Hearts & Minds: Labour’s Reddit debut shows how much institutional comms landscape is shifting

There was a breathless quality to the report that the UK government has joined Reddit. It prompts the response: what kept you so long? The community platform has only been around since 2005 and is one of the few to have lasted the distance.

That the r/LabourUK subreddit has sparked unflattering comments - such as ‘I don’t like what they are posing so far… Feels very “baby’s first propaganda account”’ – adds to the sense of an ageing parent venturing into a rave to see what the kids were up to.

Except that Reddit is not the home of children, of course, but you get the drift. Reddit is where folks go to chat with those who are like-minded. The discussions are often expert and yes, they can be anarchic. But, as anyone who has tried to keep pace with day traders and share speculators knows, they are vital. What are they seeing, what’s influencing them? Reddit will tell you. A stock is being stalked by activists or shorted, go to Reddit to find out who and why. Is it a one-off or could it be the beginning of a sinister campaign? The discussions on Reddit will provide some of the answers.

Savvy corporates know to monitor Reddit constantly. Often, it’s where a trend starts and, as the market moves on, where it ends. That does not mean what is said is right - it can be home to some wild views, just like on any social media except here, they are usually grounded in some knowledge - they are often quickly quashed. To miss it is to not be there, to not know what’s happening, hence the imprimatur of Downing Street.

What Labour’s move shows is just how much the institutional comms landscape is shifting. Gone is the stereotype of the typical Reddit user, not dressed, guzzling Red Bull, munching cereal and worse, hunched over their screen, venting forth on one issue after another. Yes, they exist but even if they do, they matter - something that Donald Trump recognised in his sweep to power.

The comms industry is all too aware of the value of Reddit. The r/publicrelations group has 44,000 global members from all manner of places and at various stages in their careers. Another, r/communications, has 5,600. Among the latter’s recent topics: ‘My comms job is SO stressful. Is this the norm?’

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.