What started as an unusual April Fool’s joke – a single button appeared a special sub-Reddit – has turned into a genuine social media phenomenon which may have implications for online collaboration in the development of public policy, software and numerous other areas.
The button had a 60-second countdown counter which users could only push once and which resets after being pushed. As of today, over a month after April 1, nearly a million people have participated and the button’s counter has not yet reached zero.
What Redditors quickly realised is that where you pushed the button gave you a certain “flair” by your user name on The Button sub-Reddit. If you’ve never pushed, you’re grey. Then, in ten second increments, you receive an ascending colour of the rainbow – starting at purple (59-50 second) to red (10-1 second.)
As with many online sites that use gaming tropes, there is a certain amount of prestige being given to those with lower “scores” for pushing the button.
Needless to say, I pushed as soon as I went to the site and got purple! 😉
Post a Comment