I’m not on Reddit but I often find helpful posts on there through Google when troubleshooting or info diving. Recently (very recently) I noticed a lot of Google’s Reddit links would dead-end into private communities. Since I’m not on Reddit, while it seemed a little odd, I just thought “ok, maybe I just reached an old link” because I’ve usually still been able to view all the posts by clicking the 3 dots and choosing cached results. But after it happened multiple times, I looked into it and… The answer is in the article
Yah, currently working interstate and getting kinda frustrated becuz when looking for local info the only answer/recommendations/etc I seem to find have now been made private.
On the upside, I’ve been working on cutting back my internet usage and this is definitely helping.
I think most people expected this would be ultimate result, but at least it has drawn some brief, widespread attention to reddit’s rapid enshittification in advance of their IPO, as well as their CEO’s objectionable public commentary. I hope that it provokes people to consider building their communities on platforms that aren’t contorting themselves to become the next Tiktok (more webforums please!).
Protests aside, I’m personally going to be using reddit a lot less now that they’ve killed Apollo. It was one of the best designed apps on iOS, for any application. Meanwhile, reddit’s official app (and the mobile browser experience) is a raging trash fire.
The thing that fucking sucks about all of this is that Aaron Swartz (a legend of free speech and free information) was a co-founder of Reddit and he must be rolling in his grave from how it’s turned out. Watch The Internet’s Own Boy.
Google searches directing to Reddit used to be quite useful over the past few years. Now it’s getting harder and harder to find useful written information on the net. I hate it but when I have to search for answers, I have to use U-tube these days.
Same here, re: Google to Reddit providing a ton of great tech support. I messaged the mods for r/guitarpedals and r/sythesizers and others trying to get access to specific posts and was rebuffed. One of them actually offered to send me screen shots which, although well intentioned, seemed stoopid to me.
Locking subs is a lousy way to protest recent policy changes. If I was a conspiracy theorist I’d say the mods are being manipulated into killing off the platform.
Actually, the point of protest is to inconvenience people. In this case it’s to reduce traffic to Reddit, It’s like asking why a striking transit worker won’t give you a bus ride.
This whole situation is like a game of Pick-Up Sticks in terms of who relies on who for what. Reddit needs its users to post content, comments, etc. Users need Reddit to support and maintain the platform they use. Third-party developers bring users and engagement to Reddit, in return for Reddit offering them access to the platform. Users like to use the third-party apps, and many Mods rely on them. Reddit relies on its Mods. On and on it goes.
So it’s a complicated one and it’s hard to say who really has leverage over who, who is justified in what they’re doing, etc. But I think these are good discussions to have and it’s good to see all these different sides raising their voices for what seems fair to them. Maybe all of Reddit just needs to fight it out for a bit, figure out what needs fixing and get to it.
Personally I support the protests, I think Christian Selig has made good points and has proposed a seemingly sensible path forward. And in any case, the real answer is to diversify your internetting and hang out in smaller communities like this one, which is of course the best community.
