Reddit is a social media aggregator website that has exploded in popularity in recent years. It provides an easily accessible platform for users to post content that is upvoted or downvoted for ‘karma’ based on other users’ interest in the content. The more karma a post gets, the higher it appears on the front page of its subreddit, and the more attention it gets.

This user-generated content stream, as well as the increased attention Reddit has been receiving from major news outlets, has become extremely attractive to company marketers. It garners the brand a lot of goodwill, encourages existing consumers to increase their brand loyalty, and it’s an easy way to get your brand out without spending millions of dollars in advertising to do it.

As a regular Redditor myself, I don’t put much thought into my browsing. If I think it’s funny, it gets a chuckle and an upvote. If I find it interesting, I’ll click on the link. It’s not rocket science. There are a lot of things I don’t enjoy about Reddit, but in terms of fast, painless entertainment on the Internet it can’t be beat.

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of companies that seem to be universally approved of, like Costco and Taco Bell. I have a hard time believing that all of this goodwill is manufactured by these companies, but I don’t doubt that some of it has been planted on the site for marketing purposes. Is it ethical? Most people, like myself, don’t have their usual smokescreens up when browsing Reddit because we believe that it’s all been user-generated. It’s easier to get us to internalize brand messages than, say, through television or print ads. I can see why it’s so attractive, but it puts a bad taste in my mouth.