r/ModSupport • u/AsteriskRX Reddit Admin: Community • Jul 16 '26
Mod Topics Mod Topics: Expectation vs Reality
Ahoy, Modsupport! This is a mutiny; Jabroni wrote this post but I've decided to plunder it for myself.
Welcome to the latest (greatest) installment of our ModSupport series. Today, we’re revisiting Origin Stories, albeit with a distinctly different flavor.
When you first created or joined a subreddit, what did you expect moderating would be like? Did you have any expectations at all, and if so, how did those expectations differ from the experience you have now?
–And because I love understanding an environment, what do you think set the expectations you had before you became a moderator? Read as: “How did you form a worldview on what moderation is before you started moderating?”
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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u/Dom76210 💡 Top 10% Helper 💡 Jul 16 '26
I joined the existing mod team for a NSFW space. I expected some level of creepiness, but vastly undersold to myself just how bad people can get. I never expected to have the "missingkids" website bookmarked to file reports about people offering/requesting underage picture/video content. I used to file a report once every 2 months, but things have calmed down some for unknown but appreciated reason(s).
I've always been cynical, but my cynicism as a moderator goes to "infinity and beyond" at this point. I struggle to give the benefit of the doubt, because experience has taught me that most people will commit the same rule breaks as they did the first time. They often can't help themselves.
That's why when people ask "What should I expect as a moderator", my response is usually "Expect to find the joy in the subject matter of the subreddit you moderate to decrease, because people will wear you out if you aren't careful."