<p>On Thursday, discussions on R/Bangalore ranged from the expected footfall at the upcoming Open Day at the Indian Institute of Science to the lack of strict rainwater harvesting regulations, the hunt for ‘pink flower’ trees, and the status of a fashion store’s closing sale.</p>.<p>The Bengaluru-centric forum has been around on Reddit since 2008, blending social networking with community-driven discussions. According to its moderators and users, it is the oldest and largest such subreddit (name for interest-based communities). It has 8.9 lakh members, mostly in their early to mid-20s, along with a significant number of teenagers.</p>.Jams you love: Community gigs a big hit in Bengaluru.<p>One of its six moderators, a businessman, spoke to Metrolife anonymously via email, in line with Reddit’s emphasis on privacy through the use of pseudonyms. He took over R/Bangalore from its founder in 2011 to “help people connect” and “navigate life in the city”. Back then, Reddit wasn’t mainstream, and the community had just 200 subscribers.</p>.<p>On an average day, threads (Reddit equivalent of posts) feature traffic and weather updates, food and drink recommendations, ride-sharing complaints, and local experiences. “Major traffic jams on Outer Ring Road and seasonal floods also drive engagement. Government initiatives, especially the free bus travel scheme for women, frequently spark heated discussions,” he says.</p>.<p>The forum reached 1 lakh members in the first year of the pandemic and is now approaching 10 lakh. However, a growing user base brings along challenges. Repetitive questions like “Where can I find X?” and “What can I do in place Y?” dominate discussions, along with inappropriate requests, “hindering more meaningful conversations”.</p>.<p>“We have also observed a deliberate effort to create a divide between north Indian migrants and local Bengalureans,” he adds. Another worrying trend is a spike in posts revolving around “loneliness and mental health struggles”.</p>.<p>Plus, their “Pay it forward” culture is not what it used to be before. Earlier members — “introverted, tech-savvy users” — actively helped others, while newer users, he observes, are more extroverted and take help but do not “give back”.</p>.<p><strong>Impact on lives</strong></p>.<p>Despite the changes, R/Bangalore continues to be a community Bengalureans turn to. It has mobilised support for flood relief, blood donation drives, animal rescue, and COVID-19 aid while also sharing resources on reporting potholes and seeking legal or police help. “I have intervened in two suicide cases involving other Redditors,” he adds.</p>.<p>For Dushyant Dubey, R/Bangalore paved the way for his NGO, which he named after his Reddit ID, St_Broseph. “People helped, and I helped back. Today, some members volunteer with us,” says the former communications consultant, who joined the forum nine years ago after moving to Bengaluru from Ahmedabad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the spirit of community building, R/Bangalore has also given rise to <br />hobby groups for reading, movies, astronomy, travel, sports, and driving. “Most of my closest friends today are people I met through R/Bangalore meetups,” says the moderator, referring to offline gatherings organised by long-time Redditors like himself.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Look up R/Bangalore on Reddit</span></p>
<p>On Thursday, discussions on R/Bangalore ranged from the expected footfall at the upcoming Open Day at the Indian Institute of Science to the lack of strict rainwater harvesting regulations, the hunt for ‘pink flower’ trees, and the status of a fashion store’s closing sale.</p>.<p>The Bengaluru-centric forum has been around on Reddit since 2008, blending social networking with community-driven discussions. According to its moderators and users, it is the oldest and largest such subreddit (name for interest-based communities). It has 8.9 lakh members, mostly in their early to mid-20s, along with a significant number of teenagers.</p>.Jams you love: Community gigs a big hit in Bengaluru.<p>One of its six moderators, a businessman, spoke to Metrolife anonymously via email, in line with Reddit’s emphasis on privacy through the use of pseudonyms. He took over R/Bangalore from its founder in 2011 to “help people connect” and “navigate life in the city”. Back then, Reddit wasn’t mainstream, and the community had just 200 subscribers.</p>.<p>On an average day, threads (Reddit equivalent of posts) feature traffic and weather updates, food and drink recommendations, ride-sharing complaints, and local experiences. “Major traffic jams on Outer Ring Road and seasonal floods also drive engagement. Government initiatives, especially the free bus travel scheme for women, frequently spark heated discussions,” he says.</p>.<p>The forum reached 1 lakh members in the first year of the pandemic and is now approaching 10 lakh. However, a growing user base brings along challenges. Repetitive questions like “Where can I find X?” and “What can I do in place Y?” dominate discussions, along with inappropriate requests, “hindering more meaningful conversations”.</p>.<p>“We have also observed a deliberate effort to create a divide between north Indian migrants and local Bengalureans,” he adds. Another worrying trend is a spike in posts revolving around “loneliness and mental health struggles”.</p>.<p>Plus, their “Pay it forward” culture is not what it used to be before. Earlier members — “introverted, tech-savvy users” — actively helped others, while newer users, he observes, are more extroverted and take help but do not “give back”.</p>.<p><strong>Impact on lives</strong></p>.<p>Despite the changes, R/Bangalore continues to be a community Bengalureans turn to. It has mobilised support for flood relief, blood donation drives, animal rescue, and COVID-19 aid while also sharing resources on reporting potholes and seeking legal or police help. “I have intervened in two suicide cases involving other Redditors,” he adds.</p>.<p>For Dushyant Dubey, R/Bangalore paved the way for his NGO, which he named after his Reddit ID, St_Broseph. “People helped, and I helped back. Today, some members volunteer with us,” says the former communications consultant, who joined the forum nine years ago after moving to Bengaluru from Ahmedabad.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the spirit of community building, R/Bangalore has also given rise to <br />hobby groups for reading, movies, astronomy, travel, sports, and driving. “Most of my closest friends today are people I met through R/Bangalore meetups,” says the moderator, referring to offline gatherings organised by long-time Redditors like himself.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">Look up R/Bangalore on Reddit</span></p>