The other funny thing is that there's a violent dislike of mainstream media on websites such as Reddit, and constant criticism when news stations take things out of context.
Then they do things like this themselves on a daily basis!
Then they do things like this themselves on a daily basis!
You can't talk about Reddit as a hivemind, because it isn't one person, or even a definite collective of people. The people who take things out of context, and the people who call them out, are different sets of people. If Reddit seems to have multiple personalities, it's because... well, it does.
Reddit can turn into an angry mob in a nanosecond, tear someone's life apart, utterly destroyed, and then a nanosecond later flip around because of the discovery of guilt and empathy, to try and repair what just happened.
It's not any one person, but the collective does have certain predictable patterns of behavior. If you're part of Reddit, you're part of that super-organism, like it or not.
Which is to say, their ability to fly into a collective rage and stampede through the lives of innocent people isn't really unique to them, it's probably just a phenomenon inherent in all large groups of mostly-anonymous humans.
Reddit just gets named and shamed constantly because they are the largest group of mostly-anonymous people on the internet. Had things gone differently it'd very well be Digg in its place.
They're likely anti-government, anti-corporation, ant-advertising, anti-mainstream.
They're likely left of centre politically.
They're not busy - that's why they spend time commenting on Reddit. More likely unemployed / students / etc.
They absolutely love to be outraged by something.
By definition, they are the sort of person who would comment on Reddit, which is a certain personality.
They're by no means a random sample of humanity thank god.
That doesn't mean that "the group of people in your office building" or "the group of people in your neighborhood / town / state / country" or "the group of people that you bowl with" or "the group of people in your extended family" are "hiveminds" though. That is like accusing this piece of granite (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Granite_Y...) of being gray.
In my experience, "hivemind" is just bullshit people talk about when they want a way of saying that they are better than other people, but can't bring themselves to commit such a crime against modesty forthright. You'll notice that it is never "reddit is a hivemind, and oh yeah, I totally agree with it." It is always "reddit is a hivemind, and I disagree with it"
That means people tend to go with the crowd - hivemind.
Or you know, standard social dynamics that have existed since our ancestors first figured out how to vocalize opinions. The very silly label you are giving it serves no purpose other than to vilify it for the sake of making yourself out to be superior.
Lots of people disagree with you, meaning you do not get to enjoy having lots of people agree with you, meaning that clearly they are all a bunch of Borg with no sense of individuality. Give me a break.
Really? Most people? Then why is your comment the most popular comment? (Hint: because the majority of people like to believe themselves superior to the majority of people. 'If everyone is being dumb but me, then that means I am unusually smart!')
Also pretty ugly to watch.
I don't bother commenting on Reddit anymore, and rarely on here. There is absolutely no point.