Internet points

Internet points are a virtual score given to users on some social media platforms in exchange for their contributions. They are used by basement dwellers to boost their fragile egos and to feel above others. On Reddit, they are known as "karma points".

How it works

Usually, one upvote by a user provides one Internet point.

On Reddit, there were formerly two separate kinds of Internet point counters: "link karma" "comment karma". "Link karma" was later renamed to "post karma", given that "self posts" (text posts) were added later. Only link posts existed in the beginning of Reddit. On the new Reddit user interface, both of these scores are merged into one score.

On the Stack Overflow network, Internet points unlock features such as commenting and editing others' answers.

Incidents

In July 2014, one of the most popular Redditors, UniDan, got his account suspended. He thought he wouldn't get caught giving himself Internet points from alternative accounts.

In 2020, the user with the highest Karma score, Gallowboob, left the platform. He claimed he left due to "harrassment" (which is ambiguous anyway), but the actual reason is probably that he realized he is a basement dweller. It can be assumed that Gallowboob spent over 10000 hours infront of the computer screen. Big name on the 'net, nobody in real life. As of December 2023, his most recent comments only get single-digit upvotes. Looks like no one actually cares about him that much.

References

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