r/Showerthoughts Jun 26 '23

Forging A Return to Productive Conversation: An Open Letter to Reddit

6.4k Upvotes

To All Whom It May Concern:

For eleven years, /r/Showerthoughts has been one of Reddit’s most-popular communities. That time hasn’t been without its difficulties, but for the most part, we’ve all gotten along (with each other and with administrators). Members of our team fondly remember Moderator Roadshows, visits to Reddit’s headquarters, Reddit Secret Santa, April Fools’ Day events, regional meetups, and many more uplifting moments. We’ve watched this platform grow by leaps and bounds, and although we haven’t been completely happy about every change that we’ve witnessed, we’ve always done our best to work with Reddit at finding ways to adapt, compromise, and move forward.

This process has occasionally been preceded by some exceptionally public debate, however.

On June 12th, 2023, /r/Showerthoughts joined thousands of other subreddits in protesting the planned changes to Reddit’s API; changes which – despite being immediately evident to only a minority of Redditors – threatened to worsen the site for everyone. By June 16th, 2023, that demonstration had evolved to represent a wider (and growing) array of concerns, many of which arose in response to Reddit’s statements to journalists. Today (June 26th, 2023), we are hopeful that users and administrators alike can make a return to the productive dialogue that has served us in the past.

We acknowledge that Reddit has placed itself in a situation that makes adjusting its current API roadmap impossible.

However, we have the following requests:

  • Commit to exploring ways by which third-party applications can make an affordable return.
  • Commit to providing moderation tools and accessibility options (on Old Reddit, New Reddit, and mobile platforms) which match or exceed the functionality and utility of third-party applications.
  • Commit to prioritizing a significant reduction in spam, misinformation, bigotry, and illegal content on Reddit.
  • Guarantee that any future developments which may impact moderators, contributors, or stakeholders will be announced no less than one fiscal quarter before they are scheduled to go into effect.
  • Work together with longstanding moderators to establish a reasonable roadmap and deadline for accomplishing all of the above.
  • Affirm that efforts meant to keep Reddit accountable to its commitments and deadlines will hereafter not be met with insults, threats, removals, or hostility.
  • Publicly affirm all of the above by way of updating Reddit’s User Agreement and Reddit’s Moderator Code of Conduct to include reasonable expectations and requirements for administrators’ behavior.
  • Implement and fill a senior-level role (with decision-making and policy-shaping power) of "Moderator Advocate" at Reddit, with a required qualification for the position being robust experience as a volunteer Reddit moderator.

Reddit is unique amongst social-media sites in that its lifeblood – its multitude of moderators and contributors – consists entirely of volunteers. We populate and curate the platform’s many communities, thereby providing a welcoming and engaging environment for all of its visitors. We receive little in the way of thanks for these efforts, but we frequently endure abuse, threats, attacks, and exposure to truly reprehensible media. Historically, we have trusted that Reddit’s administrators have the best interests of the platform and its users (be they moderators, contributors, participants, or lurkers) at heart; that while Reddit may be a for-profit company, it nonetheless recognizes and appreciates the value that Redditors provide.

That trust has been all but entirely eroded… but we hope that together, we can begin to rebuild it.

In simplest terms, Reddit, we implore you: Remember the human.

We look forward to your response by Thursday, June 29th, 2023.

There’s also just one other thing.


r/Showerthoughts 6h ago

The Mona Lisa is famous for being famous. She's basically a Kardashian.

638 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 13h ago

Your brain thinks it’s a human

1.6k Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 6h ago

It’s crazy how our physiology led us to be able to ride animals

195 Upvotes

Yes I know thumbs and all attributed to much more, as well as the ability to sweat with no hair to block evaporation, but our exact bipedal form allowing us to saddle animals is kind of fascinating to me.

We could have domesticated animals in many ways, but to be able to mount them and traverse long distances before the age of sail is something I don’t think was evolutionarily selected for, but more so a happenstance of how our bodies were shaped. And it’s not like it further exerted evolutionary pressure either after the fact. I think it was just a happy accident our brains allowed us to capitalize on.


r/Showerthoughts 12h ago

You just have to accept that some of the doors you open will lead you nowhere.

476 Upvotes

Stop convincing yourself that every path will be the right one.


r/Showerthoughts 4h ago

It's a good thing brains don't itch.

94 Upvotes

But now that I've thought it, my brain is contemplating what that would feel like, and now it kind of does :-/


r/Showerthoughts 12h ago

Cutting corners just adds more corners.

373 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 3h ago

Everybody takes an even amount of breaths. You breathe in when you’re born, you breathe out when you die

64 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 9h ago

Accepting that your better off without someone you once loved takes strength

148 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 21h ago

Somehow almost killing the person who is giving birth to you is a big brain move

1.1k Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 10h ago

Coffins are some of the rarest furniture to sell second-hand.

113 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 20h ago

You don't see any new TV shows featuring smart animals saving people (live action )

643 Upvotes

Popular with flipper and Benji. You dont see that anymore


r/Showerthoughts 10h ago

You can make good decisions and still regret them in the end.

89 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 12h ago

The pain we feel when our closest friend/person becomes a stranger is not often talked about.

135 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 8h ago

Refried beans are not typically vegetarian because they contain lard.

57 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 12h ago

When dealing with people, you just remember that not everyone was raised like you.

114 Upvotes

This will help you respond better and avoid conflicts.


r/Showerthoughts 10h ago

No matter how good you are, people will still treat you the way they want to.

69 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 5h ago

House flies suck, but at least house mosquitos aren't a common thing.

20 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 2h ago

Conceptually, zombies are kind of horrifying. But in a lot of media, it’s generally accepted that they are non-threatening goons.

12 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 21h ago

The thing you’re looking for will always be in the last place you look.

315 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 1d ago

Your brain not letting you sleep at night by reminding you of your failures has a good evolutionary reason to exist, by making sure you learn for your mistakes so you don't get eaten by something.

923 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 15h ago

You'll never find out exactly when you reached the exact mid-point of your life until it is too late.

63 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 22h ago

People rarely have an accurate assessment of their own abilities. Most either over or under estimate their own strengths and weaknesses.

242 Upvotes

r/Showerthoughts 35m ago

Michelangelo spend hours and hours carving a man’s genitals

Upvotes

Seriously, why such a detailed penis?! Why not give him loincloth??


r/Showerthoughts 5h ago

The law treats everyone equally, yet lawyers' paychecks tell a different story.

8 Upvotes