r/place

The experiment, during the 2017 edition, was based in a subreddit called r/place, in which individual registered users could place a single colored pixel (or "tile") on an online canvas of one million (1000 x 1000) pixel squares, and wait a certain amount of time before placing another.{{cite web |last1=Weinberger |first1=Matt |date=4 April 2017 |title=Over 1 million Reddit users waged a virtual war to create this bizarre work of art with 16 million pixels |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-creates-pixel-art-final-version-2017-4?r=US&IR=T |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404221027/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-creates-pixel-art-final-version-2017-4?r=US&IR=T |archive-date=4 April 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |website=Business Insider Australia |language=en}} In 2017, the waiting time varied from 5 to 20 minutes throughout the experiment, and the user could choose their pixel's color from a palette of sixteen colors.{{Cite news |last=Cuthbertson |first=Anthony |date=11 April 2017 |title=From Van Gogh to a marriage proposal, Reddit Place was the internet's best experiment yet |language=en |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/reddit-place-internet-experiment-579049 |url-status=live |access-date=13 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413063706/http://www.newsweek.com/reddit-place-internet-experiment-579049 |archive-date=13 April 2017}}{{Citation |last1=Chen |first1=Bodong |title=Collaborative Learning at Scale |date=2021 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9 |work=International Handbook of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning |pages=163–181 |editor-last=Cress |editor-first=Ulrike |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405180252/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9 |url-status=live |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9 |isbn=978-3-030-65291-3 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |last2=Håklev |first2=Stian |last3=Rosé |first3=Carolyn Penstein |editor2-last=Rosé |editor2-first=Carolyn |editor3-last=Wise |editor3-first=Alyssa Friend |editor4-last=Oshima |editor4-first=Jun|url-access=subscription }} The 2022 edition started with the same size and colors as 2017, but the canvas was later expanded to four million (2000 x 2000) pixel squares, and the palette gradually gained sixteen more colors for a total of 32.{{Cite news |last=Muckensturm |first=Baptiste |date=5 April 2022 |title=La mosaïque sur Reddit qui entraina une guerre mondiales à coup de pixels |language=fr |trans-title=The mosaic on Reddit that led to a world war with pixels |work=France Culture |url=https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/les-enjeux-des-reseaux-sociaux/sur-reddit-la-pixel-war-soude-les-internautes-francais |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405035035/https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/les-enjeux-des-reseaux-sociaux/sur-reddit-la-pixel-war-soude-les-internautes-francais |archive-date=5 April 2022}} The 2023 edition also started with the same size as the 2022 and 2017 editions (1000 x 1000), and started with 8 colors. It was later expanded to 2 million (2000 x 1000) pixel squares, with 16 colors, then it expanded to 6 million (3000 x 2000) pixel squares, with 32 colors.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

Reddit administrators have the ability to place as many pixels as they want and can use this ability to remove offensive content from r/place. Guidelines have outlined this content as nudity, hate speech, targeted harassment, or otherwise objectionable content.{{Cite web |last=redtaboo |date=2022-04-03 |title=Hey everyone |url=http://www.reddit.com/r/place/comments/tv3hin/a_reddit_mod_is_cheating_and_the_mods_are/i386wxx/ |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=r/place |quote=[there are] simple moderation tools [...] available to admins for this event. A small number of us have been utilizing this in order to keep the canvas safe for everyone. |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720213137/https://www.reddit.com/r/place/comments/tv3hin/a_reddit_mod_is_cheating_and_the_mods_are/i386wxx/ |url-status=live }}{{Citation |title=How We Built r/place |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzD132EchVo |page=2:40 |publication-date=2022 |access-date=2023-07-20 |publisher=Reddit |language=en |quote=We thoughtfully prepared safety tools, bot clustering detection, and tools to combat browser botting along with our heroic moderation team, and the humans working behind the scenes to keep redditors safe. |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720211828/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzD132EchVo |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Nash |first=Payton |date=2022-04-04 |title=XQc's artwork gets censored by admins on r/Place |url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/xqcs-artwork-gets-censored-by-admins-on-r-place |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720211828/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/xqcs-artwork-gets-censored-by-admins-on-r-place |url-status=live }} This power was illustrated in 2023 when messages expressing violence towards Reddit CEO Steve Huffman as well as some sexual imagery was removed.{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-07-20 |title=Reddit's r/Place is going about as well as expected |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/20/23801716/reddits-r-place-protest-art |access-date=2023-07-21 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720171827/https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/20/23801716/reddits-r-place-protest-art |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2023-07-20 |title=Angry Redditors Take Over r/Place Subreddit to Insult CEO |url=https://uk.pcmag.com/social-media/147849/angry-redditors-take-over-rplace-subreddit-to-insult-ceo |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=uk.pcmag.com |language= |quote=Others attempted to draw a guillotine executing Reddit’s mascot, but they claim admins at the company have intervened to color over it. |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726083532/https://uk.pcmag.com/social-media/147849/angry-redditors-take-over-rplace-subreddit-to-insult-ceo |url-status=live }}

