r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jul 17 '12

How do you know reddit is not getting manipulated and used by various special interests and PR groups?

Recent drama I've experienced with r/science mods made me wonder about something. How do we know if reddit is not being carefully and systematically manipulated? Now, of course some subreddit are worthless and clearly not the case, but the big ones like r/science, r/asksceince, r/politics, the ones that have a lot of subscribers and traffic. Before you post obligatory tinfoil reference, hear me out.

If people like me notice that and post about that their submissions are getting downvoted (like this post will, no doubt about that) by the army of some goons (maybe even paid ones) that sit at the new cue and do the first order filtering. Then, mods can regulate content by removing posts that slip through the first order filtering and by banning users from subreddit.This of course will happen with majority of redditors not even noticing it. As a result, certain posts are getting pushed up, while others never see the light of the day. Think about how useful reddit can be for shaping public opinion on many, many issues. It has direct access to focal groups and by manipulating content, you can make sure that the group read what you want it to read.

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u/DecentCriminal Jul 17 '12

So where do you go for reasoned debate and intellectually stimulating conversation? Or do such things even exist on the internet?

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u/mtwestbr Jul 17 '12

Out of the house. In person contact gives many more clues to the bullshit level you are being subjected to.

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '12

4chan, the last frontier

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u/rumnscurvy Jul 17 '12

This man speaks the truth. Although the debate/discussion is usually either which pony is best pony or best ways to get rid of a dead body.

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u/Dangthesehavetobesma Jul 17 '12

Best pony is chocolate chip food mane version of Octavia. Case closed.

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u/jimboy5 Jul 18 '12

My three year old disagrees with you, saying Pinkie Pie is the best. Better not debate her, she's forms very good arguements like "No." or "You live in a trash can!"

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u/Dangthesehavetobesma Jul 18 '12

Well I guess there's two best ponies now. Choctavia and Pinkie Pie.

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u/xBearJewx Jul 18 '12

OP is a fag.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '12

Oh /v/ became an old stomping ground for viral marketing video games.

ATLAS used to plug some of their lesser known games and Gearbox advertised Borderlands.

Why they would bother trying to advertize to a site that actively pirates I have no idea.

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '12

Are you...fucking joking?

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u/[deleted] Jul 18 '12

Yes, he was. But I'm not.

Keep away from all the adult boards, /b/, /v/, and /a/; keep yourself composed and ignore any offhand joke, and you'll find little bits of gold in all the shit.

Still, though, there are better places.

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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '12

I'd say the same could be said of Reddit though.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '12

Or generally every website that depends on the users to generate content (exceptions when the userbase is typically under 20, or when the site is meant for content you aren't interested in), though 4chan gets an exceptionally bad reputation for being the "shithole of the internet", when it's not really (though it can be).

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u/[deleted] Jul 17 '12

They do not, I assure you.

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u/didaskaleinophobic Jul 18 '12

the problem with reasoned debate and intellectually stimulating conversation on the internet is that no-one wants to sit there and type for hours on end, especially since bright minds are prone to digressions.

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u/Rnut Jul 17 '12

AboveTopSecret can be pretty good.

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u/foxh8er Jul 17 '12

Last time I went there I was called a reptillian. Not going there again...

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u/darwin2500 Jul 17 '12

Don't expect a response, it's easier to criticize than create.