Reddit calls itself “the front page of the internet,” but only 6 percent of adult Internet users use the site, according to a recent survey by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
The survey asked 1,895 online adults if they used Reddit. About 15 percent of male Internet users ages 18 to 29 said they did, and only 5 percent of female Internet users in the same age range said they did.
“Definitely more males use Reddit,” said 23-year-old UF alumnus Jonathan Siudmak. “I see it in the threads. There is definitely more male dominance and less female interaction.”
The 6 percent statistic seems accurate, said Ryan Carley, a 22-year-old UF history senior.
“It seemed small at first, but whenever I mention the website, most have only heard about it and have never actually been on the site,” he said.
UF University Relations’ social media specialist, Bruce Floyd, said he thinks most Reddit users probably fall between age 18 and 25. Because Gainesville has such a large number of residents in that age group, there are likely to be many users in the area, he said.
From July 9-15, the Gainesville subreddit had about 31 posts. Naples, Fla., a smaller city without a large young population, had just two posts on its subreddit during that time.
Amanda Bieber, a 21-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology senior, said she loves using Reddit.
“I don’t have to wade through tons of uninteresting content because other users have already down-voted the garbage and up-voted the good links,” she said.
Floyd expects Reddit will see more users soon.
“As interests change and topics become more heated, new subreddits can be made,” he said. “Because it is more pliable, there’s opportunity for the platform to change to fit its users’ interests.”
