Yes, they absolutely are. Recent data shows platforms like Reddit and GitHub tend to get picked up by LLMs way faster than regular websites do.
Models with real time search, like Perplexity, can surface active Reddit threads within just a few days. Standard search engines and other LLMs also lean heavily on these platforms too, and Reddit ends up being one of the most cited domains in their answers pretty often.
As for whether genuine discussions actually matter, the testing backs that up. AI models tend to prioritize real conversations between real users. Threads that come off spammy or overly promotional usually get downvoted and buried, so they never stick around long enough to become the kind of stable citations LLMs rely on. The brands getting the most AI visibility right now are the ones earning organic mentions in third party communities, not just the ones pumping out polished posts on their own blogs.
So if you want to show up in AI answers today, genuinely participating in these spaces is one of the best ways to make that happen.
