...an account of the site’s history and an efficient recap of the major controversies surrounding online behavior ... Ms. Lagorio-Chafkin fearlessly explores Reddit’s dark edges, documenting the mob mentality that is so often evident on the platform and describing each scandal neatly as the book progresses.
Lagorio-Chafkin, a writer for Inc. magazine, covers the whole story in this meticulous and even-handed examination of one of Silicon Valley’s most controversial and consequential successes ... the book works as a portrait of both internet culture and a startup-turned-phenomenon reckoning with success.
The book’s central theme is the tension between Reddit as populist platform...and Reddit as new-media juggernaut that struggles to profit off its users’ activity ... Despite Reddit’s potential as a case study in the clash between cultural values and business values on the internet, Lagorio-Chafkin’s bloated narrative bogs down in turgid office politics ... The resulting soap opera about corporate nerds isn’t convincing enough to hold attention.
Unsure her project’s material would be sufficient for a full-length book, Lagorio-Chafkin amassed a stockpile of firsthand information ... This surfeit of detail becomes more problematic after the author establishes the tech company’s early origins ... Lagorio-Chafkin captures the ensuing vortex of tech-nerd office politics with a novelistic flair, but her verbosity hijacks some of the excitement of the site’s rise to prominence. Still, die-hard Reddit fans and readers dazzled by the machinations of the technology and web development business will enjoy the hijinks.
