I wrote a theory about this, how Reddit is currently the site of an active propaganda campaign driven by an expansionist dogma, by comparing it to the dogma and incentives that drove a different sort of colonial race:
Imagine if you will subreddits as little isolated tribes, kingdoms, and duchies, with their own internal cultures, traditions, and so on. Most of them are intropsective, with crossover between multiple subs seen as a fun bonus when it happens. "I see /r/(subreddit) is leaking."
But on Reddit there are also two Great Powers at play. Essentially two groups that see an exploitable resource in Reddit's userbase to serve their goal. For them this goal is to spread their ideology or worldview and make it the default or prevailing or hegemonic one, partially to advance their own worldview for it's own sake, and partly as a display of power projection against their rival.
So they set to work establishing protectorates, exporting propaganda, and encouraging their members to spread the word in subreddits that are usually not affiliated with a particular Political Identity. Sometimes through slowly normalizing the rhetoric, language, ideas, and other subtleties of the Ideology until before you know it the sub is defending the supposed free speech rights of Stephen Crowder, or you see comments like "Mine? You mean Ours, comrade!!!!!"
Other times they use a shock doctrine. Spamming aggressively with their message until it becomes normalized and the people who get sick of it leave, leaving behind only the impressionable and those who agree.
Sometimes they prefer indirect rule, content in the knowledge that if a conservative pundit is deplatformed the default state of the subreddit's internal discourse will be to side with the pundit. Or if some global warming news comes out the default state will be "10 companies make 70% of the pollution." Other times they get more iron fisted, installing friendly moderators in coups and purging dissent.
No matter what they're doing, though, the purpose and effect is the same. No corner of Reddit can be apolotical or of mixed politics. Every corner of this site must indirectly and subtly, or outwardly and proudly, be a part of their growing empire because if it's not, then it might become the domain of the Enemy. Spread the Ideology for it's own sake, but also to contain the spread of the other. They must take a political side.
Explicitly political subs that don't have a dominant Ideology because there's a mixed userbase (like PoliticalCompassMemes) but nonetheless discuss politics are especially vulnerable to this because shock tactics blend in there more easily. They're also popular targets because once taken they can signal boost the Propaganda.
Now the charge isn't led by a single crown wearing monarch, but rather by communities that have been united in commitment to a dogma to the extent that they all agree that the glory of The Dogma should be spread to others. And some subs seem quite resilient to this, though it could also just be that they're not being targeted because there's bigger fish to fry.
But the effect is real, a deliberately driven polarization of the platform where even the most mundane topics are re-evaluated through an Ideological lens and even the most harmless of subreddit concept can form a strong Ideological slant. For no reason other than for the prestige of seeing the breadth of their verbal empire. And this is why DankMemes will feature comments quoting the "20% of the population half of all crimes" line while cute animal subs are brigaded by guillotine sharpeners every time a police dog is featured.
There are more than 2 ideologies. There are several but a few dominant ones. Even this sub has an ideology. Radical Centrism. Radical Centrism is what empowers me to say that you need to learn how to format paragraphs you essay posting cow.
Why are they struggling to comprehend the fact a man who literally calls himself a socialist garners more support than neoliberals on explicitly communist subs.
15 comments
1 AutoModerator 2020-02-26
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5 fujiste 2020-02-26
neoliberals are some of the biggest unironic lolcows on the internet
3 TheRootinTootinPutin 2020-02-26
Sanders should be allowed to win the presidency but the CIA should be allowed to operate on U.S. soil and coup the U.S. to topple the socialist regime
2 fujiste 2020-02-26
admirable, practical radical centrism 💯
3 CasperTheBandit 2020-02-26
I wrote a theory about this, how Reddit is currently the site of an active propaganda campaign driven by an expansionist dogma, by comparing it to the dogma and incentives that drove a different sort of colonial race: Imagine if you will subreddits as little isolated tribes, kingdoms, and duchies, with their own internal cultures, traditions, and so on. Most of them are intropsective, with crossover between multiple subs seen as a fun bonus when it happens. "I see /r/(subreddit) is leaking." But on Reddit there are also two Great Powers at play. Essentially two groups that see an exploitable resource in Reddit's userbase to serve their goal. For them this goal is to spread their ideology or worldview and make it the default or prevailing or hegemonic one, partially to advance their own worldview for it's own sake, and partly as a display of power projection against their rival. So they set to work establishing protectorates, exporting propaganda, and encouraging their members to spread the word in subreddits that are usually not affiliated with a particular Political Identity. Sometimes through slowly normalizing the rhetoric, language, ideas, and other subtleties of the Ideology until before you know it the sub is defending the supposed free speech rights of Stephen Crowder, or you see comments like "Mine? You mean Ours, comrade!!!!!" Other times they use a shock doctrine. Spamming aggressively with their message until it becomes normalized and the people who get sick of it leave, leaving behind only the impressionable and those who agree. Sometimes they prefer indirect rule, content in the knowledge that if a conservative pundit is deplatformed the default state of the subreddit's internal discourse will be to side with the pundit. Or if some global warming news comes out the default state will be "10 companies make 70% of the pollution." Other times they get more iron fisted, installing friendly moderators in coups and purging dissent. No matter what they're doing, though, the purpose and effect is the same. No corner of Reddit can be apolotical or of mixed politics. Every corner of this site must indirectly and subtly, or outwardly and proudly, be a part of their growing empire because if it's not, then it might become the domain of the Enemy. Spread the Ideology for it's own sake, but also to contain the spread of the other. They must take a political side. Explicitly political subs that don't have a dominant Ideology because there's a mixed userbase (like PoliticalCompassMemes) but nonetheless discuss politics are especially vulnerable to this because shock tactics blend in there more easily. They're also popular targets because once taken they can signal boost the Propaganda. Now the charge isn't led by a single crown wearing monarch, but rather by communities that have been united in commitment to a dogma to the extent that they all agree that the glory of The Dogma should be spread to others. And some subs seem quite resilient to this, though it could also just be that they're not being targeted because there's bigger fish to fry. But the effect is real, a deliberately driven polarization of the platform where even the most mundane topics are re-evaluated through an Ideological lens and even the most harmless of subreddit concept can form a strong Ideological slant. For no reason other than for the prestige of seeing the breadth of their verbal empire. And this is why DankMemes will feature comments quoting the "20% of the population half of all crimes" line while cute animal subs are brigaded by guillotine sharpeners every time a police dog is featured.
9 LongPostBot 2020-02-26
Sorry ma'am, looks like his delusions have gotten worse. We'll have to admit him,
I am a bot. Contact for questions
2 TrappyIsBae 2020-02-26
This but unironically.
1 hungarianmeatslammer 2020-02-26
There are more than 2 ideologies. There are several but a few dominant ones. Even this sub has an ideology. Radical Centrism. Radical Centrism is what empowers me to say that you need to learn how to format paragraphs you essay posting cow.
1 CasperTheBandit 2020-02-26
Bro I’m not gonna read your long ass response
1 atmpls 2020-02-26
Sir this is reddit, you need to indent every other sentence or no one will read that shit.
3 DangerNut 2020-02-26
That title....what?
1 SnapshillBot 2020-02-26
You're oversimplifying a complex situation to the point of adding nothing to the discussion.
Snapshots:
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1 FagglePuss 2020-02-26
and yet they'll still vote for bernie once he gets the nom.
What a bunch of spineless faggots.
1 Feanorfanclub 2020-02-26
Why are they struggling to comprehend the fact a man who literally calls himself a socialist garners more support than neoliberals on explicitly communist subs.