File:RPlace2017.png

The early hours of the experiment were characterized by random pixel placement and chaotic attempts at image creation.{{Cite news |last=Cuthbertson |first=Anthony |date=11 April 2017 |title=From Van Gogh to a marriage proposal, Reddit Place was the internet's best experiment yet |language=en |work=Newsweek |url=http://www.newsweek.com/reddit-place-internet-experiment-579049 |url-status=live |access-date=13 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413063706/http://www.newsweek.com/reddit-place-internet-experiment-579049 |archive-date=13 April 2017}} Among the first distinct sections of the canvas to emerge was a corner of entirely blue pixels {{anchor|BlueCorner}}(named "Blue Corner") and an homage to Pokémon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-canvas-2017-3|title=Reddit's new 'Place' is forcing millions of users to work together to make something great|last=Weinberger|first=Matt|website=Business Insider|access-date=10 April 2020|archive-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404010115/http://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-canvas-2017-3|url-status=live}} As the canvas developed, some established subreddit communities, such as those for video games, sports teams and individual countries, coordinated their user efforts to claim and decorate particular sections.{{cite news|last1=Tindale|first1=James|title=Reddit Place: April Fool's experiment reveals how the internet sees Australia|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/personal-technology/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-reveals-how-the-internet-sees-australia/news-story/c60e4e20722f885eb3c8494cc6371d19|access-date=4 April 2017|work=The Australian|date=4 April 2017}} This frequently created conflict between communities competing for space on the canvas.{{Citation |last1=Vachher |first1=Prateek |date=17 October 2020 |url=https://www-users.cse.umn.edu/~levon003/files/CSCW2020_vachher_poster_camera_ready.pdf |work=Conference Companion Publication of the 2020 on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing |pages=401–405 |place=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |doi=10.1145/3406865.3418311 |isbn=978-1-4503-8059-1 |access-date=5 April 2022 |last2=Levonian |first2=Zachary |last3=Cheng |first3=Hao-Fei |last4=Yarosh |first4=Svetlana |title=Understanding Community-Level Conflicts Through Reddit r/Place |s2cid=222838256 |archive-date=2 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402233122/https://www-users.cse.umn.edu/~levon003/files/CSCW2020_vachher_poster_camera_ready.pdf |url-status=live }} Overall, thousands of communities were involved.{{Citation |last1=Chen |first1=Bodong |title=Collaborative Learning at Scale |date=2021 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9 |work=International Handbook of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning |pages=163–181 |editor-last=Cress |editor-first=Ulrike |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405180252/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9 |url-status=live |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_9|isbn=978-3-030-65291-3 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |last2=Håklev |first2=Stian |last3=Rosé |first3=Carolyn Penstein |editor2-last=Rosé |editor2-first=Carolyn |editor3-last=Wise |editor3-first=Alyssa Friend |editor4-last=Oshima |editor4-first=Jun|url-access=subscription }}

