Reddit sees biggest ever ban of hundreds of thousands of users amid cull inspired by Avengers’ Thanos
It is not clear what fate awaits those who have been wiped out
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Reddit has seen its biggest ever ban, with more than 350,000 kicked out of a subreddit.
What's more, those people specifically wanted to be banned – and many had joined in the hope of doing so.
The event all took place because the subreddit in question was themed around the villain from Avengers: Infinity War. The forum advanced the idea that Thanos wasn't actually a villain at all, with the name /r/thanosdidnothingwrong.
In keeping with the narrative of the film – in which Thanos clicks his fingers and kills half of the population of the universe – the forum decided that it would have a similar clearout of half of its members.
The event led to huge interest, with hundreds of thousands of users joining the group to see how it took place. The event was even supported by Josh Brolin, who plays Thanos in the film.
Because of the vast amount of interest, Reddit engineers created a program that would randomly remove half of the users in "a quick and easy manner". It livestreamed that event, which took place overnight.
On the Thanos subreddit, those that are left have been celebrating the removal, which is thought to be by Reddit's biggest by far.
"The ban is complete," a post at the top of the forum reads. "The sub is now perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Our Saviour Thanos would be proud."
Those that have been kicked out have been asked to join a subreddit called "In The Soul Stone" instead. On Reddit as in the real world, it is unclear what will happen to those who have been culled.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments