John McDonald

Blogging about politics, life, and the web

Reddit

February 26th, 2008

Reddit. What can I say, its like Digg’s older more sophisticated brother.

It offers more categories, a faster response time, and a more transparent voting system. Rather than digging and burying, you simply vote up or down – and you’re free to change your mind later. Comments load a hundred times faster than digg, and each comment can also be voted up or down (well I guess that’s the same as Digg) so you get a quick view of how the community responds to and accepts the various perspectives.

The social difference in Reddit is huge. Reddit has a distinct personality. The politics are to the left, yet significantly anti-authoritarian. Users tend to favor increased government investment in public services like health, education, and infrastructure, yet the members are decidedly pro 2nd amendment (or tend to be) and this social streak extends to most social and personal freedom choices you can name. I have a feeling college education is common among the posters, and not just because Ron Paul was a huge hit here. Lately, the fan-dom has shifted toward Obama’s brand of liberalism. It might seem like a radical right/left shift to happen over just a few months, but the “redditors” simply back the best challenge to authority they can hope to win.

Of course, that means that since Obama has been president for a while, he has lost a significant amount of clout.  While there might not be any better choice running in the mainstream spotlight, he still isn’t living up to some of the site’s more popular ideals.

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