When you have a burning question, a brain itch to know an answer to a personal issue… you expect advice from many sources to get a definite solution. That’s precisely what Reddit offers– a social media platform that is a treasure trove of forums, discussions, opinions, debates, and topics of interest.
Founded in 2005, Reddit is the only relevant human connection when most other platforms offer automated algorithmic answers.
Users create subreddits based on a particular topic, followed by a long thread of responses from other users. This format attracts millions daily users because people seek more personalized answers than AI-generated general results.
Quora is another such Q&A platform, although the demographic is slightly different, considering the professional nature of the answers. However, Reddit is not as uptight as other forums; people can share the most controversial opinions, even as random as discussing James Harden’s facial hair. Although, these threads are monitored for inappropriate content or spam by several dedicated voluntary moderators.
But then, why did such a vibrant platform suddenly go dark?
Why Are Reddit Communities Going Dark? Why Is Reddit Having a Blackout?
Just as the users embarked on a usual Reddit spree, they were shocked to see their favorite subreddit locked. On 12th June, some of the most popular threads were inaccessible. At first, people assumed another bug had caused the glitch. But upon further inspection, it was evident that some smaller communities were still active.
As it turns out, the moderators have private these subreddits for a very rebellious reason, and we are witnessing a David v/s Goliath battle. Consequently, Reddit has suddenly the least activity recorded in a year. Thus, declared an official blackout.
Why Are So Many Reddit Communities Private Now?
Reddit moderators are unpaid volunteers who maintain a civilized discussion without racial or verbal threats or irrelevant opinions to optimize the user experience. So then, why did they private the communities?
The moderators took this herd decision after the Reddit executives announced that there would be additional charges for the third-party apps. These apps are usually created for users who want a more creative and interactive interface while accessing Reddit threads. However, after 1st July, Reddit will impose charges on these apps to access Reddit’s data. Here is the price breakdown–
- Developers that require higher usage limits: charges will be $0.24 for every 1000 API calls.
- Developers will be charged less than $1 per user monthly.
Suppose– an app has monthly 10K users generating $5 per user. Then the total revenue for the third party will be $50K. Now, Reddit will charge $1 per user, meaning $10k would be debited from the app’s monthly revenue, around $120000 per year. This is a significant fraction for indie apps, considering they may not get consistent users each month.
The Reddit community has unanimously decided t boycott this decision so that the third-party apps are not eaten alive in the market, where Reddit is playing monopoly.
Apollo said that with their current usage, the charges would cost more than $20 million a year.
Why is There a Reddit Protest?
The protest started because of one particular case. Apollo is a third-party app developed by Christian Selig. In April, Reddit decided to introduce these supplementary charges as fees for using the Reddit data. According to Reddit executives, OpenAI compiles Reddit data to feed to the Chat GPT algorithm. Hence, they are charging the “big corporations” to pay up for raking profits from Reddit’s resources.
However, this decision primarily affects independent third-party developers. Apollo is one such user-friendly and popular app. Selig recently conducted a meeting with the Reddit executives to negotiate the discounted pricing on these charges. This is because Apollo’s premium membership fees do not generate enough revenue to pay a hefty sum to Reddit.
Considering their current usage, Apollo has estimated that the charges would cost more than $20 million a year. Apparently, the meeting took an ugly turn, and through an insider resource, Selig found out that this was a way for Reddit to shut down these apps so that people could use Reddit’s own app.
Christian announced that Appolo would cease operating after 30th July, concerning the potential losses incurred because of these charges.
Hence, the Reddit community protested this decision and shut down around 6000+ threads. They have pledged to keep this lockdown for 48 hours.
Reddit chief executive Steve Huffman has issued a statement–
“We respect when you and your communities take action to highlight the things you need, including, at times, going private….. We are all responsible for ensuring Reddit provides an open, accessible place for people to find community and belonging.”
However, some netizens believe these protests will not significantly affect Reddit’s credibility since users will still log in to the platform regardless. Twitter also issued a similar clause a few months earlier.
Here is a thread explaining a possible solution to dismantle Reddit’s decision.
Amidst the chaos, Tumblr does seem a better option!
What are your thoughts on this situation? Do you agree that these protests might change their minds? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
