In 2005, recent college graduates Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian were looking to break into the tech business. After attending a lecture by the programmer-entrepreneur Paul Graham, the duo pitched an idea that would allow users to order food via text message, to Graham’s startup, Y Combinator. When that was rejected, Huffman and Ohanian came up with the idea to create the “front page of the internet.” From there, Reddit was born.
Reddit acts as a social media platform wherein users sign up, create content in the form of a post, and engage with other users through various community forums called a “subreddit.” Each subreddit serves a different purpose. For example, forums like /r/streetwear allow users to create, read, and comment on posts all about the latest and greatest in streetwear. However, Reddit content isn’t limited to text posts. Users can upload photos and videos and create text threads on the site, and even update old posts, all ad-free.
It’s clear longtime Reddit users have made the site what it is today. If you have an interest, there’s most likely an extensive subreddit devoted to that topic. This proved true in early 2021, when Reddit hit the front page news after some users part of the /r/WallStreetBets subreddit took on Wall Street short-sellers and invested in GameStop, causing the declining company’s stock to surge. Shortly after, Reddit users pivoted and began buying stock in AMC in a similar move to turn Wall Street on its head.