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.