![]() Among Reddit users, this effect is known as “bandwagoning,” where the first few votes determine whether or not a post will be successful. Weninger created a program that randomly upvoted or downvoted some of the most recent posts on Reddit, and he discovered that his single vote had a significant effect on how other users voted on the same link. Harper pointed to a study on Reddit votes conducted by Tim Weninger, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at Notre Dame University. ![]() That puts it ahead of such juggernauts as Twitter, Netflix and Instagram, which explains why Reddit has dubbed itself “the frontpage of the Internet.” Users may sometimes like to pretend that Reddit is their own exclusive club, but it is actually one of the most popular websites on the internet, ranking as the seventh most popular in the United States. And considering how popular Reddit really is, it is easy to see why it would be a hot target. “A couple of weeks ago, we got two made-up stories onto the front page of Reddit for less than $200,” Harper said in a video posted to YouTube.Īccording to Harper, users’ trust in Reddit’s upvote and downvote system is exactly what makes it so easy for advertisers and others to manipulate. ![]() But this week, journalists Phil Harper and Jay McGregor proved just how easily advertisers can game the system. Reddit is seemingly one of the most democratic communities on the web, allowing users to vote up good content while voting down bad content and spam. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |