Draft:Explainlikeimfive

ExplainlikeImfive subreddit

The term "Explain Like I'm Five" (acronym ELI5) refers to a request for a simplified explanation of a topic, as if the person asking has a very basic understanding, comparable to that of a five-year-old child. It is currently used as an internet slang across all platforms. This phrase inspired the creation of the subreddit r/explainlikeimfive on Reddit, which was established in 28th July 2011.

The subreddit provides a platform where users can pose complex technical, scientific, historical, economic, and cultural questions, which are then addressed by a broad community. The responses are intended to minimize jargon and present explanations in straightforward language accessible to a general audience. As of June 2019, the “Explain Like I’m Five” subreddit had accumulated over fifteen million subscribers and currently holding twenty-three million subscribers, making it one of the most prominent venues for technical communication.

Structure and functioning

The goal of ELI5 is noted on the ELI5 front page: 'E is for explain. This is for concepts you’d like to understand better; not for simple one word answers, walkthroughs, or personal problems. LI5 means friendly, simplified and layman-accessible explanations. Not responses aimed at literal five year olds (which can be patronizing).'

A user who answers a posed question does so assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the asker and instead discusses the topic in a way friendly to non-experts. Users give diverse responses and sometimes link to peer-reviewed journals to defend their explanations. The question, thus, has several answers, and sometimes ends with new questions which begin a new perspective. The rules emphasize that questions should be explained rather than simply answered.

ELI5 poses a challenge in siphoning out important information, as no single sentence or phrase contains the full answer.

The subreddit has a group of moderators, who are users that are equipped to create communities, setting rules, creating banners and others. There is a set of rules, devised to govern the traffic and users online.[1]

Explained technical descriptions tend to be longer, but less linguistically dense, and their top answers are often more likely to also be the best answer. The top explained answers also feature more metalanguage that reveals instances of redditors performing distributed and coordinative work. As redditors strive to create explanations that a lay audience is able to understand, they generate writing that parallels the goals of plain language.