  r/wallstreetbets (WallStreetBets or WSB) is a subreddit devoted to irreverent
memes and high-risk options trading. As of March 30, 2020, the subreddit boasts
a usership of nearly 1.1 millions subscribers and self-describes as "if 4chan
found a Bloomberg terminal." This paper will utilize Amy Jo Kim's community
design principles along with social psychology theory as frameworks to
understand how this chaotic, oftentimes offensive community has developed one
of the largest and most loyal user bases on the platform. We will further argue
that humor plays a vital role in promoting in-group cohesion and in providing
an unconventional third place for traders (and thinly veiled gamblers) to seek
support from each other in the form of vulgar, yet good-humored taunting.
