cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/37870004

reddit got bad because spez (the reddit admin) restricted API access to the platform for third-party apps, such that people would be forced to use the official app or web UI, both of which display advertisement and collect user data (e.g. scroll behavior).

the reason why this happened is because reddit is a for-profit company and tries to extract money out of the userbase, at the expense of the users.

another example of a bad decision that reddit made was to push a lot of ragebait (“Am I The Asshole?”) because company shareholders want to see “engagement numbers” go up, and if somebody writes an angry reply to a post, that’s “engagement”. but it makes you angry at the stupidity of the “Asshole”, so it makes your day worse. that is another example how reddit makes money at the expense of the users.

size (number of monthly active users) is not what made reddit bad. commercialization is.

we should probably get rid of the “don’t make lemmy grow, it will ruin the platform if we grow” idea.

  • diaphragmwp@discuss.tchncs.de
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    8 hours ago

    Elaborate on “ultra leftist”? Literally where are you on the compass if Reddit moderators are “too leftist” for you?

    • SpaghettiMaster@feddit.uk
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      7 hours ago

      That would also depend a lot on when and why you left.

      Shutting down jailbait

      Shutting down Trumps sub

      Banning the word retard

      Or instead what if its about some of the things they continue to allow? While not universally allowed, some posts like these can be made

      Pro Luigi posting

      Memes about kirky boy

      Eat the rich

      Each of these, if that is “too leftist” could be quite different. You may not agree with any of them, but what it implies about someone would be different.