When living in Kuwait I started following @kuwaitup2date on Instagram. This was the first time I had used social media for something other than keeping in touch with friends. The posts included upcoming events, some items for sale and lots of organic material from people's car cams and cell phones. Everyday there was at least one car on fire, the occasional sand storm and one instance of camels running free on the highway. These posts supplied me with a window into Kuwait culture and the business of everyday life in the desert.
At the same time social media was in the press for its role in bringing about change in the north Africa, and it involvement in the American elections. The 'haters' were all over Facebook and Youtube, growing rich off of people's outrage. Steps were taken to moderate and police these kinds of media. However, some might also reason that following these activities, ideas and individuals, help users make sense of their society and communities.
About the time I started using Facebook and Instagram, my sons stopped. They moved on to Snapchat to message friends and Reddit to keep up to date. Reddit became their main source of information and news. "How do you know?" I'd ask; "I saw it on Reddit," was their answer. I imagined the app to be similar to my reading a Time magazine, or Newsweek. Not only did I not understand the social and organic nature of Reddit, I was unaware of its popularity.
It has over 1.64 billion users, from over 186 countries, viewing over 6 billion pages. You will find literally everything on Reddit. Its popularity is partly due to its up/down voting feature. Posts receiving more up-votes will rise to the top and be seen by more people.
You can browse posts, but you will not be able to vote or comment without opening an account. On my recent visit to the site I found this video of Simone Biles' ceremonial first pitch and front flip with 49.5k upvotes and 2.4k comments. Another feature which draws viewers is the fact that its traffic is 99.98% organic, in other words, on 0.02% ads. With such a huge volume of posts the user is forced to choose and discard what they see. They cannot see it all, so they join communities that follow different interests. For example: the Simone Biles video was posted in r/sports subreddit.
I asked my sons how these communities work. One son belongs to many gaming subreddits where members share tips or ask questions. Where I might ask Google, he asks his subreddit buddies, or will browse the discussions. This is mainly due to his growing interest in gaming and game development.
My younger son developed an interest in musical theory. Through various subreddits he found others with similar interests and described to me how they learn from one another. These communities have certainly shaped his interests and social awareness.
Through their teenage years they went to Reddit seeking knowledge online, and seeking their place in the world. They were connected with people like them, and fortunately did not align themselves with raving lunatics.
Most educators would stay away from Reddit because of the explicit and unmonitored content. But students will access this content anyway, and there is much to be gained from helping them navigate through the truths and falsehoods online.
I believe Reddit has helped my sons move on to explore multiple perspectives and has provided them with rich connections. But more than anything, it has helped them find their real interests, and people who share this passion.
No comments:
Post a Comment