Platform politics

The ways in which platforms (such as Reddit) encourage the maintenance of the status quo regarding white male heterosexual privilege. These platforms highlight the groups that are already in power and marginalize the ones that are not. Reddit, like many other social media, works on an algorithmic system, in which one is given a list of topics which display the range of topics covered by the site’s communities by default. The user then upvote different topics that they are interested, and downvote topics that disinterest them. The algorithm of the site then suggests more content to the user based on their interests. While this is done as a marketing strategy to keep users on their site longer, it also has other repercussions. This system works to reinforce a user’s prior opinions and beliefs, and shield them from views that oppose their beliefs and opinions. This helps to maintain the status quo of privilege, because those that have the power and privilege in a society are not challenged by the media.

Also, because any topic can be discussed on Reddit, Reddit functions as a community of communities. This allows for subcultures such as geek culture to be prominently featured. Not that this is a bad thing, but it also does give rise to other subcultures such as geek masculinity, which work to further marginalized unprivileged groups.

References

Adrienne Massanari, “#Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s algorithm, governance, and culture support toxic technocultures”