Reddit is one of the top most-used websites in the world right now and the funniest Reddit posts of all time are responsible for such traction. It is a social media platform where users share and discuss with each other in form of images, videos, text, etc. about any topic they desire. Here, all the interactions and discussions are held in a “subreddit” prompt created by users upon a particular category or topic.
The platform allows its users to upvote or downvote the posts on the website which is a key factor in the post’s reach and influence. Reddit also takes into factor the other usual aspects like shares, comments, etc. like every other social media site for further visibility to other users.
Reddit is known for its funny posts because the site has developed a unique sense of humor culture, and its importance is still prevalent among the community. The feature of upvoting and downvoting in the posts has brought out witty, ironic, and playful humor in the community to be relevant.
Many of the subreddits are solely dedicated only to funny and humorous posts. There are also other conventional subreddits, posts, and discussions on serious topics where users interact and engage with immense wit and creativity among users. This is due to the platform being user-driven and one user trying to better the other one in a fleeting battle of internet glory.
The Early Days of Reddit Humor
Reddit has always nurtured a funny and humorous tone in the community since its inception. Hence, it saw many emerging subreddits dedicated only to funny and joke content such as r/funny and r/jokes. These subreddits helped establish the site as the pillars of modern online humor.
r/funny is one of the firsts, and till this day one of the most popular subreddits due to its content of funny Reddit posts. The content here mainly includes memes, jokes, funny videos etc. To give an example, “The life of a Redditor” was a post on this subreddit in 2011. This is a post depicting a comic who is a Reddit user.
It was really well received by the community and garnered over 12000 upvotes and 1600 comments.
r/jokes is also one of the most visited subreddits today. This subreddit is widely known for bursting with jokes, puns, one-liners, etc. Having a textual format, the origin and contribution of these jokes are beyond broad; ever-growing with time and users. To give an example, the “ What is brown and sticky?” a post on this subreddit in 2012 went viral very quickly. This is due to its unexpected and playful answer to the question. It garnered over 3000 upvotes and 1500 comments at that time, overnight.
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The Evolution of Reddit Humor
Reddit humor has evolved and transformed a lot since its beginning. In the previous days, the community used to engage with one-liners, punch lines etc. But now, the humor is very culture-focused, parodical, and satirical.
Image macros and meme culture are a crucial part of the early days of Reddit humor. This was part of the very beginning where users were still trying to figure out the platform with various creative expressions of their own.
One of the earliest examples is the “Advice Animal” meme. It mainly described various captions and sayings with a picture of random animals implying they are advising. It quickly became a community favorite and became a mainstay for the platform.
Over time, the popularity of memes and macros grew with more innovative and creative expression. They were started to be used to portray any form of expression, such as unconventional and serious opinions, which were outside of the humorous agenda which was set in the early days. Hence, these memes and macros are shaping the platform with a new ever changing identity and culture.
For obvious reasons of time and growing users, there is to be noticed a massive change in the popular subreddits and the humor style. To give a few examples:
Trend Shifting
In the old days, the use of memes and macros involved comical depictions and simple animal humor. But nowadays, the memes have evolved into pop culture referencing and meta parodical of sorts.
Dark Humor
In recent eras, a growing popularity of edgy humor is seen. This type of content mostly includes jokes and memes that push the boundaries of sensitivity regarding any topic. Subreddits like r/DarkJokes, r/ImGoingToHellForThis etc. have content with dark humor present in them. A huge portion of users on Reddit tend to avoid these subreddits as the content is too sensitive and offensive to them.
Niche Humor
With the increasing number of users, the number of subreddits is also seen to be increasing. Hence, the humor has diversified even more. To give a few examples, r/BoneAppleTea is a subreddit where the humor lies in the misspelled words, r/ProgrammerHumor is exactly the type of subreddit the name implies where memes and jokes are made surrounding programming.
As the platform continues to change and evolve, the humor and subreddits will continue to branch out even further with new trends and subcultures.
Funniest Reddit Posts of All Time
Humor is subjective, so selecting the funniest posts of all time could prove to be tough for anyone. But here are 12 of the most popular and funniest Reddit posts of all time:
Today You, Tomorrow Me
This is a post on the r/AskReddit subreddit. It involves a story about a stranger who once helped a Redditor. The help offered was regarding changing a tire on the side of the road. The post is funny for its unprecedented and witty ending to the story which involves a bag of Tamales.
The Swamps of Dagobah
This is also a post from the r/AskReddit subreddit. This content portrays a medical emergency story with humorous nature but in a very graphic and gnarly way. The post is funny for its unexpected end to the story but it gained popularity from its grotesque and violent description.
TIFU by Tossing My Steak Out a Window
This is a post from the r/tifu subreddit. It tells a story about how a steak went flying out of a window and created immense turmoil from the action. This post is funny due to its ridiculous and absurd depiction of a story.
Jolly Rancher Story
This post from r/AskReddit is about a man and a Jolly Rancher. It is a very sickening yet hilarious tale regarding the man and the Jolly Rancher. The post is funny for its atrocity and surprise element.
What Tasty Food Would be Disgusting If Eaten Over Rice
This is a post from r/AskReddit as well. This post started a response thread or comments to the post regarding what would be more absurd and sickening to eat over rice. The post is funny because of the responder's creative expression of the repulsive combination of foods with rice.
What is the Most Intellectual Joke You Know?
This post from r/AskReddit asks the community for the most brainstorming jokes they have ever heard. The post is funny for the responders and their sharp wordplay, playful rhyming and clever punchline.
I am the Guy with Two Genitals
This post from r/IAmA is exactly what one might perceive it to be upon reading. The post is funny for its transparent, candid description and outrageous response in the comments.
The Egg
This is a post from r/funny. It tells a story about a man and his confusion regarding an egg. The post is funny for its overly simple yet hilarious humor.
Poop Knife
The post is from r/confessions. It is about a family who had a tradition of using knives to cut atypical bowel movements. The post is funny for the shock value it provides.
My Wife Did Not Believe Me When I Said I Could Make a Car Out of Spaghetti
This post from r/funny portrays exactly what it says. It was a picture of a car made from spaghetti. The post is funny for its surreal yet brilliant use of food.
No, You Are a Towel
This post is from r/funny as well. The post is about a TV Show “South Park” character where the character is named “Towel”. The post is funny due to its illogical and nonsensical humor.
How Many Tickles Does It Take to Make an Octopus Laugh?
This is also from r/funny. The post is regarding dad jokes which are often so lame and cheesy that they are funny. The post is mainly funny for the unexpected punchlines and rhymes from the poster and the commenters.
Conclusion
Since its origination, Reddit has evolved and identified itself with humorous content. This is due to the early inception of the r/funny and r/jokes subreddits. These two subreddits set the foundation for the platform to be built upon through some of the funniest Reddit posts of all time to this day. With time, Reddit humor has now transformed itself through many phases and trends such as ironic, parodical, satirical, pop culture referencing, relatable humor etc.
Hence, Reddit has become the go-to place for someone who is looking for laughter or maybe a witty engagement. It is a place that has all sorts of preferable humor and discussions.
