There's a button on every comment that looks like this: [-]. It is how you collapse threads. I use it when I get to the part of a thread that I have already seen a thousand times. Since I have started doing this, I have noticed over time that nearly all Reddit threads across all subreddits invariably follow a certain pattern:
[-] Top comment, which is at turns informative, contrarian, or a somewhat original bit of humor
[-] Top reply, which at the very least responds to the parent comment in some meaningful way
[-] Reddit's usual 'Anne Frankly I did Nazi that coming' recycled flaming rubbish
Nothing that follows the third comment ever has any relation to the topic of the overall thread. It could be about anything, ranging from personal anecdotes and stories to literally nothing, just pattern repetition in comment form. When you hit the [-] collapse button on that third top comment, you either get to another reply to the top comment, or another top-level thread altogether, where the pattern sometimes repeats, but not as frequently. Most of the comment karma farming in any given thread happens in that one subthread that spawns after the third top comment.
It disturbs me in a way that I can't properly articulate that the website is so predictable in this way. What does it mean?
yep, this is called 'hijacking the top comment', and I'm doing it right now.
most people will read this comment before almost everything else in this thread. (if they sort by top...)
I don't think it's self-referential though; they're not making fun of themselves for the repetitiveness or predictability, they're eagerly seizing their opportunity for their turn to make the joke.
the mind runs on dialectical patterns and therefore reality and the people within it run on dialectical patterns, welcome to the cult, try not to lose your mind and start seeing triangles everywhere (just kidding hallucinating is great)
I think the there's a sort of structure that formed due to the reddit voting system and the way the human brain works. That structure was exploited by bots to farm karma for advertising, then that exploitation became part of the structure and you end up with essentially a race to the bottom as people start mimicking the bots trying to mimic people because that's what gets you karma.
It's almost certainly going to be repeated here. I think it's become so subconsciously ingrained in the way we interact online that it's naturally going to become the way people comment here, as well.
There's a button on every comment that looks like this: [-]. It is how you collapse threads. I use it when I get to the part of a thread that I have already seen a thousand times. Since I have started doing this, I have noticed over time that nearly all Reddit threads across all subreddits invariably follow a certain pattern:
Nothing that follows the third comment ever has any relation to the topic of the overall thread. It could be about anything, ranging from personal anecdotes and stories to literally nothing, just pattern repetition in comment form. When you hit the [-] collapse button on that third top comment, you either get to another reply to the top comment, or another top-level thread altogether, where the pattern sometimes repeats, but not as frequently. Most of the comment karma farming in any given thread happens in that one subthread that spawns after the third top comment.
It disturbs me in a way that I can't properly articulate that the website is so predictable in this way. What does it mean?
deleted by creator
yep, this is called 'hijacking the top comment', and I'm doing it right now.
most people will read this comment before almost everything else in this thread. (if they sort by top...)
deleted by creator
I don't think it's self-referential though; they're not making fun of themselves for the repetitiveness or predictability, they're eagerly seizing their opportunity for their turn to make the joke.
the mind runs on dialectical patterns and therefore reality and the people within it run on dialectical patterns, welcome to the cult, try not to lose your mind and start seeing triangles everywhere (just kidding hallucinating is great)
deleted by creator
I think the there's a sort of structure that formed due to the reddit voting system and the way the human brain works. That structure was exploited by bots to farm karma for advertising, then that exploitation became part of the structure and you end up with essentially a race to the bottom as people start mimicking the bots trying to mimic people because that's what gets you karma.
deleted by creator
It's almost certainly going to be repeated here. I think it's become so subconsciously ingrained in the way we interact online that it's naturally going to become the way people comment here, as well.
deleted by creator