Comment on Reddit Blames Google Algorithm Changes For Not Hitting User Growth.
jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Huffman and Co. are apparently oblivious to the fact that Reddit is and has always been a niche “social media” platform. They’re more closely related to forums than mainstream social media.
I’m just making wild assertions here but somehow I think that the thing I liked about Reddit is also the thing the average TikTok/Insta/Snapchat/Facebook user does not like. That being that Reddit is mostly text based and requires lots of reading and writing (if you want to interact on any meaningful way). The only other thing they offer is meme scrolling and that can be done pretty much anywhere.
Adding any substantial user growth would require basically abandoning their entire format and would have a minimal chance of success at best.
firadin@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I mean that is why the new reddit page is so less information dense and image-heavy. The app also implemented swiping to get you to mindlessly scroll through memes, often into algorithm-recommended subs you’re not even subscribed to. It’s all an attempt to move the average content toward low-barrier slop thats easy to consume and pad their engagement numbers.
jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Ah. So they do recognize the problem and are going with the worst possible strategy.
Trying to compete in the field of “digital landfills”, which is already completely saturated, seems like an incredibly stupid idea but what do I know.