When it comes to social media, there are tons of options out there. However, one stands out from the pack in several ways: Reddit.

From an online forum about anything and everything, Reddit has built a strong community of passionate users through the years. Here are some key reasons why Reddit might just be the best social media platform out there today.

1. Reddit Is Designed for Anonymity

Often, social media sites require information such as your name, birthday, contact numbers, and so on. Sometimes, you may also need to submit photographic ID and other personal information.

These can cause numerous issues if the service is hacked. With information such as your full legal name, birthday, and supporting documents, hackers can steal your identity and commit fraud. For example, they can open bank accounts or apply for loans under your name.

On Reddit, users can use its service without having to reveal any details about themselves that they are not comfortable with. Aside from a username, password, and email address, you don't need to reveal your name or face when you sign up or engage with others.

2. Reddit Prioritizes User Feedback

Reddit is a platform that prioritizes the feedback of its users when it comes to what it shows first. With its unique upvote and downvote system, it's able to identify not just what people like, but also what they don't like, in a timely and accurate manner.

Using this information, Reddit can quickly sift through the millions of posts and draw eyes to content that other users have identified as valuable.

In comparison, some social media sites, such as Twitter or Instagram, only have mechanisms to show what users like. Additionally, while Facebook has added reaction emojis to aid in sentiment tracking, it's not as straightforward as the downvote and upvote feature of Reddit.

In fact, some platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, even limit the organic reach of user-generated content from existing followers. Unless the account owners pay for sponsored posts, a lot of content will just disappear into the internet void on these social media channels.

3. Content-Driven Social Credibility

While other platforms put a premium on followers, engagement rates, and network size to determine social credibility, Reddit uses the Karma system.

On Reddit, Karma is initially calculated by subtracting the total downvotes a person receives on their posts and comments from total upvotes—with a total Karma score awarded for each category.

It's a much fairer way of determining how much a user contributes to subreddits on the platform.

Unlike other social media platforms wherein it is common to find services to fake your follower counts, likes, or comments, there aren't many services that you can use to fake Reddit's Karma ratings. Not to mention that soliciting or paying for Karma is strictly against its community guidelines.

In addition, your posting history which shows how you've acquired Karma is available for everyone to see.

4. Strong Niche Communities

At its core, Reddit is a place where people come together to share their questions, thoughts, opinions, and experiences. Whether it's a place to discuss serious topics like politics or a fun space wherein people share cute cat content, there's a subreddit for almost every type of interest group.

Reddit makes it easy to interact with strangers from all over the world around shared interests or things you have in common. Without names attached to faces, some discussions are even easier to have.

For example, the NIH previously hosted an official "Ask Me Anything" or AMA regarding rare disease research and gene-based approach therapy in 2021. An AMA is basically an open forum wherein Reddit users can ask questions to professionals, field specialists, or people with interesting backgrounds.

During the NIH AMA, Reddit users were able to ask questions about animal testing, the effects of the internet on rare disease communities, and addressing the inequity of the healthcare system.

For Reddit users who have struggled with rare illnesses, Reddit contains many channels wherein they can share their experiences and raise awareness about their condition.

5. Moderation Standards

In many ways, moderators or mods are thought of as the civic leaders of online communities. On Reddit, thousands of moderators craft the experience of its millions of users.

Reddit has general admins who enforce general content policies against things like harassment or content that incites violence. However, each subreddit also has its own set of moderators.

To become a Reddit moderator, a user can be invited by existing mods or apply for the role as a volunteer.

Using a decentralized approach to moderating its forums, Reddit lets communities create most of the rules that govern them. For example, moderators can impose bans on toxic individuals, remove posts unrelated to the subreddit's topic, and so on.

In some communities, moderators also limit the number of users who can post to those who have achieved enough karma in order to prevent spam.

Before you sign up for an account, consider checking out these cool things you should know about Reddit.

6. It's Easy to Get Tech-Related Help on Reddit

While you can get help with your tech-related needs on other social media platforms, it's arguably easier to do so on Reddit. Because subreddits are typically super-focused on a particular niche, someone in the forum will likely be able to help you fix any problems you might have.

If you've encountered problems with your iPhone 13, for example, you can go to r/iphone. And for help with certain apps and products, you can go to those specific pages. You may find that you get a quicker response than if you contacted a customer support social media account, as these often have to consistently deal with larger volumes of requests.

7. Fewer Ads

Ad placements are an important part of many social media platforms' revenue models, but some users have complained about the number of ads that they see on networks like Instagram. Reddit does display ads on its website, but you'll notice a significant decrease compared to what you'll see elsewhere. Instead, most of the content you see on Reddit will be user-generated and more relevant to your interests. As a result, you may find that you have a more fulfilling online experience.

If you still use other social media platforms, you can reduce the number of ads you see. We've written a full guide to getting rid of annoying ads on Instagram if you want to check that out.

Get a Different Social Media Experience With Reddit

In online spaces, there's a never-ending stream of options when it comes to where to spend your time. But sometimes, you may find it tricky to get what you actually want out of the platforms you visit.

Reddit is a great place to get significant value, from tech tips to interesting niche topics. Whether you want to share vacation photos from exotic locations, get career advice, or learn about news trending in other parts of the world, there's probably a subreddit you can visit.