Today, Reddit turns 20. It remains the only website that still represents the internet in its truest, boldest, and most natural form. So, on the occasion of Reddit’s 20th anniversary, I wanted to discuss one thing that encapsulates the spirit of Reddit’s bustling online communities, and I kept coming back to one event: r/Place.
A Social Experiment Like No Other
Before discussing r/Place, let me quickly touch upon the history of Reddit. Born on June 23rd, 2005, Reddit was founded by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, who were later joined by Aaron Swartz. The three of them started what has become the “front page of the internet” for millions.
In the past two decades, Reddit has become the home of countless communities covering every topic imaginable. It has all sorts of content, like AMAs, shitposts, deep dives, debates, memes, movements, and the occasional wholesome moments. Reddit has had something for everyone. But it has also been part of many causes and important movements as well.
So, how does r/Place fit into all of this? Well, it is a 3-4 day event that every Redditor can participate in. It was launched on April Fools’ Day in 2017, and revived again in 2022 and 2023. It is an event where every user gets to place a single pixel on a huge blank canvas every 5 to 20 minutes.
That’s it. Just a pixel. But when millions of Redditors came together, that grid exploded into something more than just color; it became a living mosaic. Tiny national flags, pop culture icons, tributes to lost legends, subreddit mascots, memes inside memes. Communities across Reddit coordinated efforts in Discord servers and subreddits. Fandoms coming together, defended their territory, and sometimes peacefully coexisted.
My Favorite Moments from r/Place
The canvas was always in chaos, with millions of users trying their best to protect their territory, leading to some drama between subreddits. And sometimes, this drama would even spill out into the real world. With France and Spain’s Twitch streamers fighting out to wipe each other’s flags and others joining in on the fight against France.
But then there were the goofs of it all. Like how the Canadian community struggled to get their flag’s red maple leaf right. Meanwhile, the French, over to the left side, had erected an entire Eiffel Tower right in front of their very eyes. My favorite moment was when the Canadians just gave up and turned the leaf into a Banana.
Of course, there were plenty of pop culture references, like Among Us, SpongeBob Squarepants, Marvel, Star Wars, video games like Hollow Knight and Elden Ring, and so many more. And there were attempts to erase all art on the canvas by taking it over with a black void, and subreddits fighting these rogue users to protect their work. It was the best kind of storytelling there is.
Reddit Is 20, and r/Place Is Still the Most Reddit Thing Ever
As I said, r/Place was a living canvas that lasted only a few days, and was a beautiful chaos. But that is the point. It was a reflection of Reddit’s self-governing, endlessly creative, wonderfully dysfunctional society, all squeezed into a shared space. It was like seeing a democracy in action. Or anarchy. Or both. Whatever it was, it felt deeply… Reddit.
That’s the magic of this website. It’s a mosh pit of cultures, where even niche preferences find a spot. And that is why I fell in love with it when I first created my account here back in 2017. It didn’t feel fake like other platforms; instead, I could be myself here. I owe my career to Reddit as well. It’s where I got my first writing gig, which kickstarted my life into a world of tech journalism.
So, as we celebrate Reddit’s 20th anniversary, I’m not thinking of any single subreddit or community. My mind goes back to that living digital canvas, drawn pixel by pixel, from real users like you and me who represent the platform. The sheer madness that no other site can match, and I really hope Reddit brings back r/Place this year again to celebrate this monumental milestone.
