What is Reddit? | Definition from TechTarget (2024)

What is Reddit? | Definition from TechTarget (1)

By

  • Christian Stafford,Editorial Assistant

Reddit is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words "I read it."

Reddit member registration is free, and it is required to use the website's basic features.

For a monthly fee or yearly subscription, redditors can upgrade to Reddit Gold. This service provides a set of extended features not available to nonpaying users. Features of Reddit Gold include access to members-only communities and the ability to turn off sidebar ads.

What are subreddits and how do they work?

The site is composed of hundreds of subcommunities, known as subreddits. Each subreddit has a specific topic, such as technology, politics or music. Reddit's homepage, or the front page, as it is often called, is composed of the most popular posts from each default subreddit. The default list is predetermined and includes subreddits such as "pics," "funny," "videos," "news" and "gaming."

Reddit site members, also known as redditors, submit content which is then voted upon by other members. The goal is to send well-regarded content to the top of the site's front page. Content is voted on via upvotes and downvotes: arrows on which users click to the left of a post. The more upvotes a post gets, the more popular it becomes, and the higher up it appears on its respective subreddit or the front page. To access a subreddit via the address bar, simply type "reddit.com/r/subreddit name."

How to use Reddit

Upon arriving on the site's front page, users will notice a list of posts -- a collection of text posts, link posts, images and videos. When logged out of a Reddit account, the front page is composed of the site's default subreddits -- a list of about 50 topics including music, videos, news and GIFs, among others. After creating an account, users will automatically be "subscribed" to the list of default subreddits. Users can then unsubscribe to any of the default subreddits they do not wish to view, and they can subscribe to additional subreddits to get a personalized front page of content that interests them.

Users can also comment on posts after creating an account. Commenting is one of Reddit's core features, and it is the primary way for users to interact with each other, besides private messaging. Comments, like posts, can be voted on by users and are then ranked accordingly. The comment with the highest number of votes sits at the top of the comment section and is referred to as the top comment.

Reddit company information

Reddit is similar to Digg, another user-generated social networking site. Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian started Reddit in 2005, and Condé Nast Publications acquired the site in October 2006. Reddit split from Condé Nast in 2011, and now operates under Advance Publications. A July 8, 2012, NYMag.com article reported that 35 million new users sign up for Reddit every month.

Notable controversies

Since its inception, Reddit has been the subject of many controversies, some great enough to make the news.

What is Reddit? | Definition from TechTarget (2)

Site statistics and user demographics

As of this writing, Reddit is the 24th most-visited website in the world and the 7th most-visited website in the United States, with the U.S. accounting for 46.9% of the site's visitors, according to web traffic data and analytics company Alexa Internet. According to a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center, 71% of Reddit's audience is composed of men.

Popular acronyms

Many acronyms are unique to Reddit. They are commonly found in post titles, subreddit rules and comments. The following is a breakdown of some of the most commonly used acronyms on the site.

  • ELI5: Explain like I'm 5 -- A term used when redditors want something explained to them in very simple terms, as if they were a five-year-old asking for the answer to a question. A popular subreddit, explainlikeimfive, exists for this very purpose.
  • TLDR or TL;DR: Too long; didn't read -- In some longer posts or comments, redditors may place a, "TLDR" at the end of their text for the purpose of shortening what they wrote if other redditors do not want to take the time to read the entire post.
  • NSFW: Not safe for work -- When redditors make a post or comment that has explicit content, it is marked with this acronym to let other redditors know not to view the content at work or any place where explicit material would be unsuitable.
  • TIL: Today I learned -- Used mainly in the form of "TIL" posts, this term is used when redditors want to share something new they learned.
  • OP: Original poster -- The redditor who created the initial post.
  • AMA: Ask me anything -- A popular acronym used on Reddit's "IAmA" subreddit, where redditors can post "AMA" threads. This is another name for a Q&A thread, where redditors answer questions about their life and, usually, their occupation. President Barack Obama made headlines when he participated in an AMA on Aug. 29, 2012. He was the first sitting president to do so.

