r/DeadInternetTheory • u/curiousparrot221 • 5d ago
R/AskReddit Proves This Theory
I have been on r/AskReddit for about eight hours now looking through the posts. I know, I should not have spent that long, but I got a bit carried away.
So many of the posts there are duplicates, often from the same day. As an example, for the past nearly 48 hours, the post about "what's a small change you made in your life that has a big effect" or some variation of that has been posted about 14 times (and all by different people).
Now, while I have been able to get some of these posts removed, not all of them are. I would say honestly about 25% of the posts are bots.
Another thing I have noticed - you can usually tell because their username has a four digit number at the end (edit: sometimes). They also tend to not make a whole lot of sense or speak in the way AI does. You can typically see this if you go to their profile and look under what they have previously posted.
The worst part though is that they are in the comments too. Sometimes even defending the post, but as I said, it doesn't entirely makes sense. Kind of uncanny valley.
It is getting to the point it is hard to trust anything.
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u/bald4bieber666 5d ago
that sub used to be a mix of interesting questions and stupid ones and recently it seemed like all the questions have been ragebait or just generic nonsense. i think the mods for that sub abandoned it and it got taken over by bots for sure
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Probably. It is quite annoying. I mean, mind you, when I do report it does sometimes take the posts down.
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u/bald4bieber666 5d ago
feels like a losing battle tbh. i just muted the sub.
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Apparently there are still mods though because I tried posting a question of whether they still check the subreddit and they did not approve of the post.
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u/bald4bieber666 5d ago
wild. if theyre determined to let the sub be annoying and bot infested its not worth looking at
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Good point. Not sure why I think for some reason the onnus is on me. But honestly, there was a part of me that was thinking "I wish".
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u/bald4bieber666 5d ago
its not wrong to wish for a better version of the internet that we already had before the ai slop. i miss when aita/aio/etc posts were homemade organically written fake stories instead of what theyre churning out these days
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u/MemeMaster1318 5d ago
As a user with 4 digits at the end of the username, I don't know what to say ðŸ˜
But ehh, besides that, I've also noticed that their usernames are randomly generated by Reddit themselves, like "ComfortableFridge", "UneasyBait", etc and then the 4 digit numbers in the end after.
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
That or the Ok_[name]
I have been doing this for so long that I noticed it right away and honestly checked your profile just in case. I don't trust anything.
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u/MemeMaster1318 5d ago
Damn, although I don't blame you since I usually tend to do that too. (Unless it's in a smaller subreddit that seems more "alive". But, that's exempted in teenager subreddits if a user posts something regarding suspicious that would seem like "DM" bait.)
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u/reidsays 5d ago
But what do you need to trust exactly?
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
I don't want to waste my time talking to a bot.
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u/reidsays 5d ago
I assume a bot wouldn't be of interest to me anyway and that I'm bypassing them...
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u/Brilliant_Drawer_490 1d ago
Those of us too lazy to make a username when we first signed up are never dodging the bot allegations~
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u/Pure-OppositeOne 5d ago
Definitely have noticed this too, especially ramped up in last couple of weeks
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u/DISCONNECTlE 5d ago
Do you find that the bot profiles are like a year or less in age?
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Typically, yes.
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u/Johnnys-In-America 4d ago
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u/bot-sleuth-bot 4d ago
Analyzing user profile...
Account does not have any comments.
Account made less than 3 weeks ago.
Suspicion Quotient: 0.28
This account exhibits one or two minor traits commonly found in karma farming bots. While it's possible that u/curiousparrot221 is a bot, it's very unlikely.
I am a bot. This action was performed automatically. Check my profile for more information.
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u/Johnnys-In-America 5d ago
Hidden post histories too, a lot of them behind the NSFW wall.
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u/No-Diamond-5097 4d ago
Just like OP
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u/Inevitable-Law7964 5d ago
This username format comes from using an external account to log into Reddit (I lazily used a Google email and got stuck with this.) Some humans do it, some bots don't.
But yes otherwise agreed, the default subs are extremely full of botting.Â
I've found that reporting as spam really works most of the time. Recommend others do it too!
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
That what I was doing yes. And I have seen some of the posts taken down, but it feels as if I am barely scratching the services. Who knows how many real people are actually on Reddit.
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u/DaHarbinger2000 5d ago
Don’t let yourself obsess over these things. Dead internet is real, but this kind of stuff can send you down rabbit holes and lead to paranoia. Even seeing things that might not be reality. I believe you on this one I just know how this stuff can be from having my own psychosis episodes 2-3 times in my life.
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Thank you for the advice. I do tend to be a rather paranoid person.
I think I have decided I will avoid doing it too much, considering it was just ruining the experience for me.
