Reddit and Learning | W4 Q2 | Forum

I am personally not an avid social media user; however, one space that I do often visit and belong to is Reddit. Reddit fits the criteria of being a social media space because in it, “knowledge is decentralized, accessible, and co-constructed among a broad base of users (Greenhow et. al, 2009).” In Reddit, I search for sub-reddits that I am interested in or affiliated with in some way, then click on the sub-reddit and read the post. For instance, some sub-reddits I search for include r/critical theory, r/msu, r/coronavirus, r/Indianapolis, r/education, r/philosophy, among others. I join the subreddits, then read posts in which ever particular sub-reddit I searched. Users can post relevant links, posts, videos, articles, thoughts, questions, etc. in these subreddits. I usually reference subreddits to learn from others, gain different perspectives, explore new ideas, and see how others are thinking/feeling about or approaching/informing a particular topic. One particular example of how I used Reddit was during the beginning of the pandemic in early January. While the coronavirus was emerging in China and Wuhan was undergoing lockdown, I found it hard to believe that containment of this virus would be possible given the globalized, interconnected nature of the world that we are currently situated in. I found it frustrating that our government was downplaying the nature and spread of the virus and painting a problematic picture that it was somehow all under control. Seeking to find a space to address these concerns and learn more about how others were feeling and experiencing this outbreak, I turned to Reddit. Following the subreddit r/coronavirus, I was able to become more informed and learn from others across the globe. I was able to learn from experts that were sharing their thoughts and data, people that were experiencing the virus and lockdown firsthand, practitioners (such as nurses and doctors) that were exposed to and caring for patients impacted by the virus, and others who were also concerned about the impact of the virus. While I never actually posted (nor do I now) on Reddit, I was able to learn from the experiences and knowledge of others from around the world and had a pretty solid understanding in January that it was only a matter of time before all nations across the globe would most likely have to impose some form of restrictions to stop the spread of the virus in order to save lives. I feel that without Reddit, I would not have had this foresight/insight into what my world might look like in the span of just a few months. As such, Reddit undeniably contributed to (and continues to contribute to) my learning. While I personally treat Reddit much more like an information platform where I consume information, I still learn from others on this site in order to stimulate my thinking and expand my knowledge from others.