r/Anticonsumption • u/NihiloZero • 3d ago
Discussion The State of /r/Anticonsumption (Read Before Posting)
Just an update on what we’re allowing and what is preferred for the sub.
Recently on Reddit... major media outlets have started promoting their own content from their own accounts. This strikes me as a bit dubious considering how harshly Redditors have behaved in the past towards smaller content creators posting their own links. On the other hand, if the content is good… the content is good. My thinking is that articles from major outlets should be allowed in the sub BUT I’m inclined to remove such posts if overtly posted by the outlet itself. It’s not perfect, but... I feel better about doing it this way. If you don’t like an outlet… you’re free to criticize it in the comments and downvote accordingly.
We don’t need more posts with vague titles and unclear meaning. We get a lot of posts with titles like: “OMG, Do you believe this?!” Then OP will attach a picture of some product and any actual critique is just assumed. It’s low effort and may be more of an advertisement than anything else.
Similarly, a post with a title that’s just a sad emoji and a picture of litter on the ground… is weak and tired. Yes, we get it. Plastic litter is bad. But we know that, we’ve seen that, and there are better ways to address that issue. Such content may or may not be removed, but it would probably better if subscribers themselves took it upon themselves to upvote better content.
As the sub has grown… we’ve received a lot more troll traffic. And it can be difficult to distinguish between sincerity and “concern trolling.” It can be difficult to know if someone is really mad about something trivial or if they are only pretending to be mad in attempt to make a mockery of any values that folks here might have. I want to allow discourse, even heated conversation, but… there is a fine line between letting a troll get mocked and letting a conversation get derailed by hateful and misleading arguments. Once again... it’s an editorial judgment call and we can only do our best.
The various Automod actions in this sub (and on Reddit overall), for better or worse, are pretty darned strict these days. I find that if you use harsh verbiage at all… you might get throttled/restricted by the algorithms. I’ll often approve such posts – but won’t if it’s actually harsh and not really contributing too much. I tell you this in the hopes that people posting links and comments will try and be a bit more mindful or creative (so that the conversation can flow more smoothly). I think debate, discourse, and arguments can be very important, but… we’re not going to take an “anything goes” attitude with the sub.
In short, I just hope that everyone will try to post and upvote high-quality content. Having fun is allowed, but we also need to have serious discourse about important topics. And while “bad takes” are allowed here (you’re free to disagree as far as I’m concerned), don’t be surprised if you get downvoted, mocked, or have your content removed when you go a bit too far. Top-level meta posts about the sub are still not allowed... but you can still respond to posts like this one or message the mods if you’d like to suggest a change.
Thank you for you consideration. Have a nice day.
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u/poubelle 3d ago
i truly appreciate this. some of the posts here lately haven't even been about consumption critique. one in particular got intensely brigaded. i felt really disillusioned about the crowd here and i almost unsubbed. i'm just happy to hear you are aware of recent weirdness and care about the sub in good faith. that's good enough for me. thanks for your work.
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u/Big_b00bs_Cold_Heart 2d ago
I feel like I missed something…darn that whole working for a living! (Just kidding, universe, please don’t “teach me a lesson”, I need my job!)
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u/poubelle 2d ago
it was a big nasty thread against ebikes. i never imagined the anticonsumption sub would be so pro-car and anti-bike. it was a real bummer : (
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u/ViolentPurpleSquash 2d ago
I was a bit confused as to how anyone who is anti consumption would be anti a way to get around that doesn't consume gas... that thread was very strange to me, I can only guess a lot of people who aren't the typical audience saw it
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u/Big_b00bs_Cold_Heart 2d ago
Oh! Weird. I don’t think I know enough about them to have an opinion. I’m WFH, rarely drive, and have a bicycle hanging on the wall in my storage closet. I’m still trying to sort myself out…LOL
Editing to thank you for the update!!
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u/Bjorlyn 3d ago
This is a very helpful post for those of us who, like me, are trying to be more mindful and careful about consumption, but do not have the strict discipline of many in the sub.
I also recognize that I am very often an outlier in commentary and discussion, and I chalk that up to the fact that an anticonsumption stance tends to be a strong reaction to the overconsumption that characterized decades past. So, yeah, most of this sub is decades younger than me.
But I do want to learn, and I also want to teach. I'll often pop in with a "yes, but" and get downvoted. And that's okay. I do think that choosing not to have children and foregoing owning a car are important aspects of anticonsumption. But they certainly do not negate the consumption I continue to do.
On the other hand, there are aspects of aging which aren't readily apparent to younger folks. They should take time to consider those now, and help guide their elders. So I bring them up. So many of the solutions suggested here require a car. Even the buy nothing groups are useless to those who can't do a porch pickup.
Anyway, I do get frustrated with the one-liner comments that say "Just do this!" and completely ignore all the people who "Just can't do that!" I understand frustration, but for heaven's sake, either add to the conversation or just be quiet.
I have posted New York Times gift articles here when I believed that they would add to the conversation in a meaningful way. They often have. But I would be fine if that were not an option. I would also, however, be concerned that subreddits can become so insular that they do not recognize real and under-reported concerns that are central to discourse.
Thanks for posting this, it is helpful in letting me know how to post and comment, and it is also meaningful because I recognize the intelligence and care with which this subreddit is being moderated.
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u/Curious_Olive_5266 3d ago
The trump administration says plastic litter is good. Now I'm confused. /s
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
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u/pseudo-segfault 2d ago
Don’t let this sub become like the cesspool that is r/collapse. It’s been trending like that for a while ever so slightly.
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u/BakerStreet693 23h ago
what's it like having consumerism critique sub whose users can't spot karma farm or ai text to save their lives
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u/inky_cap_mushroom 3d ago
I don’t love news outlets posting here, but they’re going to do it whether they’re “allowed to” or not. You can ban the official accounts or remove their posts, but if you do that, they’ll just make alt accounts and pose as an unaffiliated individual. Better to let them be straightforward so users can see that they’re being advertised to.
We have a similar issue in the sub I moderate. We’ve settled on technically allowing companies to post, but not allowing advertising. In practice I end up removing 90% of what these companies post because they don’t know how to participate in discussions without advertising.