u/DevelopmentPlus7850

TL&DR: I tried to introduce substance into a fundamentally superficial Reddit environment. It failed, spectacularly. Twice.

About a year ago, I had started a writing-focused subreddit because I liked writing.

I was previously on a writing website (Scribophile). But it got tedious. I had assumed that because Scribophile was for "writers" (i.e. intellectuals), the users would possess a level of sophistication or cognitive depth. I didn't realize that the desire to write is not synonymous with the ability to think. I'd expected a salon of intellectuals and instead found a digital cafeteria where people discuss absolute banalities.

That's why, I wanted to create an improved environment, for serious writers helping other serious writers here and also fixing the many shortcomings Scribophile and other Reddit writing subreddits suffered from. It didn't succeed.

The core issue, and the predictable one, is that Reddit fundamentally doesn't care about writing. It's a platform engineered for fleeting dopamine hits: easily digestible visual content, not nuanced prose. Satire, political commentary, thoughtful fiction... all irrelevant.

So, in a desperate attempt to appease the algorithm, I dabbled in the meme economy. The predictable result was that it wasn't my thing. Who could have foreseen that forcing oneself to create content one despises would lead to dissatisfaction?

At this point, I find no reason to continue. Reddit already has an endless supply of meme-driven subreddits competing for the same shrinking attention span. Adding another one changes nothing.

I also do not find any other social media site that doesn't primarily cater to the users' dwindling attention spans. Even Substack has succumbed to the memes economy.

TL&DR: This is the story of someone who tried to introduce substance into a fundamentally superficial environment. It failed, spectacularly.

I had started this subreddit because I liked writing.

I was previously on a writing website called Scribophile. But it got tedious. I had assumed that because writing websites out there, are for "writers", their users would possess a level of sophistication or cognitive depth. I forgot that the desire to write is not synonymous with the ability to think. In fact, some of the most tedious people on the planet are those who believe their "passion for storytelling" exempts them from the need for a personality or a functioning brain. I'd expected a salon of intellectuals and instead found a digital cafeteria where people discuss absolute banalities.

I wanted to create an improved experience, for serious writers helping other serious writers here, but it didn't succeed.

Reddit's hostility to words: The core issue, and the predictable one, is that Reddit fundamentally doesn't care about writing. It's a platform engineered for fleeting dopamine hits: easily digestible visual content, not nuanced prose. Satire, political commentary, thoughtful fiction... all irrelevant.

So, in a desperate attempt to appease the algorithm, I dabbled in the meme economy. The predictable result was that it wasn't my thing. Who could have foreseen that forcing oneself to create content one despises would lead to dissatisfaction?

At this point, there’s no reason to continue. Reddit already has an endless supply of meme-driven political subreddits competing for the same shrinking attention span. Adding another one changes nothing.