Other sections of the canvas were developed by communities and coordination efforts created specifically for the event. Several works of pixel art sprouted from the collaboration of these communities, such as fictional characters, Internet memes, flags, and recreations of famous pieces of artwork such as the Mona Lisa{{Cite journal |last=Litherland |first=Kristina T. |date=29 March 2022 |title=Instruction vs. emergence on r/place: Understanding the growth and control of evolving artifacts in mass collaboration |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |language=en-US |volume=122 |page=106845 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2021.106845 |doi-access=free|hdl=10852/86918 |hdl-access=free }} and The Starry Night.{{Cite news|url=http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-flyers-represented-in-final-version-of-reddit-place-experiment/|title=Eagles, Flyers represented in final version of Reddit's 'Place' social experiment|date=3 April 2017|work=PhillyVoice|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404000919/http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-flyers-represented-in-final-version-of-reddit-place-experiment/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/heres-the-best-game-fan-art-from-reddits-rplace-canvas|title=Here's the Best Game Fan Art from Reddit's r/place Canvas|last=Oxford|first=Nadia|website=USgamer|date=3 April 2017|language=en-US|access-date=4 April 2017|archive-date=4 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404204315/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/heres-the-best-game-fan-art-from-reddits-rplace-canvas|url-status=live}} Several self-declared "cults" also formed to create and maintain various emblematic features such as the (black) void, engulfing art in nothing but black, the green lattice, the aforementioned blue corner, and a multi-colored "rainbow road".{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/place-reddit-new-phenomenon/|title=A new phenomenon is taking over Reddit—here's what you should know about it|last=Hathaway|first=Jay|date=3 April 2017|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US|access-date=10 April 2020|archive-date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811140304/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/place-reddit-new-phenomenon/|url-status=live}} At the time of the experiment's end on 3 April 2017, over 90,000 users were viewing and editing the canvas,{{cite web |last1=Weinberger |first1=Matt |date=4 April 2017 |title=Over 1 million Reddit users waged a virtual war to create this bizarre work of art with 16 million pixels |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-creates-pixel-art-final-version-2017-4?r=US&IR=T |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404221027/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/reddit-place-april-fools-experiment-creates-pixel-art-final-version-2017-4?r=US&IR=T |archive-date=4 April 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |website=Business Insider Australia |language=en}} and over one million users had placed a total of approximately 16 million pixels. An analysis found that the final version of the 2017 experiment consisted of art from over 800 communities.{{Cite book |last1=Israeli |first1=Abraham |last2=Kremiansky |first2=Alexander |last3=Tsur |first3=Oren |title=Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022 |chapter=This Must be the Place: Predicting Engagement of Online Communities in a Large-scale Distributed Campaign |date=2022-04-25 |series=WWW '22 |location= |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=1673–1684 |doi=10.1145/3485447.3512238 |arxiv=2201.05334 |isbn=978-1-4503-9096-5|s2cid=245986682 }}

r/place was commended for its colorful representation of the Reddit online community. The A.V. Club called it "a benign, colorful way for Redditors to do what they do best: argue among each other about the things that they love".{{Cite news |last=Purdom |first=Clayton |date=3 April 2017 |title=Reddit gave its users something to fight over besides anime and cucks |work=A.V. Club |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/reddit-gave-its-users-something-fight-over-besides-253138 |url-status=live |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403225002/http://www.avclub.com/article/reddit-gave-its-users-something-fight-over-besides-253138 |archive-date=3 April 2017}} Gizmodo labelled it as a "testament to the internet's ability to collaborate".{{Cite news |last=Serrels |first=Mark |title=Place Was The Internet, In All Its Glory |language=en |work=Gizmodo |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/04/place-was-the-internet-in-all-its-glory/ |url-status=dead |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404031730/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/04/place-was-the-internet-in-all-its-glory/ |archive-date=4 April 2017}} A number of commentators described the experiment as a broader representation of Internet culture.{{cite web |last1=Rhode |first1=Jason |title=Redditors Collaborate to Create the Iconic Picture of Our Time |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/redditors-collaborate-to-create-the-iconic-picture.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404204308/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/04/redditors-collaborate-to-create-the-iconic-picture.html |archive-date=4 April 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |website=pastemagazine.com |date=3 April 2017 |language=en}} Some also commented on the apparent relationship between the makeup of the final canvas and the individual communities within Reddit, which exist independently but cooperate as part of a larger community. Newsweek called it "the internet's best experiment yet", and a writer at Ars Technica suggested that the cooperative spirit of r/place represented a model for fighting extremism in internet communities.{{cite web |last1=Machkovech |first1=Sam |title=Did Reddit's April Fool's gag solve the issue of online hate speech? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/in-memoriam-reddits-72-hour-live-graffiti-wall-as-a-social-experiment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404013826/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/04/in-memoriam-reddits-72-hour-live-graffiti-wall-as-a-social-experiment/ |archive-date=4 April 2017 |access-date=4 April 2017 |website=Ars Technica |date=4 April 2017 |language=en-us}} The experiment did receive some criticism for the lack of protection from bot usage where users used scripts and macros to automatically draw on the canvas.{{Cite news |date=4 April 2017 |title=Reddit's April Fools' Joke Spawned a Surprisingly Awesome Social Experiment |language=en |work=Nerdist |url=http://nerdist.com/reddits-april-fools-joke-spawned-a-surprisingly-awesome-social-experiment/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406021600/http://nerdist.com/reddits-april-fools-joke-spawned-a-surprisingly-awesome-social-experiment/ |archive-date=6 April 2017}}

