hey everyone. if you want to post links or discuss the Reddit blackout, its aftermath, and what’s happening going forward, please localize it to this thread in order to keep things tidy! thanks! we’ll see if we need to cycle the thread again before the end of this week, but i don’t know that we’ll need to
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https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/reddit-blackout-protest-private-ceo-elon-musk-huffman-rcna89700
Cool cool cool cool cool
https://mastodon.social/@robotdeathsquad/110543755195398954
What.The.Fuck.
Sorry. I am at a loss for words.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/16/23763661/reddit-rif-is-fun-developer-ceo-steve-huffman
RIF developer pushing back on Huffman’s claims that RIF didn’t want to work with Reddit by releasing emails.
inb4 spez rants about him releasing private email conversations.
https://www.platformer.news/p/reddit-doubles-down
According to Casey Newton, “It seems also notable that Reddit is moving to centralize control of its ecosystem at the precise time that the rest of industry has begun to explore more federated models. When even Meta is preparing to launch a decentralized social network, it’s fair to ask whether Reddit has misread the moment.”
My take: Reddit’s API/IPO debacle puts them on the wrong side of history, as they double down on an outdated and unpopular social media model. Times are changing. What do you think?
This article is absolutely scathing, great read.
https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/reddit-ceo-steve-huffmans-third-party-api-debacle-is-making-elon-musk-look-like-a-strategic-genius.html
Techdirt: Reddit CEO Triples Down, Insults Protesters, Whines About Not Making Enough Money From Reddit Users
Woah. I mean, that article nails his whole attitude. It’s so depressing to see what was such a great site come crashing down because of one tech-bro’s hubris.
https://9to5mac.com/2023/06/15/reddit-blackout-third-party-apps/
Loving the Reddit dumpster fire thumbnail image they included. Mostly covering TheVerge’s Huffman interview and pointing out how dumb he sounds as CEO.
Welp.
Looks like a lot of mods are caving.
The excuse: “if the mods didn’t open the sub, they’ll replace them with shills”. 'Kay. And now that we know these mods will do what the admins ask when their precious power is threatened?
Well, I guess sabotage is valid approach, so I give the mods who are doing that at least a bit of credit.
/r/pics is making a stand in its own weird way.
/r/Steam just caved without much of a fight, if their sticky is anything to go by. While the mods aren’t doing anything, it does seem like there’s a bit of a user revolt where a few people are just posting pictures of literal water vapor (ie. “steam”).
/r/piracy mods seemed to give them enough of an issue that the admins de-modded the top mod and forced the sub open, but the mods seems to be taking the approach of “only sticking around to give you the coordinates to our new island”.
Honestly, though, it’s kind of hilarious that reddit considers /r/piracy of all subs to be integral to the site. How many times have they tried to shut it down now?
Everyone on that sub should just spam Nintendo stuff. Like, nothing else. Watching reddit piss off Nintendo and getting C&Ds from them would be oddly cathartic.
One of two things happens if people do that: A) the mods trying to “save” it have to actually keep it restricted to prevent getting DMCAs (lol, the irony), or B) admins just nuke the sub. Either are a win, IMO. Seems like they’re giving their users enough time to migrate and they’re probably going to jump ship soon.
German it magazine iX has an interview with the mods of r/de. I don’t know if this was mentioned here before…
Interview (German)
Short summary: the mods of the large German communities see a huge issue with reddit not recognizing content creators and mods work and there seems to be growing support for an ongoing blackout or so they say.
According to a screenshot shared in the modcoord discord, there’s already a facist trying to take over /r/aww. The user is a former T_D mod, a sub which was actively involved in the January 6 riots and known for its misconduct across Reddit. These are the people that spez wants to empower.
That person’s profile is completely insane - far into the deep end. Fuck
Reddit Moderators Do Over $3.4 Million in Free Labor Every Year - by Clive Thompson
Guardian article on the reddit drama: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jun/17/there-is-no-moral-high-ground-for-reddit-as-it-seeks-to-capitalise-on-user-data?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
If this is true, then it’s not good news
https://mstdn.games/@chris/110553477682106144
https://kbin.social/m/RedditMigration/t/34112/Heads-up-Reddit-is-quietly-restoring-deleted-AND-overwritten-posts-and
Some hackernews folk are saying their changes were reversed https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36354850-
do birds fly? do ducks duck?
Something I’ve seen pointed out is that if Reddit ultimately does shift to a more “democratic” model of voting mods in and out, that could easily be abused by bot farms or for nefarious purposes. Everything about the future direction the site is heading sounds bleak and barely what it once was.
Like with a lot about Reddit, things have been implemented that sounds good on paper but little thought has been given to the consequences.
As for the electing mods/vox populi…[barf]
Redditinc.com’s fact(oid)s about the API changes.
Includes such BS as
Technically true. But it’s estimated that between 1/3 and 1/2 are NSFW. That is, the subs they don’t want shown at their (mythical) IPO.
Technically true. But so does the official app, and web browsers. API calls are not some sort of special magic that causes extra wear on the systems. If the users never had the third party apps they’d be using something else, causing the same traffic and usage - or using nothing at all.
Again, third party apps are no more of a drain on data use than anything else. It’s been proven, but Spez keeps pushing this lie.
Objection! Facts not in evidence.
Emphasis mine. This is the real story.
Either this is an outright lie or Spez is admitting that the official Reddit app is an inefficient, data monching, piece of garbage.
Spez has been promising rainbows for years but all we ever get is poop. Or just the smell of poop. That the mobile apps were released without proper moderator tools tells you what he thinks of moderators.
Clearly a lie, given that Spez is going to change the rules to force out moderators who choose to follow their sub’s wishes to protest.
The “fun option” is an official means of joining the protest. Can he stop lying for 10 seconds?
Yes, much smarter than actually TALKING TO YOUR OWN USERS AND SEEING WHAT THEY WANT. Oh, they want what you refuse to do? Gee, what a surprise!
Nothing says ableism more than telling people with disabilities that they have no agency in how or if they get accommodations. (Sadly, the ADA does not apply to Reddit as a website.)
In summary, Spez needs to be fired. Preferably out of a cannon, into the sun. (Edit to add, because I am newbie here: This is hyperbole. I do not actually advocate violence against anyone.)
Could you elaborate on how and why the ADA doesn’t apply to Reddit as a website? I’ve been wondering about this ever since Spez admitted the official app isn’t accessible and they seemingly have no plans to make it so.
The ADA only requires accessibility in websites if it’s a government site, or if it’s the site of a company providing a “public service,” such as a bank or a hotel.
Here’s the ada.gov page about it: https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/
Yes, but if you fire a spez from a canon into the sun, but no one can see him enter the sun, then does he actually get harmed? No one knows, especially if he never returns!
Do it at night, show some mercy.
at midnight. as is tradition.
So spez is the narwhal who gets his bacon cooked. The prophecy’s revelation has come to pass!