Can democracy work on the internet? Reddit tells a mixed story

Throughout history, people have established new governments for all sorts of reasons: to solidify alliances, or expand empires, or secure individual liberties.Marc Beaulac had a question about sweaters.Specifically, it was about the age-old debate in offices between men who want the air conditioning cranked up and women who want it turned down. “What I was thinking in my mind is, the next stage of this argument should be me saying, ‘Why don’t you wear a sweater?’”But Beaulac, a New England-based photographer by day, knew it was a touchy subject and was wary of “mansplaining.” So in 2013 he took to Reddit, the massive network of interest-based discussion forums, and founded a new group (or “subreddit”) to get outside opinions about whether it would be rude to actually ask someone his sweater question. Advertisement Or, as the name he gave his newfound community put it: “Am I the Asshole?” “I have certain regrets about choosing that term,” Beaulac said. But now that “AITA,” as it’s known...