I’ll be completely upfront with you Pandas—one of my favorite parts about living on Planet Earth and being a human being (instead of, for example, a chill banana tree or a rat who can cook French cuisine) is the vast amount of new, creative, and interesting things I get to learn about each and every day. Life’s full of magic, even if it’s not as flashy and obvious as in the Harry Potter books and movies. And one of the cozy nooks on the internet that shows us just how neat the world can be is the ‘Mildly Interesting’ subreddit.

Rapidly closing in on the 19-million-member mark like a marathon runner in sight of the finish line, r/MildlyInteresting is a completely community-driven online group where people post photos of the things that interest them. Mildly, of course. And despite the name of the group, plenty of these photos are actually vastly and deeply interesting.

Redditor RedSquaree, who has been moderating submissions for r/mildlyinteresting for almost a decade now, went into detail with Bored Panda about how the type of content posted changes with the seasons and how much the subreddit has influenced people in real life. You’ll find what they have to say below, so be sure to read on, dear Pandas.

While you’re checking out some of r/mildlyinteresting’s newest photos and upvoting the ones that made you smile, I’ll just quickly remind you that we’ve got some more of their amazing pics in Bored Panda’s earlier articles about the community here, here, and here. Happy scrolling!

#1 I Like To Make Little Drawings Of People That I See

Image credits: the_sneaky_artist

#2 My Rhododendron Looks Like It’s Trying To Run Off

Image credits: phigene

#3 This Crack In The Pavement Filled With A Stained Glass Cat Portrait

Image credits: sanelib

“Yes, the seasons affect the type of content we get,” moderator RedSquaree told me when I enquired about this.

“This leads to content which is extremely common, particularly during the winter. Take frost on cars, for example. We get this kind of photo daily during winter months, and often we mark with an ‘Overdone’ flair because the people who hang about /r/mildlyinteresting will see these time and time again (whereas more casual readers probably still enjoy seeing them). Another common one is the pattern of ice or frost on the wheel, seen here,” the mod gave Bored Panda a couple of examples of how the particular season, in this case, winter, affects what redditors are more likely to post.

Of course, holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving also influence what people tend to focus on. “We see posts about eggs, gifts, people receiving the same card from multiple people… and I’d bet, in the latter example, at least one person has lied about this and purchased two cards of the same type and posted a photo just for karma! Stranger things have happened,” RedSquaree said.

#4 These Chairs Made From Old Fire Hoses, In Front Of A Fire Station

Image credits: i_heart_carrot

#5 My Blinds Reflection Looks Like Lunar Phases On My Wall

Image credits: spaniard702

#6 We Use Hulk Hands To Move Cacti At My Work

Image credits: catnip4sale

The moderator shared that one thing that they find interesting is that some people actually think about the subreddit when they spot something interesting and go to take out their phones to take a photo. That just goes to show how much influence the ‘Mildly Interesting’ community has on the collective psyche.

“Being an original content-only subreddit—and quite a niche one at that—causes those chain of events which I find fascinating. If our (not-so, these days) wee subreddit changes someone’s behavior in real life—to find something nice where others might let it pass them by without a second thought—that’s a great thing. Maybe the sub does inspire some people to appreciate the smaller things in life.”

#7 Saw This Logo For A Pet Grooming Service On My Drive Home

Image credits: EmiDoodlers

#8 I Ordered Some Sample Colors For New Blinds, And They Sent Me Actual Tiny Little Blinds

Image credits: vilebubbles

#9 I Found A Pidgeon With One Feather Sticking Out Of It’s Head

Image credits: Volmarras

According to the moderator, if we want to keep our sense of curiosity burning bright as we grow older, we ought to expose ourselves “to more novelty and ambiguity” in our day-to-day lives. Seeing or experiencing something fresh and unexpected brings you out of your routine and provides you with a different perspective in life. Hopefully, one that inspires you to dig deeper and learn something new.

“Much of our content is novel and/or ambiguous. Go about your day tomorrow and think, ‘If I were to submit a photograph to /r/mildlyinteresting, what would it be?’ Be on the lookout for things that are just novel and ambiguous enough to arouse only mild interest. Snap.”

#10 Coffee Stain That Looks Like Earth

Image credits: its_hard_to_explain

#11 A Vibrant And Clear Spectrum Of Colors Refracting Through My Apparently Prismatic Window Onto My Arm

Image credits: SubZro432

#12 My City Has Public Defibrillation Stations And The Sign For It Looks Like A Video Game Health Bar

Image credits: Phyierpickle

For our last article about the ‘Mildly Interesting’ community’s enrapturing photos about life from different perspectives, I had a chat with redditor Cowbeller1, one of the group’s moderators, helping maintain the standards and the quality of the content. Luck, according to the moderator, is an important part of getting attention online.

