I think the majority of people here understand the new issues with Reddit, but today it struck me that there must be a bigger plan. Almost everyone has a “not sure why I was banned” story. Then there’s the severely limited new user journey that needs to be followed in order to eventually become able to “freely” use Reddit. Eg. You can only post in these groups or can’t comment on this etc. All in the name of spam prevention, apparently.
But what if it was more about something else, eg. At some point they l announce that paying for a Reddit premium account allows you to be unbanned and free to do whatever you want.
What other reasons or ideas can you think of, that mass banning users, (some with years of age and contributions, some of them mods.) could be the first step in a plan to capitalize. It might be very obvious to some , I’d like to hear what you think.
It just seems like actively killing your brand is too stupid of an idea for the Reddit creators.
Also… think of how many new users are sent to post on a selected list of sub Reddits , because they have no restrictions. Why would anyone looking to grow their sub Reddit not want to be on that list, yet it’s so limited. Who decided the list? Why?
There is always a bigger plan.
I got ridiculed for talking about how you have to keep a conveyor belt of multiple accounts baking and ready to go (age, karma, post history). A thing that was once normally accepted mode of operation on reddit. Now the perspective has inverted. Reddit has managed to pivot itselt 180 degrees to a different class of internet user. They are totally naive though just as self-righteous as older reddit users.
Apparently now that MO is considered chronically online basement dweller behavior. I know it’s not that deep. The newer reddit users are largely there for low brow entertainment. Including harassment/mockery/ridicule of any reddit user they find that is different from them.
They use reddit by scrolling their phone chasing dopamine hits. It’s reddits version of the slot machine mechanics that just about every facet of the tech world has been implementing in their own way.
As for the “why was I banned” shenanigans. I think it’s mostly automated trip wires every where. It’s rats nest of it. Second to that is bad actors gaming it. That’s a whole rant in itself.
The newer reddit users are technologically illiterate. They have no idea about bans or shadow bans. They’ll keep engaging even though their activity is going into a shadowban blackhole.
This also makes a lot of sense, playing to the masses.
white supramacy, federal agents
Why should anyone here really care? Most of us came here to escape from said problems and we don’t want said problems replicating themselves here.
Does seeing a post about Reddit offend you ? Honestly? I won’t laugh I promise.
Grow up, child.
:)
Same as Facebook and Google. Sell all the data they collect on you to whoever will buy it. It’s advertising start to finish, top to bottom.
And, whatever isn’t advertising is part of the surveillance state. Palantir and Peter Theil get to look over your colonoscopy results while they decide whether or not your social credit score has fallen low enough to revoke your citizenship.
I’m so screwed. But they will be pleased to know my colonoscopy showed a very clear ileum.
It’s the same phenomenon as every company that is publicly owned (or aspiring to be)–their only concern is the apparent value of the company. Not the value or quality of the actual product or service, just the stock market value.
Stock market values are based on profitability. There are two ways to increase profitability: increase revenue, and decrease costs. Increasing revenue is hard, especially with social media companies (they cost a lot for how much ad revenue brings in, which is partly why they all sell your data–to increase revenue).
Decreasing costs in the short term is much easier. Fire 25% of the staff, you’ve just increased profitability by a huge margin, and you get a raise. But wouldn’t that lower the quality of the product? Naw, we’ll just replace people with AI, who will do a perfectly adequate job. Besides, who the hell cares? It’s not like the product matters, it’s the numbers!
It’s called enshittification.
There’s that word again Enshittification, what a fine addition to the English language. Yeah it’s amazing how the lure of big money changes one’s principles, like that hipster coffee roaster that threw you out for asking for a sugar. Now worth a few billy in the instant coffee trade.
If we’re truing to look into some sort of conspiracy here, I would propose another one.
Reddit is at the forefront of “dead Internet”. Now being a paid data provider for AI scrapers, it’s in Reddit’s interest to generate as much data as possible at as little expense (i.e. servicing actual users) as possible.
At the same time, they need to show that data is user-generated, so they keep registering users - they just ban them later under any made up reason to not spend resources on them.
As a result - data flows, users think being banned is their fault, and no one can prove for sure Reddit is a dead trove of AI data, providing them with plausible deniability to keep on going and racking profits for minimal expense.
I would love it if reddit management is so selfish that they dont care even about AI, but only their revenue.
AI is merely a tool to make more money. First - as a lure to investors, as any hype is. But then through adoption and transformation.
This is the stuff I was craving. Have you thought about this before?
For a while, yeah
you know bain capital and toys r us?
basically that
I only know toys r us. But I get the picture. So, did Reddit gain a new investor? Officially? I’m not clued up on the inner workings
no i just meant they’re destroying it
At some point they l announce that paying for a Reddit premium account allows you to be unbanned and free to do whatever you want.
What other reasons or ideas can you think of, that mass banning users, (some with years of age and contributions, some of them mods.) could be the first step in a plan to capitalize.
To me it seems like it’s a consequence of both cost cutting moderators and lowering the threshold for bans to make the plaform more appealing to large companies advertising.
Do you know how use of AI changes how you think? They want to train people on AIs.
My theory is that Reddit is being run incompetently, without good strategy. The problem is it’s too big to fail so whatever it does seems mysterious only
I’m pretty sure they’re just going after advertising on the front and data sales/AI on the back end. It’s inherently difficult to monetize an old-school internet forum, especially one like Reddit where the incumbent user base is vehemently opposed to adverts and in strong favor of privacy. I don’t think they’re too big to fail (cough Digg), they’re just popular and people dislike change. But I do think they’re barking up the wrong tree with their userbase.
The current account I have dates to 2015 before they required email, and they’ll get a throwaway before I give them one of my real ones. But even then, whatever, I’ve really only gone back there maybe once a week for the past few years.
That is pretty much what I believe is going on, but today I got a bit suspicious, especially around the karma concept and them leading users to certain subs. That seems more intentional.
Yea, they might be incompetent while still fully implementing bad ideas
Nah. Powertripping mods explain bans.
Even here on Lemmy you heard about unjustified bans all the time.
But so many at the same time? Because seems to be a definite spike, and mods have been power tripping forever. That concept is pretty funny on its own, oh the power one must feel 🤣
I have yet to see an “idk why I was banned” that wasn’t either blatant bad-faith engagement or flat out lying about the event. I don’t think that actually happens very often at all.
It happened to me, so i tried to find out if it has happened to anyone else, found a lot of people. Naturally there will be lies mixed in there but, I saw it first hand. When you’re bored do a bit of searching, it’s seems to be common. As i believe there has been some automation added to the process.
The unfortunate point of a business is to get people hooked, kill competition, increase profits through enshitification, declare bankrupcy, sell/close company. The goal is that people up top make tons of money. Reddit is in the enshitification stage. They don’t care that people are leaving because the suits are making money.
Is Enshitification a real word? You’re not the only one to use it. Haha. Yeah very few get into business to not make money.
Webster’s dictionary has really been enshittified lately
Spez has been laser focused on trying to make reddit profitable
His actions speak like he hired some kind of machiavellian ham fisted axe wielding corporate consultants to make that happen
…but at the same time, Spez also want to fully control the main political narrative on Reddit as another revenue stream
Good question. Reddit PERMANENTLY BANNED me for these two words: Punch her.
Context? A woman was frustrated with her landlady for fining her $50 for trash that wasn’t trash but was an Amazon package at her apartment door. The advice I gave? Punch her.
Reddit is pure AI slop now, it has to be.
Yes that has to be proof that it’s automated( not sure if that’s official knowledge?) but that’s pretty ridiculous. I wonder if you said Punch him, would the result have been any different?
