Unlock with PatreonAbout This Episode
With over 700 million monthly visits, Reddit is one of the most popular websites in the world. For many, it’s “the front page of the internet,” a source-agnostic content aggregator fueled by the wisdom of the crowd. To others, it’s the home of trolls, hacked celebrity photos, and controversy. Decide for yourself when StarTalk Radio host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Discover how Reddit got started, and how, like Google, it may never have existed at all if its founders’ original idea had taken off instead. Find out why Reddit has become an important vehicle for the dissemination and popularization of science at a time when traditional science journalism is under siege. In studio, returning guest and media pundit Jeff Jarvis helps contextualize Reddit’s importance, particularly when it comes to free speech and the never-ending battle to ensure an open Internet. You’ll learn about the successful grass-roots battle to ensure net neutrality that Alexis and Reddit led against Comcast, Verizon, and the cable/telco lobbyists who don’t believe that all “bits” should be treated equally. You’ll also hear how Reddit’s famous AMAs came about, why so many politicians and celebrities don’t have what it takes to deliver a good one, and the most interesting question Neil was asked in his numerous AMAs. And if you’re a Eugene Mirman fan, you won’t want to miss his take on how the Internet helped his career – and about a particular email he got from Pete Townshend of The Who.
NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: Unravelling Reddit with Alexis Ohanian.
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