One of the most iconic Reddit threads that encapsulates the unique culture of the platform is the tale of “The great banana for scale phenomenon.” This story originates from an old post on the subreddit r/funny, where a user posted a picture of a banana as a tool for measurement, humorously suggesting using everyday objects to provide scale to the size of objects in photos. The concept quickly gained popularity and became a meme within the Reddit community and beyond, with users across various subreddits wielding the banana as an informal and humorous standard unit of measurement.
Another prominent thread to take note of is the “Mr. Splashy Pants” campaign, which took place in r/science and highlighted the power of the Reddit community in the decision-making process. Initiated by Greenpeace, the campaign involved a public vote to name a humpback whale. The suggestion “Mr. Splashy Pants,” made by a user to add a light-hearted twist, rapidly became a favorite, demonstrating the communal and sometimes quirky influence Redditors have when united for a common cause.
Additionally, the story of “The Button” on r/thebutton is a quintessential thread that fascinated the Reddit community for months. Launched on April 1, 2015, it featured a simple button with a 60-second countdown timer. Each user could only press it once, and upon pressing, the timer reset. This thread sparked a mixture of collaboration, competition, and community-building as users speculated potential outcomes and formed groups based on the time at which they pressed the button.
These stories are essential pieces of Reddit’s culture, illustrating the site’s unique blend of humor, collaboration, and social experimentation.
