From r/wallstreetbets and the crash of the One Simple Wish website, to the Battle of the Joshes, in 2021, the most notable moments on Reddit were when redditors took their comments, comradery, conversations, and more from URL to IRL. In our newly renamed Reddit Recap 2021, we take a deep dive into the moments and communities that inspired redditors to be catalysts for change both online and in the real world.
This past year, Reddit became the place where people felt empowered and inspired to share their opinions, experiences, and stories and connect with one another to take action and positively impact their communities.
As a company, our continued global expansion opened up Reddit to more and more people. We announced new offices in Canada, Australia, and Germany, reaching new redditors around the globe. We aired our first-ever, 5-second Super Bowl ad (or as we call it, Superb Owl). We shipped new features — Reddit Talk, Predictions, and CryptoSnoos — that gave redditors more ways to connect and engage with each other.
As we look back at what took place on Reddit during 2021, we’re reminded that some traditions are worth keeping around. That is why Community Reflections has returned. This year’s reflections capture the thoughts of moderators and redditors from some of our biggest communities such as r/antiwork, and those behind some of the most inspiring moments, such as the young boy who was gifted more than 150 stuffed Manta Ray toys. Community members share their experiences, reactions, and reasons why Reddit brings people together “one sh*tpost at a time.” (Thank you, u/WildfireSmile, for that very on-brand quote).
Let’s take a look at all that happened on Reddit this past year.
By the Numbers:
-
Reddit is home to more than 100,000 active communities around the world;
-
In 2021, redditors created 366 million posts, a 19% increase YoY;
-
As of November 9, 2021, we’ve seen 2.3 billion total comments, a 12% increase YoY, and 46 billion total upvotes, a 1% increase YoY.
The Most Upvoted Posts:
Highlighting How Redditors Went from URL to IRL in 2021
** a flag for our more sensitive readers, an asterisk indicates there are expletives in the linked posts
-
r/wallstreetbets: Times Square right now (431K upvotes)
-
**r/wallstreetbets: UPVOTE so everyone sees we got SUPPORT (322K upvotes)
-
r/wallstreetbets: GME YOLO update — Jan 28 2021 (286K upvotes)
-
r/antiwork: Quit my job last night, it was nice to be home to make the kids breakfast and take them to school today! Off to hunt for a new opportunity, wish me luck 🙂 (270K upvotes)
-
**r/nextfuckinglevel: Dodging a cash-in-transit robbery. The man has balls of steel (258K upvotes)
The Most Upvoted AMAs:
Spotlighting Reddit’s Most Popular Q&As of 2021
-
I’m a lobster diver who recently survived being inside of a whale. AMA! (90.9K upvotes)
-
I’m Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and author of “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.” Ask Me Anything (66.6K upvotes)
-
Hi, I’m Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios. Ask Me Anything. Thanks! (38K upvotes)
The Most Upvoted Reddit Public Access Network (RPAN) Live Streams:
Replaying Reddit’s Most Interesting Broadcasts of 2021
-
r/animalsonreddit: M to the B (22.8K upvotes)
-
r/animalsonreddit: Duck hatch livestream. The last two eggs (11.9K upvotes)
-
r/animalsonreddit: Happy Beeaster Sunday (11.4K upvotes)
The Most Popular Themes:
Breaking Down the Most Viewed Topics of 2021
-
Cryptocurrency
-
Gaming
-
Sports
-
Weddings
-
Health and Fitness
-
Food and Drink
-
Movies and Television
In 2021, there were a lot of conversations on Reddit, but none more prominent than cryptocurrency. For more than 10 years, Reddit has been home to over 500 cryptocurrency communities. As more redditors participate in conversation, whether it be for information, help, or to share major successes, Reddit continues to be the hub for cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts among crypto communities:
-
r/dogecoin: Who’s still holding $DOGE? 🚀(80.3K upvotes)
-
r/superstonk: All the confirmation bias I need, right here in one tweet (66.5K upvotes)
-
r/cryptocurrency: You hear about the kid who put in $500 into a memecoin and made 100k, but you don’t hear about the hundreds who put $1000 and are left with $0.1 (53.9K upvotes)
-
r/amcstock: AMC YOU IN JAIL, CHEATERS (26.7K upvotes)
-
r/bitcoin: Tesla buys $1.5b in Bitcoin and is looking to accept the crypto as a form of payment in the near future… (45.5K upvotes)
Reddit has always been a gathering place for gamers and gaming fans. With long-anticipated releases, sequel games, and fan favorites that finally got console support, this year redditors relished in and celebrated some of the biggest moments of 2021.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts in gaming communities:
-
r/gaming: boy gamer (220K upvotes)
-
r/gaming: EA will no longer have exclusive rights of the Star Wars games (173K upvotes)
-
r/leagueoflegends: Worlds 2021 Prediction Tournament (83.2K upvotes)
-
r/leagueoflegends: AOC featuring her clutch Baron snipe on IG (48.6K upvotes)
