeast 4y ago
  In that interview he also talked about how the USSR was imminently going to take over the West because everyone had been indoctrinated to communism, so he's not exactly batting 1000. It seems to me he lays out a culture bleakness Rorschach test about "kids these days" that's easy to see ourselves in, and will be able to any point.
- Daishiman 4y ago
  You haven't even a shred of understanding of social radicalism in the 60s and 70s.
Mordisquitos 4y ago
I highly doubt that Reddit per se has any significant effect whatsoever—which is not to say that it can't be an instance of the overarching platforms that cause the phenomenon. The reason I'm disregarding Reddit as a significant cause is threefold: a) Reddit is overwhelmingly male, and the most affected group are teenage girls b) Reddit is not that big of a platform in the teenage demographic c) Even if it were, its popularity is not in any way homogeneous across countries. If Reddit itself had an effect, the USA would be much more affected by the phenomenon than the UK, for instance.
- jwineinger 4y ago
  Do you have sources for the first two?
  - Mordisquitos 4y ago
    I was speaking mostly based on intuitions, but here are two quick sources I found which illustrate it: a) Reddit is overwhelmingly male: - Distribution of Reddit users by gender: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1255182/distribution-of-users-on-reddit-worldwide-gender/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1255182/distribution-of-... b) Reddit is not that big of a platform in the teenage demographic: - Distribution of Reddit app users by age group: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125159/reddit-us-app-users-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125159/reddit-us-app-us... - Popularity of Reddit in teenagers as compared to other social media platforms: https://www.statista.com/statistics/250172/social-network-usage-of-us-teens-and-young-adults/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/250172/social-network-us...
- shrimp_emoji 4y ago
  > Reddit is overwhelmingly male What isn't?
naasking 4y ago
I can't imagine Reddit userbase having enough teen girls in 2012 to cause this, especially as compared to Instagram.
bluescrn 4y ago
Wasn't Tumblr confusing teenage brains well before Reddit really took off? But yeah, social media sites should be treated as the powerful propaganda weapons that they have become, not just a casual way to pass the time.

tenpies 4y ago

Also falls perfectly within what Yuri Bezmenov (the KGB defector who explained the Soviet's plan to take down the West through ideological subversion) laid out. At around that time, you would have the first batch of fully indoctrinated (trained by Socialists from childhood to adulthood, with no oversight or counterbalance) graduating. That is also the group that sets the stage for the demoralisation phase of the plan and allows for the next phase: destabilisation. Good summary here: https://www.oaoa.com/opinion/columnists/hart-kgb-defector-reveals-russian-game-plan-against-us/ https://www.oaoa.com/opinion/columnists/hart-kgb-defector-re... And the original interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3EZCVj2XA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX3EZCVj2XA I don't think this is purely a Soviet ploy working out, but you can't help but look at the Western education system and realise that's a big part of the problem.

SketchySeaBeast 4y ago
In that interview he also talked about how the USSR was imminently going to take over the West because everyone had been indoctrinated to communism, so he's not exactly batting 1000. It seems to me he lays out a culture bleakness Rorschach test about "kids these days" that's easy to see ourselves in, and will be able to any point.
Daishiman 4y ago
You haven't even a shred of understanding of social radicalism in the 60s and 70s.

Mordisquitos 4y ago

I highly doubt that Reddit per se has any significant effect whatsoever—which is not to say that it can't be an instance of the overarching platforms that cause the phenomenon. The reason I'm disregarding Reddit as a significant cause is threefold: a) Reddit is overwhelmingly male, and the most affected group are teenage girls b) Reddit is not that big of a platform in the teenage demographic c) Even if it were, its popularity is not in any way homogeneous across countries. If Reddit itself had an effect, the USA would be much more affected by the phenomenon than the UK, for instance.

jwineinger 4y ago
Do you have sources for the first two?
- Mordisquitos 4y ago
  I was speaking mostly based on intuitions, but here are two quick sources I found which illustrate it: a) Reddit is overwhelmingly male: - Distribution of Reddit users by gender: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1255182/distribution-of-users-on-reddit-worldwide-gender/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1255182/distribution-of-... b) Reddit is not that big of a platform in the teenage demographic: - Distribution of Reddit app users by age group: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125159/reddit-us-app-users-age/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125159/reddit-us-app-us... - Popularity of Reddit in teenagers as compared to other social media platforms: https://www.statista.com/statistics/250172/social-network-usage-of-us-teens-and-young-adults/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/250172/social-network-us...
shrimp_emoji 4y ago
> Reddit is overwhelmingly male What isn't?

naasking 4y ago

I can't imagine Reddit userbase having enough teen girls in 2012 to cause this, especially as compared to Instagram.

bluescrn 4y ago

Wasn't Tumblr confusing teenage brains well before Reddit really took off? But yeah, social media sites should be treated as the powerful propaganda weapons that they have become, not just a casual way to pass the time.