For Reddit users who know the site, they know it's more of a platform to easily create a community without asking users to sign up for yet another site. However, for the outside world, they view Reddit either by the front page posts (which do have a tendency to deteriorate to a bunch of tired memes) or by the controversies that pop up in the media.

And fortunately the loudest people on Reddit end up being the ones that represent it for the general public.