-
r/ffxiv: Times change (20.2K upvotes)
As the world opened up, beloved live sports returned. Sports fans (and fanatics) blocked off their mornings and evenings for American football, cheered on their home hockey teams, and gathered to watch this year’s biggest fights. At the same time, redditors flocked to some of the biggest sports communities to discuss IRL moments in URL spaces.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts in sports communities:
**a flag for our more sensitive readers, an asterisk indicates there are expletives in the linked posts
-
r/sports: Jon Rahm skips the ball across the pond for the hole-in-one! (101K upvotes)
-
**r/nba: Draymond Green on last night’s Capitol breach (67.9K upvotes)
-
r/soccer: [FC Barcelona] Messi will not renew with FC Barcelona (58.5K upvotes)
-
r/mma: Dana White on the Mayweather/Paul fight announcement (52K upvotes)
-
r/nfl: [NFL Update on Twitter]Tom Brady now has more Super Bowl wins than all 32 NFL franchises (35.3K upvotes)
-
r/squaredcircle: [Rampage Spoilers] Wrestler makes his AEW debut (27.8K upvotes)
COVID-19 forced some to-be partners to delay their weddings, but amidst a year of IRL cancellations, changes, and postponed ceremonies, redditors turned to one another to find support, share advice, and celebrate those who did get married—even if the moments didn’t go as originally planned. This year, redditors came to the platform’s wedding communities to share their photos, announce engagements, and have some fun.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts in wedding communities:
-
r/bridezillas: Mods are asleep, upvote this bridezilla (5K upvotes)
-
r/wedding: My sunflower wedding 🌻 (4.3K upvotes)
-
r/weddingplanning: If you saw my previous post about finding a suit for my daughter, who is also my MOH…CHECK HER OUT 😍 (2.9K upvotes)
-
r/weddingsunder10k: After lurking for the past couple years I’m finally here! Engaged as of 3-26-2021 (2.7K upvotes)
-
r/engagementrings: After my second failed engagement (clearly I pick winners) I decided to throw in the towel and “marry” my career and passion of genealogy and human genome sequencing (1.7K upvotes)
Fitness journeys can be personal experiences, but on Reddit, people come together to share their progress and find comradery. Whether it was searching for new fitness routines or sharing new diets, redditors found comradery in popular communities such as r/progresspics and r/loseit.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts in health and fitness communities:
-
r/progresspics: F/26/5’6” [425lbs > 149lbs = 276lbs lost] After two and a half years, I’ve done it. I’ve reached my goal weight! (17.5K upvotes)
-
r/loseit: I know nobody cares BUT I ACTUALLY ATE AT A DEFICIT TODAY!!!!!! AND I DID MY FIRST FAST EVER!!!!! AND I DID 4000 STEPS!!!! (15.6K upvotes)
-
r/fitness: (M21) My progress from underweight to healthy (115 lbs -> 148 lbs) in 16 months (3.2K upvotes)
In 2021, redditors showed off their most over-the-top takes on charcuterie boards, complained about the never-ending task of washing the dishes, and laughed at some of the most absurd meal presentations. Even as restaurants reopened, redditors returned to cooking communities just as they did last year.
By the numbers:
Most upvoted posts from food and drink communities:
-
r/food: [Pro/Chef] Mirror Glazed Mousse Cake (69.5K upvotes)
-
r/kitchenconfidential: I Love Seeing Signs of Restaurants Not Opening Because They Won’t Pay (40.3K upvotes)
-
r/cooking: Yesterday I found out that coriander is the same thing as cilantro. I’m so embarrassed, and my mind is blown (25.4K upvotes)
-
r/starbucks: 60 Frappuccino’s with no tip… $279 (8.5K upvotes)
-
r/keto: 20 years old, 108 pounds lost in 6 months! (4.1K upvotes)
It’s not surprising that after a year of delayed movies and TV shows, various communities experienced massive growth both in views and members. This past year, redditors rallied around movie and TV communities to share news about green lit sequels, reveal their theories on the future of movie and TV franchises, and obsess over streaming hits. Among the highest-viewed of the platform’s movie and TV communities are The MCU’s (Marvel Cinematic Universe) releases, hit shows (i.e. Squid Game), and legendary reality TV shows that never seem to end (*cue RuPaul’s Drag Race’s “Shantay, you stay!”).
By the numbers:
- The top-five, most viewed movie communities were r/movies, r/marvelstudios, r/starwars, r/moviedetails, and r/dc_cinematic; and
-
The top-five, most viewed TV communities were r/marvelstudios, r/thebachelor, r/prequelmemes, r/rupaulsdragrace, and r/television.
For the Squid Game fans — do you still look at traffic lights the same? Well, let’s dive into the Korean thriller that captivated audiences. Throughout the week of the show’s September premier, r/squidgame saw an increase of 2.5K% members. In fewer than two months, September 17–November 9, the community grew to 125K members.
2021 was also a huge moment for the MCU and its fandoms. r/marveltheories increased 1.1K% in views YoY, and r/gotg increased 958% in views YoY.
