there's a really great video that dives into this point more. It's primarily about the TV show "Big Bang Theory" but I think the points made in the video are reflective of the general users of Reddit the author purports

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L7NRONADJ4 (20 minutes)

reminds me of the myth of Hercules and the hydra; cut off one head and two more grow back in its place

I feel like this is emblematic of how social media sites like Facebook and Twitter operate with the use of sharing/liking/retweeting/reposting

would these not be ways to "game the system" in favor of generating karma?

I think it was this event in particular that propelled Reddit into the mainstream. I remember hearing/reading about the propagation and exposure of these celebrity photos on more traditional mass media, but Reddit came up a lot as the instigator/source

this goes to show how nuanced the use of a hashtag can be; even those not involved or identifying themselves as part of the community can throw in their two cents simply by including the hashtag

early internet started with a push for anonymity but what makes sites like Reddit dangerous is the increased interconnectivity of the internet; in the "early" days people had to be more diligent in finding those forums or sites that could be platforms to soapbox, but often would be isolated. The amount of emphasis placed on sharing and aggregating in Web 2.0, those platforms feel more accessible, and therefore, more spreadable. That's what makes Reddit so harmful, because it's meant to be a site for everyone since its content is generated by users (AKA there's a subreddit for everything)

it's an odd dichotomy that geek masculinity values rational and meritocratic idealism but also finds itself being so racist/misogynist/ableist/etc. you would think those characteristics wouldn't matter if an individual could provide cogent thoughts to whatever subreddit they're engaging in

once again, not so democratic and more populist despite users being able to "vote" on the content

I feel like this harps back on how the internet initially attracted people who could host and create websites for their own niche interests. And as social media started gaining traction and allowing more casual users to find space on the internet, something like Reddit could feel like reclaiming something that was once "theirs" to those with "geeky interests"

this seems like a departure from being truly democratic to being something more populist

I wish the author gave more context around this statement. is it citizen journalism because users are externally linking news articles or providing context through sources or reporting their own witnessed activities?

make (something abstract) concrete or real