That’s been my experience. I signed up maybe a couple of years ago because there were some niche subreddits that interested me. As I did here, many years ago, I lurked for a few months, before posting anything. When I did, it was related to a niche interest’s subreddit, and it was to add a little info that I knew about, and to thank the OP for posting such an interesting question.
But I avoid the larger and more contentious subs. No politics or religion for me, thanks. Even in the niche subs that I follow, I read more than I post.
I’ve found, by poking around over there, that our rule of “don’t be a jerk” works as well there as it does here. Read, post if you have something to contribute, and be pleasant at all times. “Something is wrong on the internet!” doesn’t work. However, not being a jerk works very well.
If you really want to build up Karma (assuming that you even care about Reddit at this point), do it by making worthwhile comments on existing posts in topics that interest you, rather than creating new topics.
Yeah, I’ve kind of set it as a low-key goal of mine to figure out how to subvert their stupid ban, just for the sake of doing so and giving them a figurative finger.
I love Reddit and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Although I got my account in 2010 or something, I didn’t really start using it in earnest until 2019. But I’ve gotten up to 190k karma.
Reddit works for me because I go into it with a positive attitude and make positive contributions. I manage my feed in a way that works for me and rarely see anything that makes me angry or upset. I am constantly seeing things that give me a good feeling, makes me smile, helps me learn or makes me think.
Going in to Reddit with a chip on your shoulder is not going to be a happy experience for you, I think. Probably not worth your while.