https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1huv6n/eli5what_or_who_is_a_circlejerk/
created by [deleted] on 08/07/2013 at 10:55 UTC
25 upvotes, 8 top-level comments (showing 8)
People keep mentioning this term all over reddit.I have no clue what it means.
Comment by bamgrinus at 08/07/2013 at 13:48 UTC
61 upvotes, 1 direct replies
So, the original definition of a circlejerk is where a lot of people get together, and literally begin to masturbate the people next to them.
Metaphorically, a circlejerk is a self-congratulatory discussion or community. In other words, like-minded people come together and tell each other how great they are. The term gets tossed around a lot on reddit because the very way the voting system works tends to reinforce circlejerks. Both comments and posts get voted up or down based on popularity. On something like, say, /r/politics, the most likely things to be voted up are things which are popular opinions among the readership. Unpopular opinions, even if they're well-formed, tend to be voted down, because people don't want to hear something that contradicts what they believe. The result is that you get a community that is very enthusiastic about certain opinions which, compared to the general population, are a little bit out there. But if you spend enough time reading a circlejerk, you start to think their opinions are completely mainstream, and that people who think differently than the circlejerk are just weird. That's kind of the danger of them.
Also, another usage that you see on reddit is "circlejerk subs" which can have more than one definition. One can be what I described above, but there are subs like /r/circlejerk or /r/mfacirclejerk that are dedicated to making fun of various reddit circlejerks.
Comment by Phage0070 at 08/07/2013 at 11:12 UTC
47 upvotes, 2 direct replies
"Jerking" is a reference to masturbation. A "circle jerk" would be a bunch of people sitting together pleasuring themselves. This is used as a euphemism for a community reinforcing their own opinions and "patting themselves on the back".
Comment by Kebble at 08/07/2013 at 21:12 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Imagine a book club where people go in and discuss about books, what they liked/disliked, what could have been better, etc. Now, this book club has a lot of members, let's say 1000 people who are gathered every week to talk about a specific book.
What happens in that book club is that the majority voice its opinion in a few words: This book is good. The discussion just goes around why the book is good and what makes it so great. But anyone who goes against that opinion saying they dislike the book, thinking out their arguments and making their cases are frowned upon, and kicked out of the book club so that the "the book is good" discussions can go on, even if it doesn't lead anywhere since there are virtually no debate going on.
This is what a circlejerk is.
Comment by Falterfire at 08/07/2013 at 16:50 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
As others have said, it's a reference to the circular feedback you get from a group of likeminded people. An example of this would be, for example, posting "Aren't lobsters great?" in a sub devoted to how awesome lobsters are.
If you're interested in finding out more information about the phenomenon, it's known outside of Reddit as 'groupthink'. Here's[1] the relevant wikipedia article.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupthink
Comment by bigredmnky at 08/07/2013 at 11:27 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
A un-ironic circle jerk is like a debate with no opposing sides. Everybody just presents their arguments and congratulates on each other on how great they are. The word has been boiled down in the traditional reddit fashion to describe instances where more than one person disagrees with you
Comment by downvote__please at 08/07/2013 at 22:26 UTC
0 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You are basically saying something when you know up front and in advance that it is a common shared belief or comment, and get upvotes for it. You in turn also upvote anyone who replies to you in agreement.
Comment by cgonik at 08/07/2013 at 10:57 UTC
-12 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Makes fun of the original subreddit..
Comment by RoloTamassi at 08/07/2013 at 11:43 UTC
-36 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Lemme introduce you to a site that may interest you; it's called http://www.google.com