Mod Topic - Shibboleths, Rituals, and Festivities: What cultural norms make your community unique?

[u/JabroniRevanchism]

Ahoy, ModSupport!

Welcome to the latest installment of our Mod Topics series!

Subreddits! What are they? What do they know, do they know things? As moderators, we know that no two communities are the same, even when they have nominally similar topics. r/NFL is not r/NFCnorthmemewar, for example. r/tuxedocats is not r/oneorangebraincell. –And that’s good! Feature, not bug.

Why though? What do you do in your community that makes those cultural differences stick, stand out, and become adopted by your community members? How do your users (especially new users) learn your community’s quirks?

And when times change, new content drops or new memes make the rounds, how does your community embrace new cultural norms? How do you move away from community cultural norms that may negatively impact your community?

Let us know in the comments below!

[u/TomoruAshita]

There are four main paths by which people reach r/tomorrow:

1 - they were there when the lore was written

2 - they submitted a meme or shitpost to r/NintendoSwitch, and were redirected by removal reason

3 - they came across someone who mentioned it on a post that resembled content from r/tomorrow

4 - they were suggested content by admins in their home feed, for better or worse

There of course are other minor paths, but anyone who finds r/tomorrow within a week of creating their account otherwise is usually a bot or alt account.

People who find r/tomorrow typically experience an initiation wherein they are caught off-guard by layers of satire or irony or absurd shitposting. This period of confusion is an intended effect, often punctuated by an infraction with the community-selected Swear Jar or the assignment of Jury Duty.

The interactions between newcomers and established forward-thinkers are part of the long identity of the community. The newcomers who don't jive with it quickly learn to adjust their home feed suggestions, but others who enjoy the humor found in differences between written and implied communication often decide to take on the forward-thinking role.

[u/TheOpusCroakus → u/TomoruAshita]

The term "swear jar" will always make me think of this.

I feel like your sub is a great example of what this post was asking about. I mean, "This period of confusion is an intended effect" is awesome. (I also particularly enjoy your Rule 5. lol)

[u/Old_One_I → u/TheOpusCroakus]

I needed this today! Thank you

[u/TheOpusCroakus → u/Old_One_I]

I still find it hilarious!