Jacob Desforges

You Should Quit Reddit

In recent years, countless books, articles, and documentaries have addressed the negative effects that social media platforms have wrought on their users and society. However, these former works are incomplete - nearly no attention has been paid to Reddit, one of the most popular websites in the world. Reddit is certainly unique among social platforms, but its potential for addiction and darker side of nefarious activity should absolutely not be understated. Additionally, nearly no actionable advice has been provided to users of these platforms. The audience is told that these websites and apps are harming their mental health, wasting their time, and that they are addictive (which would logically make the task of quitting rather difficult), but then provided zero guidance on how to disconnect from them. Over 200,000 users gather on Reddit's /r/NoSurf community to discuss reducing their internet use; the forum is filled with reports of people who want to quit Reddit, but find themselves psychologically compelled to return to the site over and over. For moderate to heavy users of these platforms, quitting is clearly not so simple. You Should Quit Reddit is a paradigm shift in the genre. Jacob Desforges was a Reddit user of over a decade, and a self-admitted Reddit addict who spent on average around three hours daily on the site. Not only is this the first book investigating Reddit's flaws as a platform, but it is also written from the perspective of someone who experienced firsthand the struggle that comes with quitting these addictive platforms. This book therefore also provides readers with the practical advice, tools, and techniques needed to shatter the cycle of digital addiction, enabling them to quit visiting Reddit and other time-wasting websites for good, so they can effectively reclaim their time to use in a more intentional manner.