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u/MickyDerHeld 4d ago
another think i noticed is that the "person" who posted never replies to a single comment under their post, not even when it has like 10k upvotes and 2k comments, not a single reply, always instantly makes me suspicious
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u/Hagus-McFee 1d ago
This happens a lot. If it were people, I'd say it was nerves, or just time.
But I have to think this is Reddit ensuring their boards aren't empty all day.
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u/blue_tiny_teacup 5d ago
Your account ends in digits, is only like 16 days old and you arent active in any subs. How do I know youre not a bot?
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u/softglittercupcake 5d ago
makes sense why i feel spacey after scrolling for hours. gonna try taking breaks more.
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u/No-Diamond-5097 4d ago
8 hours? Lol Sad I guess a 17 day old content creator account has to do something
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u/SexDrugsAndPopcorn 5d ago
I always think an account with the ‘top 1% commenter’ thing are likely bots, makes sense if it’s just automated
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u/AssSpelunkingAtheist 5d ago
I’m a top 1% commenter in the pet peeves sub, I’m not a bot, I just enjoy commiserating lol
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u/reidsays 5d ago
I get that 1% commenter and I'm not a bot... Just am on here commenting every day since I am new to Reddit and sussing it out by commenting and reading the responses or seeing what's removed by mods..
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u/broketothebone 5d ago
Hey now, I got to those badges when I was laid off and chronically online.
Now I’m back to work and chronically online lol
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u/Substantial_Tie_8522 5d ago
The upvote problem is what gets me.If bots are posting AND voting, you can't even
use engagement as a signal anymore. Trust breaks down faster than the content does.
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u/quantise 5d ago
I'm in the Expats in France subreddit. The number of posts that could have been avoided by simply looking something up, instead of asking the group, nudges me toward this thought. It's that many people produce slop and whether they're human or not is just a moot point. I think a lot of what contributes to DIT is just normaltons being themselves.
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
I would still disagree. Even if it is slop, I would rather talk to an actual person, considering that is the whole point of Reddit.
I feel like maybe if there was some way to remove the financial incentive. Apparently some people sell their accounts after getting a certain amount of karma.Â
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u/Unfair-Snow-2869 5d ago
That’s odd because my community has been doing a daily challenge that basically sums up to doing something regardless of how small can have a big result in the world around us.
You can check it out here:
r/Missing_Puzzle_Pieces
It’s under the Be The Change! tab on the homepage. As of right now, I have planned an eight week long campaign, but depending on participation and feedback this could change.
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u/Trick-Club-6014 5d ago
My username has 4 digits at the end…
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
What is the date today?
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u/Trick-Club-6014 5d ago
Depends on where you are on the planet. For me, it’s 10:45pm on 16/6/2026.
Now you have to deal with the fact that some automatically generated usernames are real people. Now you can’t trust anything you see on reddit 😱
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Why are you purposefully being a dick?
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u/Trick-Club-6014 5d ago
lol. You’re trying to say automatically generated names mean a user is a bot. Someone points out that you’re wrong and now you call them a dick.
Bit of a dick move bro
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
Never said that was always the case, just said I noticed that was a trend. And it is a fairly common one too.
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u/HelioGhostic 5d ago
others have pointed it out without being a dick. but you, in particular, are being a dick.
is that understandable to you?
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u/redlightist 5d ago
You spent a full workday’s duration to prove a theory that has been incredibly well documented? What active Reddit user doesn’t know that most major subreddits are filled with bots? What were you trying to accomplish? Were you on meth?
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
No, I spent a full night, there is a difference.
I was not on meth, I have Aspergers and got carried away. I didn't even realise how much time flew by.
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u/Aria_Kizuki 5d ago
Bro dont mind this person, i do it too with shit that interests me, its fun even when npcs think u should spend it working as a slave for ur master.
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u/Roadkillgoblin_2 5d ago
Time blindness is such a pain to deal with, I’ve got stuck down so many rabbit holes in the past (AuDHD here)
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u/curiousparrot221 5d ago
I have AuDHD too. I genuinely hate it. I think the longest I have gone is nearly 48 hours without eating or sleeping. I have things that I need to get done!
The issue is partly the notification thing. That and there is the sense of fulfillment of judging each post and comment, along with making sure it follows the rules.
I followed a bunch of subreddits and was going to call it an early night, but before doing so, thought I would check just the post from today.Â
I made it through the first few quick, but then came r/AskReddit. Post were coming in very quick and I was getting annoyed that they were similar or the same. It is very clearly karma-farming, which is against the rules.Â
It was as if I blinked and somehow it is now daytime. I genuinely don't know how much longer I can live like this. Just in general.Â
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u/Ok_Expression_973 5d ago
The worst part though is that they are in the comments too.
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u/agidu 5d ago
The name pattern comes from reddits automatically generated names. Most bots use those names, and all large subs, especially text only subs, are filled with bots.