Reddit

Reddit operates as an ideological battlefield online, where anonymity allows for users to share controversial opinions, unfiltered discourse, and collective identity. This makes Reddit uniquely political. The podcast episodes listened to in class provided context for Reddit's existence, as well as what similar such digital spaces mean for our future. Reddit's structure means that it has a capacity to amplify certain niche communities and also blur the boundaries between credible sources and misinformation.

In 99% Invisible's discussion of 'Lost Cities of Geo Redux', the hosts discuss the 'One Terabyte of the Kilobyte Age' project, which archives GeoCities pages, paralleling the archival efforts so central to the Reddit community. Similar to subreddits such as r/datahoarders, the project emphasizes the importance of preserving digital spaces that would otherwise be lost to time. Both platforms serve as time capsules, showcasing how the internet functioned in the 90s-early 2000s and highlighting iconic elements of this digital era, such as the 'under construction' sign. Reddit effectively acts as a safeguard against the ephemerality of the internet.

In WBUR's episode 'Turning Hate On The Internet Into Humor', Reddit is described as a breeding ground for both hatred and activism, with a comedic edge. Many Reddit users take something that is originally negative and construct a friendlier, funnier narrative around it. The digital landscape can be a very pessimistic one, so the aim of this episode was to highlight ways in which we can help neutralize or better this environment. The YouTube video linked on this page, 'Flashback! The Internet In 1995' by TODAY, much like the first podcast episode, enables us to visualize the early stages of the internet, and how it has developed over the past decades. According to the video and the comments left by users on it, the internet was considerably slower, simpler, and less social back in the 90s. Comments made by the presenters such as 'I'm afraid if I subscribe to the internet, I will get hooked and never spend time with my family' have proven to resonate with much of today's youth. The article also discusses taking over offensive subreddits and turning them into something funny, an attempt to puncture the hatred spewed by certain groups online.



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