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Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

cnn.com

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Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#11

Post by cupcake-unicorn »

dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

I second that. You just can't get the same quality level of comments that you can at HN, and I'm often shocked and horrified at what's going on there...Not to mention the whole /r/creepshots thing. I feel like it used to be a much higher standard, but is quickly becoming the new 4chan...

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#12

Post by wasd »

dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

It really depends on what you're looking for. Subreddits are communities, not TV channels. I could give you my top 10 but you might them all inane. I think one of the fundamental problems with is the on boarding process. Without a lot of dedication and searching, you probably won't find subreddits that interest you.

I recommend starting with your local community. Try your former college and the city you live in.

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#13

Post by minimaxir »

dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

It's interesting how the Reddit hivemind tries to reconcile images and low-quality content.

Case in point, /r/atheism recently banned direct links to images, requiring users to put links to them in self posts instead (where they would earn no link Karma). A mass exodus ensued due to these "two-click memes" to /r/atheismrebooted. Which subsequently imploded due to low-quality content and bad moderation.

Reddit drama is actually quite revealing.

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#14

Post by minimaxir »

r-s wrote: post #8

I know its easy to hate on Reddit, but there is certainly some good content on a few of the smaller subreddits. I suspect that the majority of people in this 6% are only going to the front page and a few of the large sections.

The problem is that Reddit encourages low-quality content (/r/funny, /r/AdviceAnimals) because it generates more engagement (the picture bias). And as with many social networks, discovery is nonexistent.

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#15

Post by pornsrus »

dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

Don't bother. I quit reddit twice in 6 years due to its low quality. The only subreddit I still might read is /r/nosleep which is for horror/suspense stories. Even the quality there is going downhill fast after 1000vultures and bloodstains stopped posting.

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#17

Post by Cowen »

hornd wrote: post #10
dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

What you said is sadly true for many subreddits. I can offer up /r/askhistorians as a counter-example though: a very well moderated subreddit with excellent historical discussions.

/r/askhistorians and /r/askscience are some of my favorite subreddits if only for the way that they emphasize level-headed discussion instead of just memes and overly-polarizing comments.

Just yesterday, /r/askhistorians had a question about Mother Theresa and it was one of the most level-headed discussions of her and her legacy I've ever seen. Especially since her death she's been almost the definition of a polarizing figure: people see her as either a saint or a sadist. They rarely acknowledge any middle ground.

Also, the hottest threads on those subreddits are almost always fresh things that you've never thought of before and it's very interesting to hear the answer from someone who studies the field in-depth (and provides sources!)

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#18

Post by adriand »

cupcake-unicorn wrote: post #11
dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

I second that. You just can't get the same quality level of comments that you can at HN, and I'm often shocked and horrified at what's going on there...Not to mention the whole /r/creepshots thing. I feel like it used to be a much higher standard, but is quickly becoming the new 4chan...

> I feel like it used to be a much higher standard, but is quickly becoming the new 4chan...

I joined Reddit seven years ago (http://www.reddit.com/user/adrian/) and I started finding it stupid and annoying approximately five years ago. Until this story got posted I can't even remember the last time I bothered logging in. It's terrible.

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#19

Post by dfc »

wasd wrote: post #12
dfc wrote: post #9

Can any HN/reddit folks recommend some interesting and useful subreddits? Whenever I stumble across a link to reddit I am not impressed with the level discussions. I have tried a number of different subreddits across a wide range (this is a wide net: anything from Call of Duty to Woodworking to Security) of topics and I usually find inane chatter or comments with nothing more than a link to the latest animated gif of…

It really depends on what you're looking for. Subreddits are communities, not TV channels. I could give you my top 10 but you might them all inane. I think one of the fundamental problems with is the on boarding process. Without a lot of dedication and searching, you probably won't find subreddits that interest you. I recommend starting with your local community. Try your former college and the city you live in.

I understand your analogy to interesting TV channels but I do not think it applies to inane chatter. I might not enjoy cross stitching but I could still be impressed by the vibrant discussions about new sewing techniques and a lack of comments with nothing more than "This!" or "MOAR" or a link to an animated gif of a happy kitten and a ball of yarn. Being interested in a subject is not enough to keep me coming back if the SNR is low.

What are your favorite subreddits?

Re: Study: Reddit used by 6% of adult Internet users

#20

Post by cupcake-unicorn »

adriand wrote: post #18
cupcake-unicorn wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second that. You just can't get the same quality level of comments that you can at HN, and I'm often shocked and horrified at what's going on there...Not to mention the whole /r/creepshots thing. I feel like it used to be a much higher standard, but is quickly becoming the new 4chan...

> I feel like it used to be a much higher standard, but is quickly becoming the new 4chan... I joined Reddit seven years ago ( http://www.reddit.com/user/adrian/ ) and I started finding it stupid and annoying approximately five years ago. Until this story got posted I can't even remember the last time I bothered logging in. It's terrible.

Glad it's not just me. I never even really got into it back in the day, but at least I wasn't wary of it, and now it's just...wow. I made the mistake of checking out my local city's reddit IRC channel and was greeted "hey faggot lol" or something like that O_O
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