The 40th season of Survivor reengaged redditors in the r/spoiledsurvivor community, which had a 2.8K% increase in views YoY. And for Bachelor Nation, the r/bachelorinparadise community grew 2.3K% in views YoY.
Most upvoted posts from movies and TV communities:
-
r/movies: ‘Dune’ Sequel Greenlit By Legendary For Exclusive Theatrical Release (107K upvotes)
-
r/marvelstudios: I love Jimmy Woo (109K upvotes)
-
r/starwars: Star Wars on Twitter: Hayden Christensen returns as Darth Vader, joining Ewan McGregor in OBI-WAN KENOBI (104K upvotes)
-
r/moviedetails: In Goodfellas (1990), Robert De Niro didn’t like how fake money felt in his hand and insisted using real money. At the end of each take, no one was allowed to leave the set until all the money was returned & counted (96.7K upvotes)
Around the World
We can’t wrap up without talking about all the new places where Reddit opened its doors in 2021. With our continued expansion—in the UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany—Reddit has grown to include people living in different countries, cities, and towns across the world.
Among all that happened across Reddit in 2021, whether in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, or Germany, finance-related communities were among the most viewed communities across every geography.
United Kingdom
Throughout the past year, UK redditors came to Reddit because that’s where finance conversations were happening. In 2021, r/ukpersonalfinance, a community where UK redditors can “discuss, learn and request help on how to obtain, budget, protect, save and invest [their] money,” had a 75% increase in views. Here, redditors warned one another about sophisticated bank scams, discussed HSBC’s decision to allow homeless people to open bank accounts, and debated the question “should we be more open about our salaries?” As a community, r/ukpersonalfinance was more than a place to discuss numbers, it was a place where redditors were able to ask thousands of questions and get real-life, applicable answers.
In 2021, two other popular UK communities (both of which were featured in our London Calling: One Year On report) were r/askuk and r/casualuk — places where UK (and non-UK) redditors can go to complain about the metric system and confuse the crap out of Americans. Over the last year, while r/casualuk grew by 43% in views, r/askuk increased 70% in views showing that many people have a lot of unanswered questions about the UK and its citizens.
Canada
In 2021, similar to other geographies, Canadian redditors were most interested in finance, more specifically, r/personalfinancecanada. Over the past year, this community increased in views by 34% and became a space where redditors mulled over topics such as the obstacles in Canadian housing, the increase in minimum wage, and local economics.
The second highest viewed community was r/vancouver, a more localized Canadian community, which grew 30% in views YoY. Here, Vancouver residents discussed anything and everything. Whether it was a quippy sign to those refusing to wear masks, a video warning others to be cognizant while walking alone, or a photo from a redditor sketching pedestrians while sitting at a local coffee shop, this community became a dedicated place for Vancouver-based Canadians to talk about things happening in their area.
Australia
For Australian redditors, while finance was still a hot topic — r/ausstocks increased 94% in views YoY and r/fiaustralia increased 83% — COVID-19 related restrictions drove Aussies to r/coronavirusdownunder, which had a 175% increase in views from last year. In this community, redditors discussed intense, albeit important, topics including the recent protests and various lockdown restrictions. But, amidst all of the chaos and frustration that came with the implications of coronavirus, Aussie redditors still found a way to have a laugh (even if it was unironic).
Whether Australians were in search of ways to track and manage stocks or make memes apologizing to one another, they did it together.
Germany
Among German communities, finance ranked high as one of the top two contenders for most-viewed communities in 2021; specifically r/finanzen, which had a 193% increase in views YoY. Similar to redditors in other geographies, German redditors were sarcastic (but accurate) in their complaints about the housing market, that trying to save without money is quite challenging, and the reality and feasibility of work-life balance is debatable.
However, amidst German redditors’ financial conversations, they wanted more than a place to crunch numbers, so they turned to r/ich_iel, a community where the home feed is 99% photos and sarcastic memes, and, over the last year, had a 210% increase in views. Here, German redditors also poked some fun at Americans, were able to laugh at themselves, and agreed upon the cultural staple that there are only two types of glasses in German households.
Congratulations, you made it to the end of Reddit Recap 2021! From the stock market whirlwind, to the uplifting stories in which strangers came together, to global expansion, and moments that mattered, we saw redditors create moments that extended beyond their online communities into the real world.
Appendix
Language Translations:
Reddit Recap 2021 Methodology
-
All data was pulled from Jan. 1, 2021 – Nov. 9, 2021
-
Activity = posts & comments
-
Views = community screenviews
-
Select lists (i.e. verticals — ‘crypto,’ ‘gaming,’ etc.) are ranked by % changes in views YoY
Music Credits
-
Song title: “Is It Gonna Get Any Weirder”
-
Produced by: Davey Badiuk
-
Artist: SNGL feat. Molly Moore
-
Written by: Molly Moore, Emily Persich, Nick Mete, Davey Badiuk