Reddit is a cultural phenomenon for the last seven or so years. It has earned its self-endowed title of “The front page of the internet” quite handily, boasting one of the highest user bases outside of sites devoted to social media.
Literally thousands of divisions of Reddit – called sub-reddits – host a hefty percentage of internet traffic, where people are able to upload videos, sites, or entire books if the mood strikes them. This means that people of all walks of life flock to the website for an extremely broad host of reasons, from simple leisurely laughter to home improvement tips, unsavory links to deep philosophical argumentation.
In my time perusing Reddit, I have witnessed scientific debates over the significance of the Higgs particle field, instructional videos concerning the care of chinchillas, even breaking information on the NSA leaks and Edward Snowden himself.
Among the literal thousands of subreddits affiliated with the main pages, a few truly stand out in my opinion, and those are the Science, TIL (Today I Learned), AMA (Ask Me Anything), and DIY (Do It Yourself) boards. On the Science subreddit, scholarly minds come together to test theories and educate themselves on the world around us in an accepting scientific internet exchange. I have seen everything from confusing high-level physics jargon to outright trivial yet intriguing notions, such as if someone were completely waterproof, if they would be able to tread water if they dove into a pool.
It is a place for people to convene the latest technological and theoretical discoveries the world of science has to offer to the populace.
The TIL subreddit is probably my personal favorite of all the above mentioned, a massive repository for simply fascinating information regarding pretty much anything most people did not know about.
This is the subreddit where I learned just how awesome Roald Dahl is, where I learned of the world’s shiniest living creature, and where I learned that Denmark produced over one hundred percent of their nation’s energy needs using clean wind power alone this year.
In short, it is an enormous encyclopedia of nearly useless information that is absolutely enthralling to hear about which I am severely addicted to.
It may seem slothful to while hours away just staring at factoids flash across the screen, but it all speaks to me in beautiful ways.
It is a manifestation of humanity’s inexhaustible capacity to never cease to be amazed, and that wonderment holds a special place in my heart.
The AMA board is yet another delightful oddity of the web, utilizing a very intriguing notion of bringing the big stars and otherwise interesting characters into the site to answer questions.Morgan Freeman, Jim Carrey, Louis C.K, even President Obama himself have posted to AMA, along with many “normal” people.Perhaps my favorite AMA was that of a mortician.This may seem a tad morbid, but her charming demeanor and overall hilarious attitude towards her line of work won over the people online at the time, myself included.It is a place for dynamic personalities to share their stories of fame, squalor, hardship, hilarity and passion.
Finally, there is that center of innovation, DIY.The Do It Yourself board is home to all those that simply wish to create outside the box inventions to their everyday problems. Advanced sound systems made from cardboard boxes and old audio equipment, chandeliers made from alcohol bottles, and scrapheap drink-fetching robots give me a certain degree of pride in my fellow man, that we can craft something amazing from junk. I have even tried a few craft projects that had been posted to DIY myself, bottle cap luck charms in particular. DIY has shown me that the common people of the world haven’t hit a creative roadblock in the world of invention, that necessity still has a great deal of children still.
In closing, I repeat that Reddit is one of the best websites on the entire Internet, full of hilarity and thoughtful minds and artistic hearts. Its viewership increases daily, and by extension, so does all the good it does the people of the world. Be it idle time-killing, help for a broken faucet, or simply finding some music you never thought you would like, Reddit is the place to be.