File:RPlace2022.png

On 28 March 2022, a reboot of r/place was announced.{{Cite web |last=Lyons |first=Kim |date=28 March 2022 |title=Reddit is bringing back r/Place, its April Fools' Day art experiment |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/28/22999689/reddit-bringing-back-r-place-april-fools-day-experiment-public-art |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331081227/https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/28/22999689/reddit-bringing-back-r-place-april-fools-day-experiment-public-art |archive-date=31 March 2022 |access-date=30 March 2022 |website=The Verge |language=en}} It began on 1 April 2022, and lasted for three and a half days, including two expansions of the canvas to allow for more space. The color palette was also expanded on the second and third days.{{Cite news |last=Rauwerda |first=Annie |date=28 March 2022 |title=Reddit is bringing back beloved digital art experiment, r/Place |work=Input |url=https://www.inputmag.com/culture/reddit-bringing-back-art-experiment-r-place |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405163108/https://www.inputmag.com/culture/reddit-bringing-back-art-experiment-r-place |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Gach |first1=Ethan |date=5 April 2022 |title=Reddit Is Hosting What May Be The Internet's Most Wholesome Fan War |url=https://www.kotaku.com/rplace-reddit-april-fools-elden-ring-hollow-knight-word-1848747948 |access-date=5 April 2022 |website=Kotaku |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404210446/https://kotaku.com/rplace-reddit-april-fools-elden-ring-hollow-knight-word-1848747948 |url-status=live }} Unlike in 2017, individual subreddits immediately began to coordinate in designing pixel art, and large communities were formed on Discord and Twitch in attempts to expand existing art, replace defaced pixels, and superimpose new images over existing ones.{{Cite news |last=Clairouin |first=Olivier |date=4 April 2022 |title=Sur le forum " r/place " de Reddit, l'incroyable bataille de pixels entre internautes du monde entier |language=fr |trans-title=On Reddit's "r/place" forum, the incredible battle of pixels between Internet users from all over the world |work=Le Monde |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2022/04/04/sur-le-forum-r-place-de-reddit-la-terrible-guerre-des-pixels-entre-internautes-du-monde-entier_6120525_4408996.html |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405000036/https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2022/04/04/sur-le-forum-r-place-de-reddit-la-terrible-guerre-des-pixels-entre-internautes-du-monde-entier_6120525_4408996.html |url-status=live }} By the end of the five-day experiment,{{Cite news |last=Lin |first=Connie |date=6 April 2022 |title=r/Place comes together as a big win for Reddit on its road to IPO |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90738482/r-place-reddit-final-image-ipo-win |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409023750/https://www.fastcompany.com/90738482/r-place-reddit-final-image-ipo-win |archive-date=9 April 2022 |access-date=8 April 2022 |work=Fast Company}} 160 million pixel changes{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} were operated by over 10.5 million users,{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} at an average pace of about 2 million pixels placed per hour. Of these pixel changes, about 26 million were redundant (same color as previously on the same pixel, but by a different user).{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} During the final few hours before the 2022 Place event ended, Reddit restricted users to placing only white pixels. The entire canvas was gradually filled with white space, making it end up looking the same way it began, entirely white.{{Cite news |last=Santana |first=Steven |date=4 April 2022 |title=Texas symbolism is embarrassingly absent in Reddit's big art project r/Place |url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Texas-reddit-community-art-project-17057038.php |access-date=5 April 2022 |newspaper=Mysa |language=en |quote=UPDATE: It seems it's too late for Texas to add anything to r/Place. Around 5:50 p.m. Reddit users could only place white pixels on the mural. People who were trying to maintain their pieces started to erase them unintentionally. |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404213111/https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Texas-reddit-community-art-project-17057038.php |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Childs |first=Andrew |date=4 April 2022 |title=How r/place – a massive and chaotic collaborative art project on Reddit – showcased the best and worst of online spaces |work=The Conversation |url=https://theconversation.com/how-r-place-a-massive-and-chaotic-collaborative-art-project-on-reddit-showcased-the-best-and-worst-of-online-spaces-180662 |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405033327/https://theconversation.com/how-r-place-a-massive-and-chaotic-collaborative-art-project-on-reddit-showcased-the-best-and-worst-of-online-spaces-180662 |url-status=live }}

