A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “Reddit”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott examines three "model organisms" for understanding aesthetic taste: vexillology (flag design), movie plot holes, and tech company naming, using each to explore different aspects of what makes something tasteful or tasteless.
Scott Alexander examines the prevalence of people going by initials, particularly those starting with 'J', and explores various theories to explain this trend.
Scott Alexander humorously describes AI-generated content simulating humans pretending to be robots pretending to be humans on Reddit.
Scott Alexander examines why compelling but unlikely stories on large internet platforms are probably lies, despite our reluctance to believe so.
Scott Alexander examines the challenges to free speech posed by centralized internet platforms and the difficulties in creating viable alternatives.