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The red circle in the online community has become a useful tool to help people see something that otherwise would be difficult to spot. Missing a crucial detail might ruin your whole experience of a funny post and leave you dumbfounded. Fortunately, fellows with paints come to our rescue to ensure we don’t miss out on the joke.

The subreddit “Useful Red Circle” has gathered 35.5k members who find and share these kind-hearted acts of service from all over the internet. Scroll through to see all the things you might have missed without the help of the all-knowing ring.

#1

The Answer To The Question “Why Do I Need My Lights On? It’s Only Rain”

The Answer To The Question “Why Do I Need My Lights On? It’s Only Rain”

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James016
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Certainly in Europe/UK, all new cars have daytime running lights on all the time. Even my 11 year old car has them.

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Created in 2018, the subreddit “Useful Red Circle” features all kinds of content, from hidden optical illusions to ridiculous mistakes in marketing. The moderators restrict “not safe for work” (NSFW) posts that contain nudity, vulgarity, or violence so that its members can safely scroll through the images during working hours, too. It’s the perfect way to waste company time (but do so at your own risk).

#4

I Was Told This Would Fit Best Here

I Was Told This Would Fit Best Here

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80 Van
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The white horse is hitching a ride on the black horse.

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#5

Hidden Elephant

Hidden Elephant

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If you wish to participate in this subreddit, you have to avoid cluttering the feed with useless circles. However, other useful shapes (like squares and arrows) and colors are allowed as long as their intent is to bring your focus to a part of a video, image, or GIF. The moderators of this community are encouraging an inclusive space and reminding us to be respectful of others, as the usefulness of a red circle might vary from person to person.

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The red circle is quite a controversial topic amongst netizens. For some, it helps to point out something hiding in plain sight, while others feel that it’s quite an annoying and useless addition that just states the obvious.

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There’s a good explanation for why some of us fail to notice the things that are so clearly visible to others. In psychology, it’s called inattentional blindness, which involves overlooking certain things because your attention is focused on something else like a task, object, or person. Your concentration plays a significant role in visual perception, and when something else detracts from it, it increases the likelihood of you not noticing the most conspicuous things in your environment. For example, when your attention is on the main character of the film, you might not observe the unexpected things entering your visual field. The same goes for images with red circles. You might miss the circled details because you were so attentive to its foregrounded elements.

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#12

Almost Worked

Almost Worked

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#13

Husbands Are Blind

Husbands Are Blind

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Additionally, our brains have been known to miss the obvious and create biases against certain visuals they find distracting. For instance, if you’re participating in an experiment where you’re told to find a face among flashing images of houses, your brain will create a sorting mechanism against images of houses so it can spot the face. If afterward you’re asked to do the opposite, chances are you’ll miss the house pictures due to the bias of the previous test.

#15

Me_irl

Me_irl

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LaserBrain
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've found that you can just click the boxes randomly and it doesn't really matter

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#16

Heavily Editing Your Profile Pic

Heavily Editing Your Profile Pic

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On the other hand, some people love to point out the apparent. We did this a lot while we were kids, like saying, “Hey, it’s a dog!" after seeing one. Our parents were probably rolling their eyes and thinking, “Yes, yes, it is Captain Obvious."

But stating evident facts helps us connect to each other and ensure we’re on the same page about the situation, as frustrating as sometimes it might be. Mentioning to a friend, “It’s hot outside,” when standing under the scorching sun acknowledges the shared experience, helping us to feel more connected. While getting iced coffee and in air conditioning, we feel heard and validated, which helps to develop trust in relationships.

#19

No More, No Less

No More, No Less

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Some of us tend to avoid sharing insights that we think are clear to individuals because of our fear of facing dissatisfaction (“Duh, Sherlock.”) It’s the element of surprise we’re usually after to appear interesting, which usually disqualifies the known and predictable from our conversations. But steering away from self-evident topics stops us from discovering something unusual about the obvious that was hiding in plain sight. We worry about seeming generic, but a big part of us is mundane and cliché, which allows us to share familiarities with close people.

