You probably never lived in a Soviet country. Deaths and repression of millions of people weren't the everyday reality. Censorship and self-censorship were.
There is no need to have lived through it in order to point out the absurdity of comparing a social media website to the every day reality of life in ones own country. Censorship and self-censorship happened for a reason, because there were real world consequences. You would have to leave the country and leave behind your life and family to get rid of it. What if you get censored on Reddit? You get kicked off Reddit and go about your life, probably overall happier and with more free time for more healthier pursuits.
There is a degree of exaggeration, I won't argue. Although, it's not that big as it may appear. It's hard to deny that censorship, self-censorship, and cancel culture are on the rise nowadays. Not just on Reddit, but also in many aspects of online and offline social life especially when it comes to colleagues, acquaintances, neighbors and relatives. From that perspective, it's not that far from the everyday life in the Soviet era when people had to pick very carefully what they say and to whom they say it. In certain aspects, it's even worse now because every online communication can be recorded forever and used against the author at any moment for the rest of the author's life. KGB would only dream about such capability.
