Technology AI, Science and New Things
More than a hundred Reddit communities have banned users from posting links to X in the wake of Elon Musk’s arm gesture at a rally after the Trump inauguration, interpreted by many as a fascist salute. Musk brushed aside Monday’s incident, saying his critics “need better dirty tricks”.
But that hasn’t stopped links to his platform being blocked on fan-run subreddits about topics such as the NBA (15 million members), the NFL (12 million members), World of Warcraft (three million members), Disneyland (1.4 million members), and the military (489,000 members).
Although dozens of brands have boycotted X over the past few months, what’s happened on Reddit is pure people power and speaks to the way it operates.
Reddit the company may have no site-level ban on X links, but it relies heavily on the moderation of its users.
Subreddits are largely free to decide what is and isn’t allowed in their communities. Hundreds are doing so.
