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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. altmanaltman · · focus · HN ↗
      Can you specify more on the one video game franchise example you're talking about? If you mean Battlefield then they did not ban "any negative discussion", just incels bitching about allowing female characters to exist in a video game about WW2. Battlefield 6 sold 7 million copies in first three days and the franchise has not tanked in any conventional sense so I guess you're talking about some other incident.
      1. satvikpendem · · focus · HN ↗
        Maybe Halo or Dragon Age or Mass Effect is more likely.
      2. lbreakjai · · focus · HN ↗
        Battlefield is the opposite. I struggle to find a positive discussion about the game, which has a lot of flaws but which I still quite enjoy, as a very casual and occasional player.
      3. pjc50 · · focus · HN ↗
        That description could cover almost any game released in the past decade. I suppose the more popular ones have multiple warring subreddits with different mod rules.

        (pet hate: it's perfectly OK to call your subreddit xyz_offficial, even when you are in no way officially affiliated with the game developer or publisher)

      4. pixelstack · · focus · HN ↗
        not op, but can give my personal example. I was banned from one of the twitch streamers subreddits because I questioned hype about GTA 6 and called it ghetto simulator. Reason was for stirring controversial and provoking topics.
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