2 pages
Social Science 3A:
Computational Research in the Social Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Summer Session I 2020
Recommended Subreddits for Analysis
I. Warnings and Notes
Please be aware that while on Reddit, you may encounter content that is uncomfortable or offensive. There are moderators in place, but each subreddit will have its own rules for behavior. You may see comments that exhibit: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and other exclusionary or gatekeeping behaviors.
You may also find that some of the subreddit names include words that are either largely considered offensive or make little sense in context.
It is important to keep in mind that ALL of these aspects are things that we can observe, record, and analyze. They can each tell us something valuable about a group’s culture and identity. We get a sense for the overall norms established within a group and Reddit is especially useful for this with its downvote feature. This gives us a sense of what the group thinks is permissible – or not.
Recommendation: AVOID POSTS AND SUBREDDITS MARKED NSFW (Not Safe For Work)
II. Note for Those with a Subreddit in Mind
While you can choose something that you are familiar with or that is more political for your project, please run these by me first!
Find the focus of the subreddit here!
III. Recommendations for Subreddits
i. Animals
https://www.reddit.com/r/rarepuppers/
https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/ (usually)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Awwducational/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalsBeingBros/
https://www.reddit.com/r/hitmanimals/
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardcoreaww/
https://www.reddit.com/r/thecatdimension/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PartyParrot/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalsBeingJerks/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GrassDoggos/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Petloss/ (this one deals specifically with pet death, but could offer an interesting opportunity to examine how people grieve their pets and provide support to one another in this context)
ii. Nature and Landscapes
https://www.reddit.com/r/GardenWild/
https://www.reddit.com/r/nature/
https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureIsFuckingLit/
https://www.reddit.com/r/EarthPorn/ (SFW [Safe for Work] – an example of odd naming habits)
https://www.reddit.com/r/MostBeautiful/ (often also features architecture/cities)
iii. Gaming
Overall, I need to issue a “proceed at your own risk” message here. I’ve tried to manage the options for those that are active and should be somewhat safer, but I cannot guarantee you will not run into any unpleasantness or uncomfortable content here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Doom/
https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberpunkgame/
https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/
https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fallout/
https://www.reddit.com/r/FFVIIRemake/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GodofWar/
https://www.reddit.com/r/harvestmoon/
https://www.reddit.com/r/masseffect/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/thesims/
https://www.reddit.com/r/splatoon/
https://www.reddit.com/r/StardewValley/
https://www.reddit.com/r/thewitcher3/
https://www.reddit.com/r/zelda/
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https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/
https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warmachine/
iv. General Topics
https://www.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/
https://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/
https://www.reddit.com/r/WholesomeComics/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/ (this one CAN and likely WILL get political)
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/ (this is another that definitely can get uncomfortable or political)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Art/ (also this one)
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/ (there is a potential to get offensive here, but the culture developed in this subreddit could be of interest)
v. Media
https://www.reddit.com/r/television/
https://www.reddit.com/r/netflix/
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/
https://www.reddit.com/r/books/
vi. Food
https://www.reddit.com/r/food/
https://www.reddit.com/r/veganrecipes/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Baking/
IV. Guidance on Topics to Search for in Academic Research
i. Collective Identity
ii. Online Interaction/Online Culture
iii. Norms
iv. Animals and Society
v. Society and Nature
vi. Environmental Sociology
vii. Video Games
viii. Leisure
V. A Note on Finding Research
When you are looking for academic research to support your paper, you may need to travel back and forth between finding the research and looking at your data. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you can use “adjacent” research. For example, perhaps you do not find much on baking specifically, but you might be able to find research on hobbies, leisure, and food that you could build a case on. For example, what do hobbies do for people? What do you see happening on the baking subreddit?