For a brief explanation: subreddits can be created by anyone, and whoever creates it can authorize moderators (mods) whose powers are restricted only to that subreddit. Administrators (admins) are all-powerful arbiters throughout the entirety of Reddit, and there are few of them. Admins are appointed by a higher authority, and can flex their powers over any subreddit. So, subreddit mods' powers are limited within their own space, and have the ability to do things such as design the subreddit, moderate posts, and ban users. Admins can further that, and even shut down a subreddit, should it be too controversial or damaging to Reddit's overall reputation.
Subreddits are open for anyone to participate in. You can "frontpage" a subreddit, which means that top-voted submissions to that particular subreddit will show up on your homepage at reddit.com. However, it is up to the discretion of a mod to ban you from participating and viewing a specific subreddit (an action that can surely be reversed by an admin). I should also note that you don't have to "frontpage" a subreddit to participate; no extra registration is required beyond using a site-universal account.
As of 10/18, at 8pm, MR has 26,793 "frontpagers;" however, that doesn't necessarily mean that nearly 27,000 people are participating and actively conversing on the subreddit. MR has been active for over three years, which is proven by their subreddit slogan: "Earning scorn from feminists since 2008." Its creator, and one of only three moderators, kloo2yoo, has the following stated on the sidebar (the sidebar is a place where FAQ, links and other important information is linked on the main subreddit page):
kloo2yoo believes that there is an international, feminist, antimale conspiracy, and encourages peaceful, but direct, action against it.
One of the issues many people have with MR is perceiving it to be a very militant, anti-female subreddit that exists to create arguments between the genders, and invalidate feminist theory. Whether MR presents itself as that as a response to aggression taken against it by those who are equally militant (and therefore, striking a fight with MR for no apparent reason), is a question desiring exploration. The general assumption of MR is that MR finds any sort of feminist to be anti-male, and that any male who does not act masculine enough is submitting himself to the militant, anti-male, feminist agenda.
I hope through my exploration of discussion that I will find evidence one way or another, which will be represented by the participating members of MR. While I initially perceive this subreddit to be hate-mongering and misogynistic, I hope I will be able to find important discussions directly related to what is its supposed primary concerns -- the rights of men and fathers, the acknowledgment of men also being victims of sexual assault and unwilling intercourse, and supporting men worldwide.
I like the data’s clear presentation – very straightforward. I especially appreciate your statement up front of your biases against the forum – recognizing those right away will help you stay balanced in your analyses. I like the inclusion of kloo2yoo’s statement; I’d like to see a few more examples of the sorts of comments that you are describing (or a link to the forum) as supporting evidence of your words.
ReplyDeleteHow do the users identify themselves on the subreddit? Is it common knowledge whether each is a father/husband/etc., or is it made more clear through comments? Do women participate at all on the subreddit, and are they ever accepted by the males or always shut down? In this subreddit, is it broken down further into particular threads?
Other data – what sort of parallel forums are there for women? Is there a parallel? Do they seem man-hating and the feminine version of misogynistic, or are they more on topic? This is a really interesting question; I’ve heard a lot about this side effect of the feminist movement – much like reverse racism in some ways. The dominant element in any culture is always idealized as having the perfect life simply because they do have certain advantages, but it’s never as simple as it seems.
Users will usually provide background information, if they are posting about themselves. Women do participate, but they are usually torn to shreds. Most women know not to reveal their gender if they participate.
ReplyDeleteThere are some parallel forums -- TwoXChromosomes and OneY are female and male (respectively) subreddits that are more inviting and open; they are anti-misogyny and anti-misandry. There is a radical feminist forum that would be likely the equivalent to MR.
This would be a good post to revise for your final. A lot of the information you provide here is more about the site in general than a specific analysis of the site. A close analysis of a piece of data from the site is needed to support a claim like, "The general assumption of MR is that MR finds any sort of feminist to be anti-male, and that any male who does not act masculine enough is submitting himself to the militant, anti-male, feminist agenda."
ReplyDelete