Before reddit became the shitstorm of regurgitated AI bullshit that it now is, it had vibrant communities of tech advice and discussion. As a browser of r/dumpsterdiving, r/thriftstorefinds and more niche subreddits like r/sleepingoptiplex, I found some very interesting posts from like minded people doing interesting things.
Things have changed.
The communities are not longer full of curious, creative people. The people who like problem solving and building things have run to the hills. They have left the things and knowledge they have built to burn in a cesspool (hard to burn shit in a cesspool). The reddit communities are now full of shitbirds who enjoy a good argument. Not the old tyme-y argument that is meant to solve a problem but the kind that involves calling someone a shitbird.
AI is now creating an infinite snake eating itself within the echo chamber argument cesspool that is reddit. LLM training on the content of reddit will learn nothing about actual human interaction and everything shitty about internet chatspeak. Communication on reddit differs vastly from any normal face to face communication. Take for example my opening sentence containing “shitstorm of reguritated bullshit” – I would probably not use that emphasis in polite communication with individual total strangers. If I wanted to make a point with a person that might not appreciate bluntness, I probably would not use strong words in our discussion. I would not hahaha people or lol or whatever other shortened internet placeholder for english language is currently being used.
Reddit users (and let’s remember it was the users that create the content not reddit) also have a specific sense of humour that does not necessarily translate to the outside world. Insider references, meta humour, and snarky answers will be digested by language models. Who wants every online asshole you ever met to answer your questions, guide you to useful data, or give you instructions on how to bake a cake?
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