After being threatened, stalked, followed and sexually assaulted by men I've rejected in person, I'm totally okay with being mean if it lets me avoid all that.
I have definitely told guys at the end of a date that I "want to see them again" while having no intention of seeing them again. It's a safety thing. IME guys can Jekyll and Hyde pretty hard when being rejected.
I know it can hurt feelings, but when it comes down to it, my safety > your feelings
I was in the popularclub sub, the only interesting thing about it was when newbies posted their story about how they got there - there was sometimes backstory/ follow ups/ chat about what happens when you "go viral"
Otherwise it was mostly cat pics and random boast posts