I doubt I could write a movie with more twists than a Reddit post. From romance to horror stories, the site truly has it all. I’ve spent countless hours scrolling through threads, enraptured by the sheer absurdity of the situations I was reading about. Every time I expected a story to wrap up, another curveball got thrown and my bedtime was delayed by another two hours.
Reading through a thread, it’s easy to find entertainment the same way you would in a book or movie. It’s fun to treat a post like fiction — something to laugh at, share with your friends and scroll away from. Then, reality hits you like a gut punch when you remember that many of these stories are true, down to their most intimate details.
Since its creation in 2013, the popular “Am I the Asshole?” subreddit has become a cesspool of oversharing. Users often visit the subreddit to ask for advice on interpersonal conflicts in their lives, looking to determine whether or not they’re the “asshole” in the situation. Commenters bestow the judgment of YTA (You’re the Asshole) or NTA (Not the Asshole) and provide their opinions on the circumstances. If a situation is ongoing, posts may be edited by the OP (original poster) to discuss developments and ask for further advice.
While the AITA subreddit has helped many users remedy their conflicts, it has also attracted hoards of people looking to validate their poor decisions. Neglectful parents and jealous spouses often hijack the subreddit, complaining about graves they dug for themselves. One poster forbade her husband from attending his best friend’s funeral because she believed their relationship was “inappropriate.” Another screamed at her adult daughter’s roommate, whom she called a “leech,” while her daughter was hospitalized. She claimed the roommate was the reason her daughter did not want to speak with her in the hospital, saying she “KNEW that leech did something to make that happen.” In both posts, commenters called out the OP’s vitriol, recommending a healthy dose of self-reflection and empathy.
When opening up personal disputes to public opinion, it’s important to recognize the difference between venting frustration and asking for advice. The core question behind AITA is whether the OP is wrong in the situation, but posters like these easily become defensive when receiving negative feedback. This twisted perspective only causes posters to push back harder when they are inevitably called out for their behavior. For advice to be helpful, the OP must be willing to accept it, which many are unwilling to do.
And of course, who can forget the infamous Cbat incident? One fateful day, under the Today I Fucked Up subreddit, user Tyler Life posted to admit to playing Hudson Mohawke’s “Cbat” during intimacy. His girlfriend (shockingly) hated the song, leading to a rift in their relationship. The post sent the internet into a frenzy as more people listened to the song, putting Life’s unconventional music taste during intimate moments on full display. After the thread was discovered by his girlfriend’s younger sister, the relationship ended, but the legacy of Cbat lives on.
While the strangeness of these experiences makes for solid entertainment, it’s important to consider the real-world consequences of Reddit posts. Even when using pseudonyms or throwaway accounts, AITA or TIFU stories may reveal extremely personal information about the OP or other players involved. Sharing intimate details about a partner online, often without their knowledge or consent, can jeopardize their privacy, as it did for Life. In extreme situations, the safety of the individuals involved may be compromised.
Reddit has supplied the internet with endless content to voice-over videos of Subway Surfers gameplay. I’m sure not every story is real — I truly hope that no one’s relationship has been home wrecked by an imaginary giant cockroach — but the probability is always above zero. Commenters offering advice are doing so with limited information about the conflict and may not have the full context to base their guidance on. Looking through the small window these users provide into their lives, it’s easy to place blame on one person entirely, ignoring any nuance in the story. When dealing with particularly serious situations, the personal information revealed may expose the OP to unwanted publicity. A viral story may come at the expense of those most deeply affected, cementing their legacy on the internet forever.
Oversharing on the internet is not a new phenomenon, and it’s not going away anytime soon. All we can do is emphasize safety and responsibility when posting or commenting. Reddit advice may not be a substitute for therapy, but it can offer help in its own unique way.
Daily Arts Writer Morgan Sieradski can be reached at kmsier@umich.edu.
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