I’m a secret Reddit lurker
Sandwiched between Google Calendar, Google Drive, Canvas and all of the other essential tabs I keep open at all times for school is a little orange favicon with a white smiling alien. That would be Snoo, Reddit’s oddly endearing mascot. But maybe you wouldn’t even spot it — not because you’re rows behind me in the cramped seating of a Dwinelle classroom, but because I’ve completely dimmed my screen in an attempt to disguise the fact that I’m deeply immersed in a Reddit thread during lecture, or even just in public. However, if you are privy to my moments of Reddit indulgence, here are my top four threads you might find me lurking on. r/nycinfluencersnarkr/berkeleyr/truecrimer/nosleepWhile I often frequent these threads during moments of boredom, procrastination and the occasional spiral, I actually use Reddit more regularly as a kind of informal search engine. I almost always add “Reddit” to the end of my Google search queries. Why? Because I trust that little white alien more than just about anything else on the internet. I don’t care if the thread hasn’t been touched in a decade and the usernames are long deactivated — I still scroll through it like I’m desperately digging for treasure. Often, after a few scrolls and hyperlink clicks, I’ll reach my answer and finally permit myself to triumphantly close the Reddit tab. I’ve stumbled upon some of my favorite life hacks on Reddit, holy grail product recommendations, endless sources of entertainment and perhaps most memorably, my UC Berkeley acceptance. Senior year, I spent hours scouring r/A2C, the infamous “Applying to College” thread. Sure, it was chaotic, obsessive and anxiety-inducing, but it also gave me a strange sense of comfort. I wasn’t the only one scrutinizing wording in emails from admission offices or anticipating decision release dates. Thousands of other seniors were experiencing the same emotions and decision-making processes. Somewhere in that vast world of r/A2C, I also encountered something called portal astrology. If you know, you know. It involved entering either your application or student ID in UC Berkeley’s admissions portal and analyzing the error message you received — “unauthorized” vs “forbidden” — to determine whether or not you had gotten in before the official website loaded confetti and celebratory messages. It was ridiculous. But it was everything I could cling to in those anxious weeks leading up to the end of March. Was it a reliable method? To be honest, I’m not sure, but it felt like a legitimate ritual, a process that promised clarity and confirmation amid a time that provided anything but that. Although my r/A2C days are long gone, and I haven’t revisited the thread since, my Reddit journey is far from over. Reddit is now a nonnegotiable part of my online shopping process. Before I buy or try anything — a new shampoo, a fake Apple pencil, my recently purchased iPad or a mattress topper — I search for it on Reddit. I rely on real people for second opinions, comprehensive reviews and brutally honest takes that extend beyond influencer sponsorships or five-star bots. Reddit is where I find out if the product actually works or if a cheaper alternative to it exists. The world’s most opinionated shoppers and generous thinkers come together on this internet platform. I’ve read through countless essays on how products, even as simple as moisturizer, have changed lives for the better or for the worse. Just last week, as I hovered my phone over the tap-to-pay terminal, about to buy an iPad and a ridiculously overpriced Apple Pencil — might I add it was the version that doesn’t even wirelessly charge — I stopped myself. “One second,” I told the Apple specialist who had been dealing with my indecision for the past 30 minutes. I pulled up Safari and quickly typed: “Amazon Apple Pencil dupe Reddit.” Within seconds, I was reassured by a flood of posts that unless I was an artist, there was absolutely no reason to spend almost $100 on the real Apple Pencil. Well, I’m in fact not an artist, so I immediately, but politely, let the specialist know I would not be walking out with that pencil. While other platforms, such as TikTok, can offer valuable information through shortform content, visuals and live-action reviews, they often come with a catch. With the rise of TikTok Shop, influencer sponsorships, algorithm-driven consumption and now artificial intelligence, I’m finding it harder and harder to discern what’s genuine and what’s not. In contrast, Reddit consistently feels refreshingly untouched by consumerist greed, while rawness and honesty persist. Redditors aren’t trying to peddle you a product, but are often only trying to help and share what worked for them. But Reddit doesn’t just help me decide what to buy — it’s also where I’ve gained valuable information that has helped me navigate life at UC Berkeley and beyond. I’ve used it to research everything from which classes to take to which hikes to traverse in the Bay Area. When I first visited the Opening Computing Facility, or OCF, at school last year, I found myself caught in the middle of a full-blown printing frenzy. A career fair was being held nearby in the Recreational Sports Facility, and students were lined up besides both of the OCF’s printers, frantically printing out resumes. After I finally figured out how to create my OCF account and the masses had filed out, I noticed a few forgotten copies left behind on the tray. I skimmed them, and quietly realizing mine looked absolutely nothing like them, I tucked the papers away in my backpack for later use. When I returned to my dorm , I pulled them back out onto my desk, opened my laptop and typed “Resume template Reddit” into the search bar. Within minutes, I had made a copy of a clean, professional-looking template that looked identical to the ones I had pilfered just hours ago at the OCF.In a way, Reddit marked the beginning of my professional career. I had the resume that legitimized my professional journey. Reddit soon became my go-to for interview prep, cover letter templates and internship opportunities. At one point earlier this year, I started wondering what else I could do with my English major. A quick Reddit search led me down a rabbit hole of threads exploring careers in communications, public affairs and writing roles that extended far beyond publishing or teaching — an entire world I hadn’t even considered. That’s how I first came across a strategic communications firm that caught my eye. I looked them up, clicked through their website, ended up on the team page and noticed a recent UC Berkeley alum listed. A week later, I was on a Zoom with her, learning about her time at UC Berkeley, her path and her work — all thanks to a random Reddit comment that nudged me in a new direction.Reddit offers a trove of possibilities, and it is an endlessly rich resource where curiosity can lead to discovery and strangers can become unexpected gurus and mentors. It’s a platform where real, unfiltered experiences come together to guide, inform and entertain. Whether I’m searching for honest product reviews, career advice or recommendations, Reddit is there. In a world full of polished marketing and curated feeds, Reddit remains refreshingly raw, honest and invaluable. So next time you have a question and want real answers, maybe give that little white alien a chance.
Comments (0)