This past week I conducted my first interview, began editing, and revamped my podcast idea, yet what stands out to me most is the power of the internet, particularly Reddit. In many people’s eyes (include mine before I began using the app), Reddit has a negative connotation, marked as “weird.” Yet, in pursuing any project, Reddit consistently proves to be more useful than weird.
The r/podcasting forum has provided me with more advice than anybody I personally know ever could. And the forum set-up allows for multiple opinions and experiences to be put in conversation with each other, from the best audio editing software to whether the name of a podcast should began with “the.” Yet, even beyond practical tips, the Reddit podcasting community offers support. This past Tuesday, I began editing my interview and found playing back my own voice absolutely horrendous. It was laughable how much I cringed each time I pressed play. Every awkward laugh, every stumble in my sentence would cause me to slam my computer shut and squirm in my chair. I thought the whole ordeal was both somewhat pitiful but also humorous. The latter compelled me to post on Reddit about it. I half expected people to make fun of me or tell me to “get over it,” because the internet is an unreliable place where people have no social obligation to be polite, much less kind. Yet, when I checked back a couple hours later, I had received over ten replies, some paragraphs long, both sympathizing with me and offering sage advice.
Many often label the internet as a waste of time which poisons the minds of the youth. This demonization of the internet is often talked about and rebutted with how the internet “connects” people. Yet, the examples people give are often lackluster, reducing the power of the internet to simply “facetiming” or “keeping up with friends through social media.” A better example of the power and immense goodness of the internet is Reddit, where complete strangers take time out of their day to, yes, give practical advice, but also to support one another.
There are Reddit communities for everything. I love the r/podcasting but my favorite would have to be r/books with 21 million+ members. I’ve received some wonderfully unique recommendations and love to read through reply chains with fun, thought-provoking questions, such as “what’s the most original book you’ve ever read” or interesting takes like the post “just because you don’t like or respect the main character doesn’t mean a book is poorly written.”
Get on a Reddit page! They’re so fun!
This is a great reminder that truly there is good alongside the bad on the Internet! I love your Reddit example. I know people who have gotten great jobs through networking on LinkedIn and I still have friends today that I met through Twitter conversations ages ago. There's plenty negative out there, but there are also many, many, pockets of really kind people, too!