#13 Many Vegetables In The U.k. Have The Name Of The Farmer Who Grew Them On The Packaging

Image credits: lockdownhype

#14 This LEGO Set Has Loose Change In The Couch

Image credits: burstaneurysm

#15 Found Band-Aids For Different Skin Tones At Target

Image credits: Frings_Chicken_House

The moderator divulged that we can’t always predict what posts will become very popular on the subreddit. “A lot of it has to do with luck. Maybe you come across something interesting in your day-to-day life and remember to take a picture, maybe you’re just lucky enough that something is interesting to the community. No real rhyme or reason aside from that,” the moderator said that it’s not an exact science.

Which, in a way, is actually inspirational and chill: that means that you can focus on sharing pictures of what you love and what you find interesting instead of vying for karma on Reddit.

#16 The Apartment That I Just Moved Into, Has A Picture Of A Pig Jumping Off A Dock

Image credits: The____Wizrd

#17 Calf In The Checkout Line

Image credits: rasta4eye

#18 My Girlfriend Bought Some Particular Measuring Spoons

Image credits: Chicken_Wing

The subreddit’s moderators value stability and original content above all else. “We will just continue doing the same thing. We’ve found that being boringly consistent is the best way to remain fair to the community. There haven’t been any major changes in a while,” moderator Cowbeller1 told Bored Panda earlier.

#19 My Phone Took This Photo When It Fell On My Face

Image credits: SmolMagicBoi

#20 Septic Truck I Got Stuck Behind The Other Day

Image credits: anoki87

#21 This Shopping Cart Has A Magnifying Glass Attached To It

Image credits: YamhillScrub

#22 I Have A One Third Of A Dollar Bill From February 17th, 1776, Making It A Couple Months Older Than The USA

Image credits: that-weird-writer

#23 My Great Grandfather’s Oscar Nomination From 1944

Image credits: TheIndigoCrafter

#24 Dobby’s Fan-Made Grave In The Precise Location Of The Film!

Image credits: my-bug-world

#25 Got Vaccinated And Just Realized They Gave My Fox An Eyepatch

Image credits: Kehbechet

#26 I Ordered A 119 Year-Old Book Online And Quite A Few Pages Are Uncut- Meaning No One Ever Read It

Image credits: Not_Bekki

#27 These Two UK Phone Booths Have Been Repurposed

Image credits: axnu

#28 My Son Was Born With A Black Spot Of Hair In His Blonde Hair. It Grows In Black, And There Is No Birth Mark Or Discoloration Under It

Image credits: maceparks

#29 This Is Me Wearing My Great Grandmothers Traditional Finnish Dress From 1936

Image credits: real_life_martian

#30 My Son And I Have Matching Freckles In The Same Spot

Image credits: SarcasticNuances

#31 There’s A Cute Little Excavator Graphic On The Window Of This Excavator

Image credits: NotGettingInvolved

#32 The Tiles Around Our Apartment Complex Is Made Up Like The Enemies In Space Invaders

Image credits: HandsomeCO2

#33 The Font Size On My Contact Packaging Increased With My Prescription

Image credits: lrishhhhhhhh

#34 The Sun On My Window Made A Rainbow That’s Split In Half By My Chair Leg

Image credits: RichardMcLuvin

#35 I Found The Elusive Skin Colour Crayon Box At Michael’s Today

Image credits: BustedFutaBalls

#36 Found This Aarowhead While Digging A Hole In My Backyard

Image credits: Jonahw8

#37 The Air Vents On A Subway In Stockholm Have A Hidden Pacman Easter Egg

Image credits: Oluge2009

#38 The Note I Found In This Second Hand Book

Image credits: holdmeturin

#39 There Is A Free “Period Pack” At My School For Girls Who Are Unprepared For Their Periods

Image credits: thicc-nibba420

#40 There Is A Live Crayfish Defending The Rice Aisle In My Local Asian Market

Image credits: SucksToYourAssmar3

#41 This Hair That Got Caught In A Zipper

Image credits: bubzies

#42 3D Printed My Skull From A Ct Scan Of My Sinuses (Hence It’s Got No Top, No Data). Makes For The Perfect Headphone Holder

Image credits: deelan1990

#43 One Of The Eggs I Bought Was All Wrinkly

Image credits: bake-lite

#44 This Random Swing In The Middle Of A Field

Image credits: Aukrust

#45 Got A Deep Space Telescope For My 38th Birthday. Me For Size!

Image credits: MadameKittyRae

#46 My Cola Exploaded Inside The Freezer

Image credits: ReformedShady

#47 Shadow Keeping The Snow Alive

Image credits: joonassi

#48 Bought Bathroom Scales And My Weight Is Exactly The Same As On The Box

Image credits: RobYoun

#49 Our Electrician Left All Of The Screws In A Vertical Position In Our New Kitchen

Image credits: wobwobwob42

#50 The Sand In Tahoe Is Magnetic And Stuck To My Phone

Image credits: bopete1313

Source: boredpanda.com