After leaving Facebook, I was anxious to find another platform where I could do business, and perhaps meet some interesting people. Recently, I decided to give the social media site “Reddit” a try. Not knowing much about the platform, other than hearing it was immensely popular, I made the mistake of assuming it would be just as easy-peasy as Facebook. When it comes to social sites, my natural tendency is to simply jump right in and go for it, so I take some responsibility failing to do my homework. That said, upon joining Reddit and posting my first comment, I was surprised by the hostile reception I received. After numerous attempts, resulting in frustrating fails, I figured that my humbling newbie experience might be helpful to others pondering a move to the site. Instead of launching into boring technical talk on the subject, I’ve prepared an easily digestible story:
One misty morning, Brian awoke to a vast jungle with trails leading in every direction. After leaving the Land of FB, he found himself cold, hungry, and lonely. Compelled to discover a new and better forest home, he rose to his feet and began his search for a land similar to the one he had known well for so many years.
As he crested a sizable hill, Brian heard the pleasing sounds of drumming, music, and conversation. Walking toward the noise, he came upon a large opened gate with a massive archway and sign reading, “The LAND of REDDIT”. Encouraged, Brian meandered forward. The sheer size and ornate beauty of the gate, captivated his attention. He gazed upward as he walked under its archway, failing to notice numerous signs and plaques set-up for newcomers.
The main trail into the land led to an open field, lined with a great number of tribal gateways. Below them lie a vast valley, where Brian could see hundreds of individual communities, separated by ivy-covered walls. Being much different from the Land of FB, where the focus was upon one main group of friends and families, this society looked a bit odd and complex. As Brian looked around, he reminded himself to stay positive. Deciding upon one of many Reddit tribes seemed easy enough, and the variety of choices was astonishing.
Surveying the great society, Brian noticed that the tribes were theme based, and consisted of small, medium, large, and *massively large* populations. Figuring that the more people, the more chances of success, Brian decided to go with one of the biggest groups he saw, and as a bonus, this bunch boasted a splendid theme of closeness and trust.
Overwhelmed with joy, Brian skipped as he headed down the path leading to his new life. As neighborhoods, cottages, and office buildings began to appear, he stopped to admire the sprawling mecca before him. This community was apparently prospering greatly. In hopes of fitting in, Brian combed back his hair and straightened his shirt.
The first group of people he came upon, looked to be having a lighthearted conversation. During a short lull, Brian boldly spoke up,“Hello, my new friends! How’s everyone doing today?” In a heartbeat, all smiles turned into pained expressions. The group pounced on Brian, beating him and screaming into his ears. He curled into a ball and apologized, but the beating continued, until a big dude with a name-tag which read “Mod”, grabbed Brian’s legs and dragged him back up the hill to the field of gates. “You stupid idiot! How dare you break protocol?” Mr. Mod yelled, “You are now *banned* from our sub, so don’t even think about coming back!” He then stormed off.
Brian wearily stood to his feet and grunted as he looked back at the city. It was terrible to be so atrociously rejected from such a promising tribe. “Protocol?” he wondered, “How could just saying hello be so grievous? And what is a “sub” anyway?”
With a sigh, Brian looked around at his other choices. Selecting a similar tribe to the one he had just failed, he headed down into their community. This time, he approached the people in a judicious manner. The village was beautiful, and the smell of cooked food made the traveler extra hungry. Seeing a tribesman, Brian timidly approached and whispered, “Sorry to be a bother, and I don’t wish to step on any toes, but I could sure use a little help.” Without a word, the tribesman took Brian by the arm and marched him right back up to the top. With a high kick to the visitor’s chest, the man yelled, “Ignorant newbies suck! Next time, read the rules!”
Laying in the dirt and holding his ribs, Brian pondered his predicament. Living in the land of Reddit was proving to be much harder than he had anticipated. As he watched the clouds silently glide overhead, he thought back many years to when he first wandered into the Land of FB. It was a time of happiness and excitement. All he had to do was say hello, and people from near and far would befriend him. Folks would even go out of their way to tell him how much they liked his input. Of course, over the years FB lost much of its charm, but this was all now in the past.
Faced with this new challenge, Brian was determined to get it right. “Rules”, he said to himself, “If each of these groups has its own set of rules, I had better find them before this happens again.” Approaching the gate of a tribe that was a bit smaller than the other two, Brian searched in some brush near a rocky outcropping and uncovered a list of rules. Scratching his head, he wondered why they couldn’t simply post their procedures right on the gate for all to see? It was as if these tribes-people *counted* on clueless folks walking in, thus giving locals an excuse to display their mighty status. So far, this land was showing no signs of patient acceptance. One either found and memorized the lengthy list of regulations or they were mercifully humbled and punished on the spot.
Brian was disgusted by the whole system, but perhaps if he studied hard, things would get better. Upon reading the rules for this next tribe, Brian signed a form stating that he agreed to the terms, and in doing so, technically joined the medium-sized community. With no one around to ask any questions, he folded-up the agreement and headed down the hill.
The first group of people Brian came upon looked friendly enough. Feeling confident at now being an official member, he held out his papers and spoke, “Hi, tribe! I just joined today, and I’ve come to you because —” Out of the blue, a strong force from behind clasped Brian’s mouth shut. It was a hand; a metallic hand; a robotic hand! “No - talking!” Brian heard, as he turned around to see a large robot staring down at him. The machine spoke in a low scratchy voice, “Go - back - and - read - the - WORLD OF REDDIT rules. You - have - much - to - learn.”
Brian backed away and ran from the robot. Upon reaching the field, he slowed his gait, caught his breath, and lowered his shoulders. Was he ever going to get this right? After sitting down, Brian soon realized that in his excitement, he must have overlooked another set of rules posted at the world’s *main* gate. After a hike back to where he began, he came upon a *master* rule-book for Reddit and began to study. What he discovered was that in many of the established tribes (called “subs”), in order to be able to even talk, you first had to show that you had lived in, and gotten along well in a number of smaller subs!
In their quest for perfect order, the Redditites had apparently devised a complex set of “protections”, where communities screened and sorted out each and every patron. Here, new sub-people had to *prove* themselves over time in order to receive any real attention from others. It was going to be a long haul for Brian. Undaunted, he headed back down the path in search of a less formidable sub-Reddit faction. Perhaps in this place he might finally find a kind person to talk to. Sadly, Brian’s happy-go-lucky personality did not mesh well with this new orderly society. If he failed again, he was prepared to move on. After all, who would want to live in a land void of patience and tolerance?
There is a moral to this story: If you plan on signing-up with Reddit, take the time to first read the “regs”. In most of these communities, you will need to tow the line, or you’re out. Even if you follow the rules to a tee, at any moment, a bot (robot or program) may decide to boot you out for no apparent reason. If this occurs, the procedure is to consult with the mods (moderators), explain your case, and humbly promise to do better in the future.
You see in Reddit, sub-citizens learn to be subjugated to the mods and the bots. Freedom of speech is technically welcome, as long as one stays within certain parameters. It’s not unlike playing the old game of Operation, where it takes a concerted and taxing effort not to get zapped. Reddit is a precarious world indeed. If you are not one of the experienced chosen, it will take time to enjoy the pride and confidence of being someone flowing in the mainstream of Social Media.
I have concerns that the upcoming Metaverse will be based on the Reddit model. This approach appears to *technically* work well for people, but I’m sorry to say, any society like the Land of Reddit would not be a place I would stay for long or ever proudly call my home.