I think it’s time for me to come clean about this. I kinda became addicted to Reddit, but most importantly, reddit stories. It became part of my routine to listen to podcasts that read reddit stories. NGL it’s really enjoyable, but there is always some people that debates if the stories are true.
Then I tried it once. I created a throwaway account and posted a made up story. It gained a lot of traction and nobody even commented about it being fake.
It was supposed to be a one time thing, but then another idea for a story pops up in my head, I create another throwaway with a temp mail and write that another story.
Overtime it became a habit. I’ve posted tens of fake stories, maybe over a hundred. With updates even. I also learned to develop different styles of writing and formatting so people wouldn’t notice they were written by the same person, me.
Some of my stories got into the podcasts I listen to daily. Its always exciting to hear my own stories being read by someone else.
But I realize that this is not healthy anymore. I could develop so many of these stories into short stories or novels. I’ve learned a lot and improved my writing, these are compelling, engaging, even gut-wrenching stories that I think people would like to read if they were books.
It’s time for me to stop this and start writing fiction for real.
Another reason why I should quit it, it’s because I fucking hate the mods, some of my best stories has been deleted for bullshit reasons, or I just can’t find the right sub to post them. But I gotta say, engaging with people in real time is part of the fun of it.
I don’t want you to think everything on reddit is fake, and I don’t care if some posts are fake or not, I have so many fucked up real stories in my family that no reddit story ever even came close to be as fucked up as real life and would be tossed aside as fake instantly. Reality is weirder than fiction.
Thanks for reading my confession. I’ll go out, touch grass, and start writing fiction.
BTW, I only post fake shit on Throwaway accounts, I’ve never done that on my real main account, and I never lie IRL. Maybe that’s why it felt so exciting early on.
Idk, I understand what you mean but seriously if you’re a police officer/journalist/academic, you should NOT be taking seriously what someone wrote totally anonymously with 0 evidence beyond the text to back it up. When the Daily Fail organizes their fascist reader base on a crusade based on an anonymous Reddit post (idk if it’s ever happened, probably), that’s not the posters fault.
I don’t disagree, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t do it.
There are tons of “journalists” on sites like Yahoo that simply troll Reddit’s popular subs for content and repost controversial statements/opinions for clicks. That’s an easy way that hoaxes spread.
Of course, the police aren’t going to go arrest someone based on an anonymous post, but it might raise suspicion and/or cause an unwarranted investigation.
And yes, I do believe that if someone publishes something online, they have some level of responsibility for what they post, subject to the protections of the First Amendment (and similar doctrines in other countries). “I get to say what I want and don’t have any responsibility for the consequences” leads to (a) potentially dangerous situations, and (b) really shitty content.