While the new generations of youngsters are fumbling around on Tik Tok and Instagrass (isn’t that what the place you post cat pictures on is called?) everybody knows that the truly cool people of this world are spending their time on Reddit.
It is also beyond doubt that your average Israeli Redditor is every bit as cool as his international counterpart. But the question remains: does anybody actually use Reddit in Israel? And — if you’re not doing so— why should you get on it?
Do People Use Reddit in Israel?
Despite our best efforts, After Aliyah wasn’t able to collate official information regarding Reddit use in Israel.
Nevertheless, it’s generally understood that — at present — Reddit’s penetration of both the tsabra and olim market remains very limited. Nobody really knows how limited or whether it’s becoming less limited over time. But when was the last time you peered over nosily at someone’s phone, while waiting for the אוטובוס, and saw them scrolling through Reddit? We rest our case.
The main subreddit for Israel is /r/israel. Oh, and a subreddit is essentially a homepage for a community to congregate around. Standards are enforced through moderators — which essentially serve the same function as admins in Facebook groups.
There are Jewish-interested subreddits too. And literally more than 100,000 more.
Are There Hebrew Subreddits?
There’s a subreddit for those learning Hebrew. A group nobody has ever described as Hebrew as a Second Language (HSL) individuals but which this website will happily coin. That’s at /r/hebrew.
The main subreddit that’s actually in Hebrew on the network is /r/ani_bm. The subreddit’s URL is a contraction for אני במציאות. There are a few more smaller Hebrew subreddits.
Are There Complanglos on Reddit?
Complaining Anglos (“complanglos”) can be found congregating in every crack and pore of the digital world. That includes Reddit.
But we assume that you meant “are there Anglos on Reddit?” R/israel is a mixture of both Israelis and olim. Some posters post in Hebrew despite the subreddit’s official “language” appearing to be English.
Why Should I Be On Reddit?
One notable feature of Reddit is that most posters post using usernames that don’t reveal their true identity. In our biased opinion this has some negative effects: when people aren’t putting their reputations on the line, they can be acerbic and nasty. Reddit has a reputation for toxicity and, sometimes, it’s well-deserved.
On the other hand anonymity can be useful if you want to discuss things … without people knowing who you really are.
Another pro in Reddit’s favor is that there are some insanely niche communities on it. Yes, that’s true of Facebook groups do. But Reddit often seems to have a knack for congregating people with eclectic interests.
Be’Kitsur
Reddit isn’t much of a ‘thing’ yet in Israel but the situation is subject to ongoing change. Nevertheless, there is a subreddit “for” Israel. And there’s even one in Hebrew. Oh, and you should head over to /r/Hebrew so that you can find a better source of information than After Aliyah.
Article ID: 510
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Daniel Rosehill is an oleh hadash who moved to Jerusalem from Ireland six years ago. Daniel founded AfterAliyah to host information useful to the post-aliyah community. To contact Daniel,click here.
