Reddit, and What I Found There

Meddit

Lafrance, Martin. 4/2010. Picture Can Be Found Here.

1. What kinds of things do people in the Reddit forums seem to be arguing about, debating, disagreeing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exchanges of ideas about? 

The two types of medium I observed being posted on Reddit were scholarly journal entries of findings and question-and-answer forums. After exploring Reddit's medical database, I found that there weren't a lot of articles about arguments or disagreements. The majority of any clashing opinions took place in the comment section of questions that were posted. Anyone can answer or discuss in the comment section, so every page really makes you feel like you've entered in on a conference right in the middle and everyone is shouting out their ideas. An example of things that were being debated would be the possible side effects of a drug, or the best at-home remedy for the common cold. Specifically to Reddit, doctors gather around and ask and answer questions that usually pertain to their jobs. This gave a very informal feel since the doctors were conversing with each other, as opposed to Twitter, where each page was individualistic to a person with a purpose to inform rather than discuss. 

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting debates/disagreements you found in the Reddit forums?

I found a lot of interesting posts, but the main problem I encountered was the level of informality of the users. I wanted to find a large collection of comments that were from medical professionals, and not just people who were interested in that topic and that topic only who wanted to put in their two cents. I found two articles that fit the bill and also pertained to information that I think would be relevant to my future. The first discussion post I found was from a nurse in emergency medicine. The post was inquiring about the possible faultiness of some lab results from a patient who drank ethanol (wrong kind of alcohol, dude)! I thought this was really interesting because I know some doctors who are in emergency medicine, and I hear horror stories like this one all the time. Although I don't know if this specialization is for me, I still love hearing about it. You can bet the comment section was a hit, too. I'm not going to lie, a lot of the information went straight over my head. What I did recognize, though, was just the sheer amount of knowledge that was presented by all types of different doctors: Toxicologists, Intensive Care Unit doctors, Radiation Oncologists, and even a PhD Biomedical Engineering student that put them all to shame. The other post I looked into was just as interesting, and also probably related more to my future. The question posed was about which specialty would be the best to go into if one did not want to live in the city. The two biggest results I repeatedly saw were psychiatry (gross) and family/internal medicine. A few comments actually advised against this because it would ] be tough because the insurance premiums. Out of this post, though, the most helpful advice I saw was that it is more advisable to work for a good company that offers plentiful travel connections than have your sights set on such a specific place to live.

3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening in the Reddit forums?

The impression that I got wasn't really anything that I didn't expect. All of the comments just reminded me that there are real people behind their titles. They have a lot of highly regarded knowledge but they aren't some higher beings that only speak the language of prescription. They talk (write) just like the rest of us mere mortals.