How ChatGPT may be ruining Reddit

Em dash usage in popular subreddits has quadrupled over seven months, potentially signaling a significant increase in AI-generated content, according to data analysis. The findings, shared on X by user @cremieuxrecueil, reveal that posts using this punctuation mark in r/Entrepreneur jumped from 4% to 18% between May and December 2024, with similar patterns across five other business-focused communities.
The analysis tracked punctuation patterns in posts from Reddit communities with millions of combined subscribers, including r/startups (1.8M members) and r/SaaS (290K members). "Top posts on Reddit are increasingly being generated by ChatGPT, as indicated by the boom in em dash usage," cremieuxrecueil stated in the viral post featuring a graph titled "The Em Dash Conspiracy."

Language experts and tech researchers remain divided on whether em dashes constitute a reliable indicator of artificial authorship. The GitHub repository cited in the X post identifies this punctuation style as "a stylistic marker often found in AI-generated writing," but lacks statistical proof of causation.
Major publications have questioned the connection, with Rolling Stone calling it "at best, anecdotal" in an April 11 article. The Washington Post featured writers defending em dashes as legitimate literary devices rather than AI fingerprints. Meanwhile, users on Reddit's r/PetPeeves have expressed frustration over assumptions about their writing based solely on punctuation preferences.
"I get that it's a tell—most people don't use em dashes—but as a writer who absolutely LOVES em dashes, this is infuriating," wrote one Reddit user in an April discussion that garnered over 2,000 votes.

The findings raise concerns about content integrity across Reddit's entrepreneurial communities, potentially affecting advice shared with millions of aspiring business owners. A 2023 Frontiers study previously warned about risks associated with AI-generated content, including marketing manipulation and misinformation spread.
Some observers suggest the trend might represent a more complex phenomenon. "Part of the increase could be humans adopting em dashes from seeing AI-generated text, a 'contagion' effect," noted X user @daniel_271828 in response to the original post.
Despite growing interest in identifying AI-written material—with London Daily News reporting a 145% increase in global searches for "em dashes" amid authentication concerns—academic research has yet to validate specific punctuation as reliable markers. Without conclusive studies, Reddit communities face increasing uncertainty about content origins as the boundary between human and AI contribution continues to blur.