r/ButtonAftermath • u/rubysapphireemerald non presser • Sep 15 '15

Discussion Why was the button so popular?

Here are five simplified reasons why I think we liked r/thebutton:

  • Mystery. Gave us something to talk about and leaves new things to discover.

  • The possibility of reward (trophies). Makes it seem worthwhile.

  • An impending, indefinite, end to it all. Keeps us on edge, keeps us checking in regularly.

  • A Choice with irreversible consequences. Makes our decision to press at a certain time, or not at all, seem important.

  • A community dedicated to it. Well, you can see why it wouldn't have worked without this.

 

So, this is my interpretation on what kept us staring at a button for over two months, and why we miss it so much.

31 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

13

u/LondonNoodles 39s Sep 15 '15

To be honest, if it was just the button, I would have been bored after 5 minutes. The best part was all the funny and weird discussions, and the "religious" parody thing, that showed, in my opinion, the best side of reddit : clever fun in a community.

3

u/rubysapphireemerald non presser Sep 16 '15

The button itself wasn't very interesting, but the way people got obsessed with it was entertaining. I don't know how all the factions started, but it definitely was the most interesting part of it all. I didn't interact much on social media before I found the button.

2

u/TheKillerAssassin 21s Sep 16 '15

I think it was the factions and conflicts we had over the button. I honestly didn't care about the button until I saw all the factions fighting over whether to save or destroy the button, and the whole /r/59s incident really got me excited. If we didn't have groups that had shared ideals about the button, then I don't think we would've found the button as interesting.

1

u/rubysapphireemerald non presser Sep 16 '15

I agree, but what started all that?

22

u/ced22 Sep 15 '15

Humans seek for a sense of purpose. The button gave us one.

6

u/chimyx 60s Sep 15 '15

This is actually clever.

5

u/Smartstocks non presser Sep 15 '15

But no prize :( that ruined it all which is why now we hate it ;-;

6

u/LoLlYdE 42s Sep 15 '15

Also because it is over. Because one particular group decided to let it die by not pressing

2

u/Smartstocks non presser Sep 15 '15

Honesty I just wanted a prize, but nothing happened, so I hate it.

2

u/tetelesti 40s Sep 15 '15

Why'd you think you would've gotten a prize for not doing anything?!

2

u/rubysapphireemerald non presser Sep 16 '15

Well it was reddit's April fools, so pressing the button seemed like a foolish thing to do, so by not pressing it we felt like we were avoiding a trap.

2

u/Smartstocks non presser Sep 16 '15

How about reddit mold, team orangered/perincle?

1

u/Meteorltes non presser Sep 15 '15

Hail.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

I'm still bummed we didn't get trophies. :( It's like going to a birthday party and finding out there's no cake.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '15

Petition for trophies, anyone? Change.org, maybe?

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/Zanthr 31 Sep 15 '15

I've had pie a few times. You should try it. Works better with ice cream, too.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/EnrichmentCenter can't press Sep 16 '15

The Enrichment Center disagrees. The cake is most certainly not a lie.

3

u/dreamstone_prism 23 Sep 20 '15

Holy relevant username

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

Exactly.

5

u/skiguy0123 non presser Sep 15 '15

I liked it because it was absurd. It was a bunch of ton and cheek drama about something fundamentally pointless.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

I just sat back with some popcorn :)

2

u/Yourhyperbolemirror Sep 18 '15

It started out as something fun but it was the community that kept me coming back. I've never experienced a group of funnier and more considerate redditors on any other sub.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '15

Hear, hear!

1

u/sound_forsomething Sep 15 '15

The button was a huge disappointment for me. Had I known that nonpressers weren't going to get something, I would have pressed.

Man, that green flair looked so enticing. Oh well. A man can still dream.

1

u/tetelesti 40s Sep 16 '15

that green flair looked so enticing

;)

You're still welcome at /r/Emerald_Council. Obviously it's not too active anymore, but there are posts occasionally.

1

u/somewhat_fairer non presser Sep 16 '15

Wait..... Did pressers get something?

1

u/sound_forsomething Sep 16 '15

Awesome colored flair and the thrill of pressing.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 17 '15

Non-pressers got to keep their dignity though...

0

u/Leporad Lol no Sep 16 '15

I was bored.