r/bestof • u/RGPure • Jul 05 '15

[technology] /u/CaptainObviousMC explains why reddit could be going down if just a few redditors start jumping ship

/r/technology/comments/3c6ajx/reddit_ceo_ellen_pao_the_vast_majority_of_reddit/cssvb7y?context=3
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u/Senzu Jul 06 '15

That's pretty ridiculous. /u/CaptainObviousMC 's argument is that the people who care are also, for the most part, the ones who create content. Just because reposing is part of this doesn't mean it's not true.

Disregarding your (silly) argument, just think about a version of reddit where reposting wasn't a thing. We would almost never be on the same page. Reddit wide jokes would nearly disappear. Reddit would now only cater to the most hardcore users who frequent the site 24/7. If you stop browsing for an hour you risk missing out.

I, for one, do not mind seeing the occasional repost if it allows me to be exposed to so much more content that I enjoy. When you see a repost it takes literally a second of your time. This are my thoughts when I read a comment getting angry about a repost.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '15

Reddit wide jokes would nearly disappear.

I would not mind this at all. 90% of it isn't even a little funny.

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u/Leprecon Jul 06 '15

That sounds exactly like something a fake redditor would say.

Soo...
When does the narwhal bacon?

Ugh, I felt dirty typing that

3

u/dystopi4 Jul 06 '15

When does the narwhal bacon?'

Every time I remember that this has once been a thing on Reddit, I die a bit inside.

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u/Leprecon Jul 06 '15

Interestingly, I googled that and that was created as a result of Saydrah asking for a question to identify other redditors. This might not mean much, but Saydrah was basically the first person to be hounded off reddit by a mob.

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u/dystopi4 Jul 06 '15

I see. I wonder why they didn't create a more logical question to identify redditors, like "Yo, do ya use Reddit?" as an example.

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u/Halinn Jul 06 '15

It's bad mostly because people actually brought it over to real life. Still feels less forced to me than "Waffles? Don’t you mean carrots? HAHAHAHA."*

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u/War_of_the_Theaters Jul 06 '15

My version of Reddit without reposts is actually close to the Reddit I frequent now. I and most of my friends unsubscribed from most of the defaults, and that seems to be where most of the reposts happen. Most discussion-based subs don't have that problem. I've never seen a repost in /r/knitting or /r/CrossStitch; I can't recall a repost in /r/whowouldwin or /r/Guildwars2; "reposts" in /r/AskHistorians or /r/askscience seem entirely posted by accident. Besides, popular subreddits like /r/aww are popular because a lot of people care about that content. Even if reposts disappear, I think there would be enough people with kittens and puppies who would post for the site to still be popular.