Ask HN: What Happened to Reddit?

Post by cpsns » Thu, May 26, 2022, 4:02 PM UTC

usrn wrote: post #131

hnuser847 wrote: post #29

Honestly, despite the UX changes, Reddit has stayed remarkably consistent over the past decade or so I've used it. Big, generic subreddits are trash and always have been, but small, focused subreddits are great. Reddit is still hands down the best place on the internet for product recommendations, candid product reviews, niche hobbies, and discussions about TV shows, movies, and games. Edit - to prove my point furthe…

>small, focused subreddits are great. No, not in my experience. Not compared to small focused forums on any moderately complex or interesting topic anyway. The whole format is designed for quick throwaway content and not for having long nuanced discussions and so the subreddit will be oriented towards just that. Worse still I think it might even poison the brains of the Redditors into thinking that the subreddit is a…

Post by shitlord » Thu, May 26, 2022, 4:47 PM UTC

Bellend wrote: post #164

Giorgi wrote: post #144

Mods. Whenever you see community/forums take the wrong turn - it's always mods. Reddit is now extremely leftwing, to the point of pushing communism and banning everyone with even slightest conservative view-points, and that's where mods come in - mods can ban account for life sitewide. This was the first mistake Second mistake was banning and removing subs that were controversial and might or might not have been frow…

I'd argue mods as well. My account was OG and in a local subreddit after a local incident occurred, I suggested that the issue had made me reconsider my views on a subject. Pretty innocent. The mods banned me from the sub, when I replied why and gave a couple of paragraphs about how it's my local area and it would be quite upsetting to be banned over a non-offensive view, they responded with "F$£D OFF" and then my ac…

Post by Sunspark » Thu, May 26, 2022, 5:15 PM UTC

warrenm wrote: post #183

Sunspark wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No election campaigns either, they are all dictators-for-life unless reddit head office decides they need to be involved. This is the same issue IRC has. In the old days, if you were lucky, sometimes you could unseat a tyrant, but modern IRC channel ownership is enforced by the server itself. This is part of why I like Twitter, even though I haven't been active on it in some time. People have to opt-in to you on Twit…

> People have to opt-in to you on Twitter. It's impossible to be a tyrant on Twitter, you cannot compel people to pay attention to you there. You can't "compel people to pay attention to you" on Reddit (or HN, Facebook, etc) either Mute/block/ban exists on pretty much every social media platform (with the possible exception of HN (at least - I've never seen it hereon))

Post by chefkoch » Thu, May 26, 2022, 7:23 PM UTC

GekkePrutser wrote: post #78

kelseyfrog wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The UX redesign is also clearly part of a mobile-first strategy. The mobile site funnels users into the mobile app, and the desktop site clearly echos the mobile design principles. Mobile users fundamentally engage with the platform in different ways. For one, they form a different demographic segment than older users, and secondly the mobile app frames and filters content in uniquely mobile ways. High-signal content…

> The mobile site funnels users into the mobile app, and the desktop site clearly echos the mobile design principles. More like hoards them into the app with a cattle prod. You can't use the mobile site without constantly confirming that no, I really really really don't want to use the app like I said 20 seconds ago. This is beyond dark patterns. It's pure user hostility.

Post by warrenm » Thu, May 26, 2022, 10:22 PM UTC

Sunspark wrote: post #195

warrenm wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People have to opt-in to you on Twitter. It's impossible to be a tyrant on Twitter, you cannot compel people to pay attention to you there. You can't "compel people to pay attention to you" on Reddit (or HN, Facebook, etc) either Mute/block/ban exists on pretty much every social media platform (with the possible exception of HN (at least - I've never seen it hereon))

The way reddit implemented the block is very interesting also. If you wish to control a conversation in some sort of strange manner, all you need to do is state something outrageous and plainly wrong, and then block the other person arguing with you. It makes you look like you got the last word because they can't respond and your comment stays up.