Content warning: This article contains numerous examples of bigoted rhetoric. Users on Reddit’s “r/conspiracy” forum have repeatedly and openly posted anti-LGBTQ content for years without pushback, despite the platform’s rules prohibiting “hate based on identity or vulnerability” and anti-LGBTQ “groomer” rhetoric. Reddit has a history of taking action against other subreddits that have violated those rules. A Media Matters review of r/conspiracy since May 2020 found a widespread pattern of anti-LGBTQ hate, which includes accusing the LGBTQ community of grooming, having “mental illness,” and associating with pedophilia.
  • LvxferreM
    4•9 months ago

    TD is an interesting case. If we focus solely on Reddit Inc.'s best interests (i.e. disregard moral matters), you got two factions: the “leave TD ⟨A⟩lone” and “⟨B⟩an TD”. ⟨B⟩ was protesting through lockdowns, and the admins had multiple choices on what to do:

    1. Leave TD alone, force ⟨B⟩ to end the protests.
    2. Leave TD alone, let ⟨B⟩ protest.
    3. Ban TD, let ⟨A⟩ to reorganise in smaller and less visible subs.
    4. Ban TD, suspend ⟨A⟩, tell them to never come back.

    In all those cases, Reddit would be pissing off one of the factions, but the other would trust the platform a tiny bit more. 1 and 4 would start a big mass exodus of ⟨B⟩ and ⟨A⟩ respectively; 2 would get a smaller ⟨B⟩ exodus, at the expense of advertisement; 3 would get a smaller ⟨A⟩ exodus at the expense of the overall reputation of the site.

    Instead the admins decided to quarantine TD and call it a day. It lowered the trust of both factions on the platform, ⟨A⟩ was still organising mass exodus (Communities dot Win, Ruqqus, etc.), and ⟨B⟩ stopped protesting but it was still pissed because the offending sub was still there. Long-term it was the worst thing for Reddit Inc. that the admins could do, and yet they did it.