HACKER Q&A
📣 LordOfWolves

Is Reddit still toxic even after all their “changes”?


(Using throwaway here as I anticipate some potential flak...)

On Reddit:

- I've tried to help blossoming entrepreneurs by giving them advice from lessons learned myself, just to get downvoted to oblivion.

- I've contributed toward gaming communities, all to be downvoted & "flamed", because I was busy at work when the question I asked was answered by the game developers (just a couple hrs prior to my post on R).

- I've submitted topics highly relevant to other subs, all to have them shut down by a power-hungry moderator who repeats themself like a robot over-and-over again, saying I did not read the FAQ and sub rules, when I did so numerous times and the post's title & content comply.

Is there any hope left for Reddit? It seems either you agree to hate on everything you see or you are booted.

It is sad that many of our youth are on here absorbing and/or spreading this toxicity! We cannot build a better world if we are occupied with spreading hate or other unproductive and potentially harmful actions.


  👤 EnderMB Accepted Answer ✓
Most of the issues I've had with Reddit have been down to moderators, rather than the admin staff themselves.

I won't name the subreddit, because it essentially names the moderator involved, but I answered a question regarding website performance on a popular developer subreddit. Someone responded back by saying that I was clearly a terrible developer because I said that squeezing performance out of a personal site wasn't essential. I told that person, quite bluntly, not to be a dick, and I got permabanned with the message "no, you're a dick".

I protested to one of the mods, not necessarily for my ban to be rescinded, but for that mod to stop being a dick to people. His comment history showed a pattern of that behaviour, and (most likely) a pattern of bans. The other mod unbanned me, and I left it at that.

Weirdly, the only subreddits I've ever had problems are the larger ones. I post regularly on /r/Games and /r/bjj, and both are moderated brilliantly.


👤 5351254578
I find the more they make changes to the website the less useful it is because the mean people that would have usually staid in their typical subreddits squeeze out into the mainstream stuff and make it an overall worse site. Today was the breaking point for me. I'm actively looking for other sources of entertainment/news/etc. Trying to figure out how to use this website because it has been very trustworthy for the past several years.

To me reddit is dead as of today.


👤 bediger4000
I would have to say yes, based on my recent personal experience. I have encountered moderators with their own weird axe to grind disrupting the entire subreddit. Many or most contributors make simple comments, not very much more complicated than "me too", or repeat myths, urban legends or common knowledge, but pretending to expertise.

👤 jaredcwhite
Maybe it's a problem in certain tech-oriented subs? I generally stay away from those and hang out other places more geared around art, local interests, travel, etc. and the communities there generally seem quite fun and friendly.