I don't usually follow the news, relying on the fact that really important things I'll certainly hear about through non-news media. One of such outlets of information for me is /r/all: not only does it show the coolest and biggest news that have touched people in some way, but it also contains a lot of nice stuff I don't get around to, like top /r/aww or /r/pics posts. I like that; maybe even need that.
Then, there's the doucheyness of /r/The_Donald. The adepts of the subreddit post things that vary from seemingly innocent or known to a closed circle of people (which I'm fine with) to things like open hostility towards a number of political and cultural groups and ideas (of the ones I've noticed so far: Hillary Clinton and her husband, Islam, LGBT) which is nowhere near acceptable in any community.
I guess it all started off as a joke. I heard people on Hubski talking about it like it did. I don't mind people being jerks within their own company, jokingly or not, but I don't want to see that in any shape once it spills over, which is what it currently does. Reddit has an option to filter certain subreddits from the /r/all feed... hidden behind a "Reddit gold" paywall - which means that I have to pay to not see the racist and jingoistic material that's always about 5% of whatever page out of first ten that I go on to see. What the hell?!
I try not to think about it too much: there are plenty of assholes, and some are bound to show up in everybody's life. I'm cool with that: such is life. Still, I'd rather not, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I dunno. Just bothers me.
I mean, it is called /r/all for a reason, though I'm not sure what algorithm is used to determine what actually shows up. I try to avoid /r/all, since it seems to basically be a hub of shitposting, low-effort content, and random vitriol. If you do want to use it, you can try blocking particular subs using RES, making your own multireddit, or following a multireddit made by someone else.
Those multi things sound really neat. I forgot about them entirely. Thanks for reminding me of that! I'll probably switch to it once I accumulate enough good subreddits in the mix. I heard a few weeks ago that RES had some issues with the Reddit admins - or, rather, vice versa. Is it still good enough to use and not worry about stuff popping up unexpectedly?
I haven't had any issues with RES, and have been using it consistently for years. Possible that I've missed something, though. If you add together all of the default subs and a bunch of news subs, you'll probably get something pretty close to /r/all. I think multireddits cap out at 50, though, so you might have to be a little bit selective.
Get off r/all or maybe even get off Reddit altogether. I spend less and less time there myself, only browsing r/cars, r/autos, r/boxing, and a few others from time to time on my lunch breaks. My last Reddit post was a while back. My three last actual Reddit interactions were me pming people telling them they should check out Hubski.I dunno. Just bothers me.
Step 1- Remove all image subreddits Step 2- Remove all default subreddits Step 3- Subscribe to small subreddits and heavily modded ones like /r/askscience Step 4- Don't venture outside your walled garden unless you want to jerk off You are now subscribed to 8 subreddits and reddit is almost a sane place.
This seems like a good place to suggest some subreddits that I enjoy: /r/AskSocialScience /r/OutOfTheLoop /r/BreakingDad (Private, for dads only)
This really is the way to do it. I subscribe to small enough/few enough subreddits that I actually see every single link posted to them (I know because I hide them all after I view them, and run out quite often). And most of them are things I'm actually interested in hearing about. If I want to relax and just read a bunch of easily consumable content, I go to /r/all.
Good for you. I don't see why your preferences should dictate mine, though. I find Reddit to be informative and funny at times, and that's good enough for me. It's the /r/The_Donald part that I don't find good enough. EDIT: Sorry, man, I shouldn't've been so mean about it. I know you mean good, but it sounded like just because you don't like something, I shouldn't, either. I won't judge you if you don't, so don't judge me if I do. Unless it's actively detrimental to my mental health, I see no reason to quit Reddit or even stop browsing it. Don't give in to the anti-Reddit circlejerk that's been going on around Hubski lately. As much as we hail ourselves as "a thoughtful web", we, too, have our weaknesses, and I hope that you, with the kind heart, won't succumb to it.
In addition to a bunch of other useful features, you can filter as many reddits as you want if you install the free Reddit Enhancement Suite. My list is very long.
The trick to enjoy reddit is to not log in, and have a curated list of subs you want to see. this way you got as many sub as you want. eg: https://www.reddit.com/r/socialskills+rupaulsdragrace+Survivor+AfterTheCredits+Anthropology+Anticonsumption Just add + and your subreddit name to get all of them in your feed (with no more 50 subs limit)
tracking is one concern. More importantly it's about not participating. Because the hive mind is real: if you have a dissonant opinion you will be shunned down. And if you have a widespread opinion you will never consider questioning it. None of those are good for mental health, and critical thinking. The easiest solution, is to not play the game. But the real reason: Once you log in, you can ONLY see 50 subs. By lurking you can see as many subs as you want (I follow 100+)
I've been thinking about why this sentiment, and the way it's presented, bothers me, and I think I've finally figured it out. Thing is, there are always going to be people willing to put you down for having an opinion opposing theirs. Their way is called "being an asshole", and as prevailing as it may appear to be, it isn't nowhere near limited to the Internet or Reddit. This doesn't make the interactions somehow toxic in themselves - it just means that you have to avoid the assholes, live or online. Same goes for the "widespread opinion" part. Nobody's can force you to think and consider: you must be willing to do so. Reddit or Hubski; Internet or real life.Because the hive mind is real
Agreed. In some ways hive mind mentality is exaggerated on Reddit (and, perhaps to a smaller extent, on Hubski) because of the voting mechanisms, but it definitely exists everywhere. The kinds of opinions/statements that are likely to go over well are always dictated by the people around you and their views. This is true online and offline alike.