This was last updated in December 2016

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What is Reddit? | Definition from TechTarget (2024)

FAQs

What is Reddit? | Definition from TechTarget? ›

Reddit is a social news website and forum where content is socially curated and promoted by site members through voting. The site name is a play on the words "I read it." Reddit member registration is free, and it is required to use the website's basic features.

What is the definition of Reddit? ›

Reddit is a website comprising user-generated content—including photos, videos, links, and text-based posts—and discussions of this content in what is essentially a bulletin board system.

What do most people use Reddit for? ›

Users depend on Reddit to find new content, websites, and resources, similar to their interests.

Does Reddit have inappropriate content? ›

Additionally, subreddits that show up on r/all or in a user's regular feed may allow NSFW content. This won't necessarily be pornographic in nature but could contain content inappropriate for teens. Users can turn off the ability to see these posts in settings.

What's the difference between Reddit and Subreddits? ›

Reddit is a large community made up of thousands of smaller communities. These smaller, sub-communities within Reddit are also known as "subreddits" and are created and moderated by redditors like you.

What is the simple definition of Reddit? ›

The site name is a play on the words "I read it." Reddit member registration is free, and it is required to use the website's basic features. For a monthly fee or yearly subscription, redditors can upgrade to Reddit Gold.

Who uses Reddit the most? ›

In the US, Reddit is most commonly used by 18 to 29-year-olds. Almost half (44%) of this section of the population uses Reddit.

Is Reddit a safe site? ›

Reddit's hallmarked anonymity, which attracts millions, means that users can post wild and sometimes inappropriate content. This presents substantial risks to kids and leaves them vulnerable to stumble across violent content, pornography, and even predators.

What is Reddit intended for? ›

Reddit is an online social media forum where users share news stories and other content. Reddit was launched in 2005 by American entrepreneurs Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian; it became a publicly held company in 2024.

Is Reddit completely anonymous? ›

Reddit lets you overshare without revealing your real name or identity. When you sign up for Reddit, you'll be asked to create a username. If you'd like, you can use your real name, but the vast majority of redditors choose a name that represents them, without revealing who they are.

Does Reddit show 18 content? ›

To view mature and Not Safe for Work (NSFW) communities on the mobile app, there are a few settings you'll need to enable. Log in and go to your User Settings. Under the Feed Settings tab, toggle Show mature (18+) content to on. You can also enable blurring of these images so they're only visible on click in your feed.

What are the controversial subreddits? ›

The largest of the banned subreddits, r/FatPeopleHate, had an estimated 151,000 subscribers at the time of its banning. r/FatPeopleHate hosted photos of overweight people for the purpose of mockery. The other four subreddits were r/hamplanethatred, r/neofag, r/transfags, and r/shitniggerssay.

Is Reddit free to use? ›

Reddit Pricing: Reddit is free to use, and most Redditors never spend a dime there. However, users have the option to buy in-app currency, Reddit Coins, or a paid membership, Reddit Premium.

What is Reddit mostly used for? ›

Reddit is a website where users can view and share links or text posts for others to see. These posts range from pictures and videos to news and discussion threads. With hundreds of millions of users, Reddit has become one of the most popular websites globally and has provided a platform for up-to-date news and trends.

Why are some subreddits forbidden? ›

Communities can be banned for violating Reddit's Content Policy. Banned communities are inaccessible to all redditors.

Why is Reddit so important? ›

Reddit is known for its vast array of communities, or "Subreddits," dedicated to virtually every topic imaginable. Whether you're interested in cats, cooking or cryptocurrency, there's a Subreddit for you. In each Subreddit, members post forum-like threads of content—it could be a link, a story, a photo, a survey etc.

What is Reddit and why is it popular? ›

Reddit is known for its vast array of communities, or "Subreddits," dedicated to virtually every topic imaginable. Whether you're interested in cats, cooking or cryptocurrency, there's a Subreddit for you. In each Subreddit, members post forum-like threads of content—it could be a link, a story, a photo, a survey etc.

What does Redit mean? ›

: to edit again : make a new edition of.

What was the original purpose of Reddit? ›

In 2005, Steve & Alexis moved to Cambridge after their graduation. Their preliminary vision for Reddit was simple - A community-led news website, with the popularity of the content decided by anonymous user upvotes & downvotes.

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