Reddit and Weep By Elena Moore

Reddit and Weep

By Elena Moore

“Planned space and its unanticipated uses” Kuttainen, V. (2017), a phrase, a quote, a statement, I’m not sure what to call it actually, that perfectly summarises most if not all social media networks. Social media is connecting people on unimaginable levels not in just their own domain but spanning across multiple platforms. Twitter connects to Facebook; Facebook connects to Instagram, which then can connect to YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr and other miscellaneous social sites. The possibilities are endless. Like maps social networks are built in an intentional way with a set purpose in mind, a purpose that is clear to the creator, and contains a depiction of the creator’s interests. As stated in Wood, D et al, 'The multiple truths of the mappable world' “Every map serves a specific purpose. Every map advances an interest”, (2006 p.4).

As time continues new interests arise and with interest grows community, change, and most importantly connections. This is especially relevant for my chosen social network Reddit of which I introduced in my previous blog last Friday. Reddit is a site with numerous arms, branches, corners, and doors. See what I did there A, B, C, D. Yeah I know I’m really clever. These ‘branches’ span to numerous, what could be called, communities but Reddit has titled subreddits. Subreddits are forums that are dedicated to a specific topic all held within the one network platform.

Randal S. Olson, 2014, http://www.randalolson.com/2014/10/27/the-reddit-world-map/ 

 With maps arrives the opportunity for discovery in both the physical and nonphysical sense. An example being the Mercator’s map, which is known by many names such as the world map, the map of the traveler and most importantly the map of the navigator, referenced in Wood, D et al, 'The multiple truths of the map able world' (2006, p.4-5). Within these virtual community’s millions of people reside creating groups and constructs that are all connected through common interests, See more on the topic with a TED talk by Troy, D. (2014). 

https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_troy_social_maps_that_reveal_a_city_s_intersections_and_separations#t-283433 

With the development of such large scale social media comes the ability, and the numbers to map out these communities and their connection and physically present them much like a map with visual representations of flight plans and shipping routes. Like any map there can be over representation of communities, continents, and groups but in social networking that’s more for the reason, that one thing is more popular in a certain area than others. Although the population is what makes the map and in a sense combined they are what makes the hypothetical landforms seen in the image above. The map is technically created by the larger population and is in fact created with what is deemed most important.

References

Troy, D. (2014, October). Social maps that reveal a city’s intersections-and separations [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_troy_social_maps_that_reveal_a_city_s_intersections_and_separations#t-283433 

Wood, D et al. (2006). 'The multiple truths of the mappable world'. Many Ways to See the World. (p.p.4-5) Oxford, UK: New Internationalist Publications.

Olson, R. (2014). Randal S. Olson [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.randalolson.com/2014/10/27/the-reddit-world-map/ 

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture 4: Maps. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/webapps/portal/execute/tabs/tabAction?tab_tab_group_id=_292_1