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Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests

312 points · 408 comments · p-s-v

  1. nomilk · · focus · HN ↗
    The biggest problem I have with reddit is mods can slowly but systematically ban users who express unfavourable opinions, and over time, anyone casually browsing could mistakenly believe those views are unpopular, whereas in reality everyone with that view (everyone who spoke it, anyway) was banned.

    To give a simple example, one video game franchise subreddit bans any negative discussion on the most recent title. Over 5-10 years, this shielded them from negative feedback. But the franchise has tanked because core users weren't listened to, and they ended up making something nobody wanted.

    1. KevinMS · · focus · HN ↗
      Not that long ago to find both sides of an argument in the comments you could search by "controversial" and the negative comments would be at the top and often you'd agree with them, or at least appreciate the debate. Now they are mostly gone. It was probably a combination of banning wrong-think and dissidents learning to not waste their time.

      The worst thing for a forum is to let users punish comments they disagree with, you know, one way by fading out their comments until you cant read them.

      1. aurareturn · · focus · HN ↗
        I think it's the latter. People don't want to waste their time.

        Echo chambers have gotten stronger.

        1. OroPla · · focus · HN ↗
          It's not so much the time wasted in discussions, but the time wasted in having to create new accounts, since your old one got banned from the platform. Though, since the last presidency change in the USA it feels like reddit has gotten less ban-happy.

          Before I added a bunch of subreddits to my blacklist that will never show up again in a search engine I had to make a new reddit account every four to six months.

      2. pixeljam · · focus · HN ↗
        It's really a shame when I stumble across an old (8y+) reddit post from search results, and I see that the useful replies are either from [deleted] or [Removed by moderator]. :(
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