Much like I ignored reddit usernames in the comment section, I tend to ignore which instance a post is coming from while scrolling. So I subscribe to all the relevant ones, and just scroll from my “subscribed” in my instance.

What if OP wasn’t a Reddit story faker?

LOL I had that thought too. Like…

Well, it’s easier said than done, and processing guilt/regret is also easier said than done lol.

But hearing it a lot of times and telling yourself a lot and pretending someone else you love very much did the same thing and how you wouldn’t think nearly as badly of them for the same thing, helps.

First off, I’m glad to know you’re reconsidering your previous actions. While it’s a good thing to regret and genuinely feel remorse for things you in hindsight maybe should not have done, beating yourself up over it won’t really help you, and all you can ever do is change your present and future, not the past.

Now: as for my opinions on that sort of thing, I have a few. LOL

On a smaller scale/short term, fake stories are mostly an annoyance depending on where they’re being promoted as real; in some cases as in subreddits/places that are attempting to help people with serious problems, it can be more problematic. There was a sub called justnomil about in-laws who were causing problems in people’s marriages. There were some creative writers who seemed to be going through some awful abuse, and were describing ‘found memories’ of previous sexual abuse in somewhat graphic detail. The problem with that is there were people in that sub with actual traumatic SA in their past who read those things and felt deeply for the OP, who were devastated and to a degree re-traumatized by the fact that they had invested their emotions and energy into something that wasn’t true.

On the larger scale, though, fake stories can be of a societal problem in a subtle but real way.

People form their world views from everything around them, including stuff they read online, even if they aren’t trying to let that stuff influence them. So if they’re reading a ton of (fake) stories presented as real where, say, someone’s girlfriend/wife is cheating on them, or cops egregiously abusing their power, or men beating up their SO’s, or trans people littering, they may not on the surface believe all of them are true, and may doubt many of them, but sort of the whole glob (lol IDK what to call it) of those type of stories will subconsciously form part of their opinion about cops, men, women, trans people, or who or whatever.

People like to think that they’re above that but our brains are tricky things and process stuff below the surface that we don’t realize.

So that’s why I get soooo frustrated with fakers online. It seems like just a minor thing, but even known fictional stories can shape society, so fake stories that people actually think may have happened, or could have happened, are IMO at least that powerful.

I suspect it’s that in some way people who write those understand the power/influence they have and it fills a void in them, but the problem is the way they are filling that void or need to feel important (which is a natural need that all of us have) is unhelpful or potentially harmful to others.

Anyway, cheers. Thanks for the question.