References to popular culture, Internet memes and politics were commonly visible.{{Cite news |last=Baldacchino |first=Julien |date=5 April 2022 |title=Pourquoi des internautes du monde entier bataillent pour des pixels sur le site Reddit |language=fr |trans-title=Why people around the world are fighting for pixels on Reddit |work=France Inter |url=https://www.franceinter.fr/societe/pourquoi-des-internautes-du-monde-entier-bataillent-pour-des-pixels-sur-le-site-reddit |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404174333/https://www.franceinter.fr/societe/pourquoi-des-internautes-du-monde-entier-bataillent-pour-des-pixels-sur-le-site-reddit |url-status=live }} Fandom communities participated by creating representative illustrations of their respective subcultures. Similar to 2017, much of the artwork was country flags. This included support for Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was depicted with sunglasses, and the community that drew the Canadian flag struggled to properly draw the flag's maple leaf.

Popular streamers on Twitch intervened in the event by instructing their viewers to quickly draw logos and symbols, often over existing images.{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Demi |date=4 April 2022 |title=xQc reports getting numerous death threats over Reddit's 'Place' canvas |work=NME |url=https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/xqc-reports-getting-numerous-death-threats-over-reddits-place-canvas-3197616 |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404135815/https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/xqc-reports-getting-numerous-death-threats-over-reddits-place-canvas-3197616 |url-status=live }} The streamer Félix Lengyel, better known online as xQc, peaked with 233,000 concurrent viewers on his stream because of the event, a personal record.{{Cite web |last=Patterson |first=Calum |date=4 April 2022 |title=xQc breaks his Twitch viewership record as viral r/Place art stream censored by Reddit |url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/xqc-breaks-his-twitch-viewership-record-as-viral-r-place-art-stream-censored-by-reddit-1797391/ |website=Dexerto |access-date=5 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404105249/https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/xqc-breaks-his-twitch-viewership-record-as-viral-r-place-art-stream-censored-by-reddit-1797391/ |url-status=live }} Lengyel's viewers would often get banned by Reddit admins, and Lengyel said that he had received more death threats in a single hour than he had received in six years of streaming.{{Cite web |last=Datuin |first=Sage |date=4 April 2022 |title=xQc says he's received more death threats in April than past 6 years combined thanks to viral r/Place art streams |url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/xqc-says-hes-received-more-death-threats-in-april-than-past-six-years |access-date=5 April 2022 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US |archive-date=4 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404140758/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/xqc-says-hes-received-more-death-threats-in-april-than-past-six-years |url-status=live }}

Reddit relaunched the r/place collaborative project on July 20, 2023, under the tagline "Right Place, Wrong Time", amid several unpopular decisions made by the company which had soured Reddit users, including one that had led to the API controversy which affected Reddit's third-party apps.{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-07-19 |title=Reddit is bringing back r/Place at perhaps the worst possible time |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/19/23800309/reddit-r-place-2023-protest |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=19 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719165415/https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/19/23800309/reddit-r-place-2023-protest |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-07-20 |title=Reddit's r/Place is going about as well as expected |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/20/23801716/reddits-r-place-protest-art |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=20 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720171827/https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/20/23801716/reddits-r-place-protest-art |url-status=live }} While announcing the return, Reddit stated: "Hey, what better time to offer a blank canvas to our communities than when our users and mods are at their most passionate… right?"

