While Reddit’s administrators take spamming and manipulation seriously, its official police can’t realistically patrol the site’s endless boroughs of cat photos, politics, and “Scumbag Steves.” But the social sharing site’s volunteer moderators are notoriously powerful within their own Reddit fiefdoms, and with a little detective work from the mods of r/AdviceAnimals — one of the internet’s largest meme cauldrons — they were able to uncover and shut down a foul plot of covert manipulation. The Daily Dot has the full story of how the meme haven’s moderators were able to unmask and oust the owner of Quickmeme, who secretly joined the ranks of r/AdviceAnimals and attempted to snuff out competitors. The plot may not end up on the next episode of Law and Order, but it’s a great example of high drama on one of the web’s largest communities.
How Reddit moderators took down a mischievous meme kingpin
is executive editor who has obsessed over headlines and internet speeds since 2011. He previously worked as an advocate for the National Park System.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
