Reddit: an interesting content generator and discussion forum, but arbitrary, dictatorial, unbearable and decadent
Luiz Andrada
May 13, 2021.
I am a repeat user of Reddit, despite having been suspended and banned a few times, for simply exposing my ideas. The ideal that moves this tool can be fascinating, but its functionality is permeated by a rigidity that borders on fanaticism. Finding people and subjects from the most varied universes is something very enriching. But Reddit fails in a glaring way: it is tightly controlled by millions of immature and despotic moderators. In the 21st century, this is an almost unforgivable sin, especially when we talk about the bastion of democracy, which is the internet. In fact, this kind of social network fails in several aspects, but I believe that this is the most evident. Millions of controllers result in total lack of control.
Each community on Reddit is called a sub. And subs have their own rules. Whoever enters. But whoever enters cannot say what they want. In fact, many subs function as dangerous ideological ghettos, as they bring together criminals such as racists, neo-Nazis, etc. If you say something that threatens the megalomaniacal immaturity of the moderator or other members, the user is banned from the sub, and in more serious cases can be suspended or banned from Reddit itself. I accumulate these punishments. It is absurdly surreal. It appears that Reddit and its subs are run by Taliban clerics, with pardon of the overkill. Everything is sin, everything is wrong, everything is classified as spam, brigading, etc. And when someone is offended by what they read, just press the “Report” button, and the moderator will decide whether the “criminal” will go to the fire of the inquisition, or be spared. It gets to be childish and ridiculous.
There are other subs that are completely closed and enclosed, which the user needs to beg to enter. God only knows what is discussed inside, whether recipes for homemade bombs are shared in these subs, or any other illegal activities.
I criticized politicians, and got banned from the sub. I criticized an American church, and I was banned from the sub. I criticized the poor quality of many Chinese products, and I was attacked. And the punishments pile up. I already have about six different Reddit login accounts, to try to survive inside. And I'm sure that many users do the same as I do. In fact, Reddit is so invasive and authoritarian that it also punishes the crime of having alternative accounts. They want to stifle my freedom to create as many accounts as I want. That I know this is not a crime in Brazil.
After a punishment, the user has no one to turn to. There is no higher instance on Reddit that can receive a clemency request from the user. If the person has been producing quality content for years, and has missed only once, he will be expelled and will lose all the content he has produced. That simple. The name of this is despotism, technological dictatorship. In the 21st century do not say what you think, or you will be burned at the stake.
