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Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

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Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#271

Post by phpisthebest »

i_like_apis wrote: post #221
phpisthebest wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey TIL I am a "whining idiot" because I do use a 3rd app, refuse to use the official reddit mobile app, and see this API access as a prelude to killing off old.reddit as well, which is the only usable web based UI, the new UI is trash. So if old.reddit goes, and 3rd party apps go, I have no interest in suing reddit. I guess that means I am a whining idiot //for the record I am not a mod anywhere on reddit at all

Maybe it’s too harsh that I used the term “whining idiots ”, but if you’re going to make a retort you shouldn’t play into “whining” by being sarcastic. Sarcasm doesn’t win anyone over ever.

I am not trying to win you over...

Calling people idiots that do not share you opinions on things does not win anyone over either, and gets you sarcasm in response.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#272

Post by thih9 »

But the community supports the protest.

Subreddits can just open and pivot. E.g. architecture communities could become places to discuss api architecture and 3rd party apps; etc.

Or subreddits could start going private every Tuesday and Wednesday.

Or something else; with community’s support there are countless loopholes.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#273

Post by neilv »

moskie wrote: post #76

We (the internet community) made such a terrible mistake with social media. We formed connections and communities and friendships on sites like Facebook and Twitter and Reddit, but those companies need to make money, so those connections are only allowed to exist as long as they are part of a profitable system. How awful it is to reduce human connection to that. To think that I am only allowed to maintain certain soc…

> We (the internet community) made such a terrible mistake with social media.

There was no mistake. Some pre-goldrush Internet/online people could and did point out these things, from the start. Meanwhile, tons of money rushed in, the money deployed the systems that were available and promoted to people, and the massive influx of people were not hearing from the altruistic types who could see things changing.

I think the current Internet user base overall has mostly never known an online environment in which their associations weren't owned and controlled.

Even the language was changed: "social network" was no longer something that was yours, or between you and others you knew, but "social network" is something some billionaire owns about everyone else's personal associations (power to monitor it, to mediate it, to inject into it).

And when there's upset in one commercial property of power over people, usually the upstart alternatives (even some "decentralized" ones) that rush in are like a corrupt country's revolutionary -- who made grand populist speeches, until they gained power, and it turned out they only wanted to be the next dictator.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#274

Post by DashAnimal »

moskie wrote: post #76

We (the internet community) made such a terrible mistake with social media. We formed connections and communities and friendships on sites like Facebook and Twitter and Reddit, but those companies need to make money, so those connections are only allowed to exist as long as they are part of a profitable system. How awful it is to reduce human connection to that. To think that I am only allowed to maintain certain soc…

If I think of every community I was a part of during the 2000s, they've all shut down. In the end money played a part in all of them closing, or people who don't want to commit any longer to something that isn't making them money. In contrast, I've been on reddit since 2011 which is really good. I've spent zero money and learned and enjoyed a lot.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#275

Post by jimbokun »

rtpg wrote: post #217
harryf wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gives me hope is if you ever take a break from social media you realize how worthless it all is. It really doesn’t hurt to disengage. For similar reasons it’s possible for new networks to show up which disrupt the old, such as TikTok. The point is as individuals we are way less dependent on social media than we imagine.

I mean I get that for absent-minded browsing but even just...having a hobby and talking about it with people feels pretty much like Normal Person Behavior(TM) and Reddit's subreddits worked well for that in the same way that forums in the past did. Not the end of the world but as a kid who only could find other people to talk about certain hobbies with online up until college sounds like a lot of pepole will be more…

Or maybe they’ll spend more time doing their hobbies than typing about them.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#276

Post by bee_rider »

dannyphantom wrote: post #190

I suppose this will be a litmus test on how valuable long-established moderators are to the platform. At the end of the day, they are volunteers who are now boarding themselves behind the property of their digital landlord so the risk of eviction isn't really all that surprising. I've seen endless complaints from users who feel personally offended by being muted/banned from a community and a common response to their…

The relationship is skewed in favor of the owners, seems like a more accurate description to me. The mods do do real work (absurdly, they just do it for free).

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#277

Post by fzeroracer »

unclekev wrote: post #155
yk wrote: post #18

Thing is, I am much more loyal to the mods of my favorite subs, then I'm to reddit. And my guess is, that is the case with a lot of the power users.

9 out of 10 days most Reddit mods are considered the scum of the earth, it's a literal meme at this point how bad a lot of them are. They are the heroes this week because it fits their narrative. Censorship, power-tripping, running subs with a iron fist, etc Nobody knows or cares who they are. As much as they'd like to think they are, the mods are not the community. The community is the people. The people are not the…

I don't know if you know this, but mods are not a monolithic group. Each sub is going to have a different set of mods, some worse than others.

That said, if you thing mods are not the community you are more than welcome to try and run a community without mods. In fact you should do so right now. Go create a subreddit without mods and link it here.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#278

Post by jcz_nz »

camhart wrote: post #260
moskie wrote: post #76

We (the internet community) made such a terrible mistake with social media. We formed connections and communities and friendships on sites like Facebook and Twitter and Reddit, but those companies need to make money, so those connections are only allowed to exist as long as they are part of a profitable system. How awful it is to reduce human connection to that. To think that I am only allowed to maintain certain soc…

Except, the lockout is self imposed. Reddit's "crime" is closing down their API... users just need to use the actual reddit app and they can keep their connection/communities going. It does sucks for the people who've built their livelihood offering 3rd party reddit clients though. Sure it was always a risk. Big tech destroys entire businesses on a regular basis. Doesn't make it a bad choice on their part--the (ameri…

That is a willfully ignorant perspective.

Reddit made a choice to first misinform, then pull the rug from under bunch of people (not just devs, it’s the Reddit users as well), and THEN chose to lie about what happened to deflect blame.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#279

Post by haswell »

RheingoldRiver wrote: post #235
harryf wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gives me hope is if you ever take a break from social media you realize how worthless it all is. It really doesn’t hurt to disengage. For similar reasons it’s possible for new networks to show up which disrupt the old, such as TikTok. The point is as individuals we are way less dependent on social media than we imagine.

I disagree. If you find the right communities, you really make close friendships with people - even if you don't know their real names, how old they are, where they work, or where they live. None of that matters, because you share and connect over a common interest. And you could never find so many people IRL with similar interests as you. If this isn't how you're using reddit, discord, etc, and it's easy to disconne…

I don’t think the argument is that one can’t find connection on Reddit.

But I think the recent happenings are a good reason to ask how good it is to invest so much in communities that can disappear overnight.

I’ve enjoyed my time on Reddit over the (many) years and I’ve made real friends who I now know in real life. But many of the communities I once valued have crumbled or no longer provide the same positive experience. What remains are those real friendships.

Social media in general is a gigantic experiment and we’re still just beginning to learn about the psychological and sociological impacts.

Shifting focus to local in-person interactions and creating solid and sustainable relationships that don’t depend on the whims of the latest social media platform seems increasingly important.

And I still think there can be value found there, but not as a primary form of social connection.

Re: Reddit Threatens to Remove Moderators from Subreddits Continuing Blackouts

#280

Post by mvdtnz »

ulrashida wrote: post #189
unclekev wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

9 out of 10 days most Reddit mods are considered the scum of the earth, it's a literal meme at this point how bad a lot of them are. They are the heroes this week because it fits their narrative. Censorship, power-tripping, running subs with a iron fist, etc Nobody knows or cares who they are. As much as they'd like to think they are, the mods are not the community. The community is the people. The people are not the…

Sounds like you may need to find some different subs to participate in. Majority of experiences with mods in mine have been between very okay and positive.

He's right though.
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