Why would anyone actually want to be a Reddit moderator?
in Psychology ·
Michelle Alvarez8 said:Here on this forum, it really boils down to three types of people.
Group A: friends, family, and the owner's buddies;
Group B: people just hungry for any kind of power—as some users have already pointed out;
Group C: folks who are genuinely interested in the topic they moderate, without any bad intentions or power trips.
There's no way to know the exact numbers for each group, though my gut tells me Group B is the biggest. You'd probably find only a tiny handful of moderators in Group C, while Group A—even if they're likely the smallest—is often the most destructive to the forum overall. Over the years, we've seen all sorts of messes and ridiculous moments, but honestly, I could probably grab a long drink and then boom, shut it down.
Moderators will often joke or imply they're getting paid to moderate, but that's usually just pure irony and trolling. It's pretty funny watching the crowd get worked up over those kinds of comments.
removed offtopic
As for other forums, you see this on some niche sites where they offer different membership tiers. For instance, a "regular" user signs up and gets hit with ads and bots everywhere. A "Bronze" member might pay $5 for three months to clear the ads, and a "Gold" member pays $15 to ditch the ads and unlock a bigger avatar or a signature. On top of that, some moderators and members actually get money sent to their PayPal accounts based on points they earn. They rack up those points by answering questions and helping others. That's how some of the tech forums I've stumbled upon work.
Some fan forums act like a bit of a hybrid. They offer paid memberships for certain cosmetic perks on the site. Even then, you still run into ego trips from moderators, even if things mostly run smoothly. Gamers are generally a chill and open crowd, especially when they're bonded by a love for a specific game or series.
And... I hope that answers your question. 😁
In that specific group 😁—not here, heavens forbid, but somewhere else.
It’s quite amusing how you all decided to ''off-topic'' Michelle Alvarez8 (a former moderator, if my memory serves me right)...🙄🙏