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#26

Wondering Why He Wasn't Getting Whooped

Wondering Why He Wasn't Getting Whooped

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Additionally, something that is known to you might be a revelation to others. Assuming that everyone knows this piece of information restricts you from wanting to share your insights, detracting from building collective knowledge with those around you. With that in mind, we could all learn something from the subreddit "Useful Red Circle,” which accommodates everyone—the ones who are slower to see the obvious and the ones who think that everything is always too conspicuous.

#27

Guess Who's A Part Of The Problem

Guess Who's A Part Of The Problem

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Pixie
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you need scientific papers be sure to not accidentally pirate them via sci-hub. Because that is very illegal and steals from those poor, poor publishing companies. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci-Hub

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#28

I Posted This To R/Uselessredcircle But Maybe It Fits Better Here Since The Person Would Be Hopelessly Lost Without It

I Posted This To R/Uselessredcircle But Maybe It Fits Better Here Since The Person Would Be Hopelessly Lost Without It

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#31

The Poster For The Movie Legend (2015) Mocked One Of Its Negative Reviews By Hiding The Two Star Review Between The Kray Twins Heads

The Poster For The Movie Legend (2015) Mocked One Of Its Negative Reviews By Hiding The Two Star Review Between The Kray Twins Heads

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The Narrative ARC
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Guardian reviewer was not amused: https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/09/legend-review-movie-marketing-false-advertising

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#32

In The Hallway At School

In The Hallway At School

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Donald
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We just forgetting about the Spanish Flu, the Plague of Antonine and the Bobonic Plague?

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#33

Being A Little Hypocritical Don’t You Think?

Being A Little Hypocritical Don’t You Think?

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#36

Your Warranty Ran Out In Maypril, Dude

Your Warranty Ran Out In Maypril, Dude

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#38

For A Genius Billionaire, This Bike Design Looks A Little Bit Unsafe

For A Genius Billionaire, This Bike Design Looks A Little Bit Unsafe

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#40

Smooooth

Smooooth

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Marissa Voleta
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seems trivial, but if lots of people do this, it's a major safety issue. The pilot needs to know the weight of the plane. Cheap + not smart = people now.

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#41

Very Useful Indeed

Very Useful Indeed

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#42

That Circle ⭕️ Is A Lifesaver!

That Circle ⭕️ Is A Lifesaver!

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#43

New Zealand Government 404 Page Does Not Include New Zealand

New Zealand Government 404 Page Does Not Include New Zealand

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#45

Add Reflective Stripe To The Inner Side Of Manhole Ring, So If/When Cover Is Removed The Hole Is Visible For Drivers At Night — Is It Already A Thing? I Can't Find

Add Reflective Stripe To The Inner Side Of Manhole Ring, So If/When Cover Is Removed The Hole Is Visible For Drivers At Night — Is It Already A Thing? I Can't Find

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James016
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They could always replace the manhole cover when they finish working there.

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#46

Dubai Progress - A Much Needed Red Circle Showing The Toyota Building Still Standing To Witness All The Changes That Occurred

Dubai Progress - A Much Needed Red Circle Showing The Toyota Building Still Standing To Witness All The Changes That Occurred

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#48

Thanks For Pointing It Out

Thanks For Pointing It Out

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Becklass
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

More chips for just 50p? I’m having my chips with chips then!

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#49

Helping Us Spot How Amazon Messed Up

Helping Us Spot How Amazon Messed Up

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VonBlade
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If those two curls are what clue you in, and not the fact her face is identical, maybe you'll be interested in this Clark Kent fellow.

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#50

How To Identify The Flag Of Japan

How To Identify The Flag Of Japan

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Mark
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact: the flag of Japan is a pie chart for how much of Japan is Japan

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Note: this post originally had 65 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.