Within the first day of the 2023 experiment, many writings of "fuck spez" ("spez" being Reddit CEO Steve Huffman's Reddit user name) were placed onto the canvas, some were large-sized, some were small-sized. Another canvas writing, found among art of Germany, stated: "{{lang|de|u/spez ist ein Hurensohn}}" which translates to "u/spez is a son of a bitch".{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Nicole |title=Reddit's 2023 r/Place turned into a battleground for dunking on the CEO |url=https://www.polygon.com/23808718/reddit-r-place-fuck-spez-ceo-protest-steve-huffman |access-date=July 28, 2023 |work=Polygon |date=July 26, 2023 |archive-date=28 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230728132018/https://www.polygon.com/23808718/reddit-r-place-fuck-spez-ceo-protest-steve-huffman |url-status=live }} The Messenger website reported that an r/place artwork of "spez" under a guillotine was removed by Reddit; when The Messenger asked Reddit to comment, Reddit stated that it was enforcing its rules (which do not allow targeted hate of individuals).{{cite news |last1=Seranno |first1=Jody |title=Reddit Removes Community Drawing of Its CEO Under a Guillotine |url=https://themessenger.com/tech/reddit-removes-community-drawing-of-its-ceo-under-a-guillotine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721143854/https://themessenger.com/tech/reddit-removes-community-drawing-of-its-ceo-under-a-guillotine |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 July 2023 |access-date=July 28, 2023 |work=The Messenger |date=July 22, 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Serrano |first1=Jody |title=Final Reddit r/Place Community Mural Underscores Anger at CEO Steve Huffman |url=https://themessenger.com/tech/final-reddit-r-place-community-mural-underscores-anger-at-ceo-steve-huffman |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726154217/https://themessenger.com/tech/final-reddit-r-place-community-mural-underscores-anger-at-ceo-steve-huffman |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 July 2023 |access-date=July 28, 2023 |work=The Messenger |date=July 27, 2023}} Meanwhile, several other canvas writings simply stated "API". There was also a canvas writing, "never forget what was stolen from us", which endorsed the Save3rdPartyApps community. During canvas expansions, more protests against Huffman appeared, such as the message "spez = twat" done by users making British-themed art.{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=2023-07-21 |title=Reddit expanded the r/Place canvas, and users immediately wrote messages cursing the CEO |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/21/23803112/reddit-r-place-canvas-expand-protest-messages-cursing-ceo |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=18 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818205718/https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/21/23803112/reddit-r-place-canvas-expand-protest-messages-cursing-ceo |url-status=live }}

In addition to art protesting Reddit, many of the early artworks were flags, plus a multi-colored canvas writing of "DICKS". Among the most notable contributions came from users from the Touhou Project, osu!, and Hatsune Miku subreddits,{{Cite web |last=Zehrfeld |first=Maik |date=27 July 2023 |title=In r/place 2023 wurde ein komplettes Musikvideo mit Pixeln animiert |url=https://www.langweiledich.net/in-r-place-2023-wurde-ein-komplettes-musikvideo-mit-pixeln-animiert/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727165741/https://www.langweiledich.net/in-r-place-2023-wurde-ein-komplettes-musikvideo-mit-pixeln-animiert/ |archive-date=27 July 2023 |website=Langweiledich |language=de}} who collaborated to re-animate the shadow-art music video for "Bad Apple!!" on the canvas.{{cite web |last1=Glaze |first1=Virginia |title=r/place recreates iconic Bad Apple music video with jaw-dropping timelapse |url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/r-place-recreates-iconic-bad-apple-music-video-with-jaw-dropping-timelapse-2223664/ |access-date=25 July 2023 |website=Dexerto |date=24 July 2023 |archive-date=25 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725022829/https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/r-place-recreates-iconic-bad-apple-music-video-with-jaw-dropping-timelapse-2223664/ |url-status=live }} Artworks were also created featuring the game Genshin Impact, cats with sunglasses, a Pokémon card of Charizard, and a tribute to the deceased Minecraft YouTuber Technoblade.{{Cite news |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=July 27, 2023 |title=Here's how to watch the evolution of Reddit's r/Place canvas — including its protest art |work=The Verge |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/26/23809338/reddit-r-place-canvas-timelapse-protest |access-date=July 27, 2023 |archive-date=27 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230727012623/https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/26/23809338/reddit-r-place-canvas-timelapse-protest |url-status=live }}

File:Fuck spez.png (Reddit's CEO) during the final hours of the 2023 experiment due to the 2023 Reddit API controversy]]

The canvas was expanded six times, and the project concluded on July 25, 2023. During the final hours, users were limited to placing greyscale-colored tiles.{{cite news |last1=Lausson |first1=Julien |title=r/Place se finit avec des pixels en noir et blanc et un ultime « fuck Spez » |url=https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1458054-r-place-se-finit-avec-des-pixels-en-noir-et-blanc-et-un-ultime-fuck-spez.html |access-date=July 26, 2023 |work=Numerama |date=July 25, 2023 |language=French |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726023543/https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1458054-r-place-se-finit-avec-des-pixels-en-noir-et-blanc-et-un-ultime-fuck-spez.html |url-status=live }} Users coordinated to spell out "FUCK SPEZ!" in giant white letters in the centre of the board as part of the protest. The entire canvas was eventually filled with white space by the end of the project.

The first experiment was praised for creating a sense of collectivism at a time when the Internet was to a great extent fractured and polarized. The Washington Post compared Place to The Million Dollar Homepage, a 1000-by-1000-pixel website where each pixel was sold for a dollar in 2005. The Conversation observed that, while the experiment demonstrated the ability of cooperation in the Internet to express people's passions, Place also showed the toxicity and exclusion of some communities. The 2022 edition of the experiment caused Reddit's daily active users to reach an all-time peak. Kotaku welcomed the 2022 return of the experiment, saying: "In an era where so much of the modern internet is trash, r/place has returned and it's still really cool."

Media discourse of the 2023 edition was overshadowed by coverage of recent discontent between Reddit and its userbase. The Verge commented that the edition was done "perhaps at the worst possible time", as some Reddit users were still "furious" over Reddit's recent decisions to charge fees for its API, to delete its chat history, and to shut down the Reddit Gold system. Polygon observed after the conclusion that it was "different" from the previous editions, and that it was ultimately "defined by the way some Redditors used the canvas to protest Reddit CEO Steve Huffman".

After the 2017 experiment, an atlas of r/place was independently developed by Roland Rytz,{{cite web|last=Rytz|first=Roland|date=4 March 2019|title=The Place Atlas|website=GitHub|url=https://github.com/RolandR/place-atlas/blob/master/README.md|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402081510/https://github.com/RolandR/place-atlas/blob/master/README.md|archive-date=2 April 2022|url-status=live}} featuring a snapshot of the final canvas, and an interactive catalog with descriptions of its different sections.{{cite news|first=Rachel|last=Kaser|date=29 April 2017|title=Atlas of Reddit's /r/place makes sense of beautiful chaos|work=The Next Web|url=https://thenextweb.com/news/atlas-reddits-rplace-makes-sense-beautiful-chaos|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322185717/https://thenextweb.com/news/atlas-reddits-rplace-makes-sense-beautiful-chaos|archive-date=22 March 2023|url-status=live}}

A new atlas based on the same software was initiated for the subsequent 2022 experiment{{cite news|last=MediaWeek|date=11 April 2022|work=MediaWeek|title=10.4+ million people get involved as r/place returns to Reddit|url=https://www.mediaweek.com.au/10-4-million-people-get-involved-as-r-place-returns-to-reddit/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322185756/https://www.mediaweek.com.au/10-4-million-people-get-involved-as-r-place-returns-to-reddit/|archive-date=22 March 2023}} by student Stefano Haagmans. This iteration later introduced new features, such as a timeline by which to view the development of the canvas over time.{{cite news|first=Jay|last=Castello|date=12 April 2022|title=Meet the creators of the r/place Atlas, the internet's living mural|url=https://www.polygon.com/23020912/reddit-r-place-atlas-r-slash-place|work=Polygon|access-date=21 July 2023|archive-date=21 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721104756/https://www.polygon.com/23020912/reddit-r-place-atlas-r-slash-place|url-status=live}}

• Poietic Generator, a similar collaborative pixel art work created in 1986
• The Button (Reddit), an April Fools' Day experiment in 2015
• The Million Dollar Homepage

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://draemm.li/various/place-atlas/ 2017 r/place Atlas (Old)]
• [https://2017.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me/ 2017 r/place Atlas (New)]
• [https://2022.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me/ 2022 r/place Atlas]
• [https://2023.place-atlas.stefanocoding.me 2023 r/place Atlas]

{{Reddit}}

place

Category:April Fools' Day

Category:Collaborative projects

Category:Computer art

Category:Group processes

Category:Internet culture

Category:Internet properties established in 2017

Category:2017 in Internet culture

Category:2022 in Internet culture

Category:2023 in Internet culture