{"id":3585,"date":"2023-07-02T06:54:51","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T06:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/startups\/reddit-is-already-on-the-rebound\/"},"modified":"2023-07-02T06:54:51","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T06:54:51","slug":"reddit-is-already-on-the-rebound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=3585","title":{"rendered":"Reddit Is Already on the Rebound"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Social media researchers<\/span> at the Network Contagion Research Institute in Princeton, New Jersey, got a rude awakening early last month. They were roused by 6:30 am phone calls from a colleague warning that Reddit had started blocking the institute’s Pushshift service from updating its ongoing archive of every post on the discussion platform.<\/p>\n

That was a problem for more than just NCRI, because some of Reddit\u2019s 50,000 volunteer moderators depend on Pushshift to quickly investigate problem users, and many academics rely on the service. If it went stale, mods, as Reddit calls moderators, would have to work overtime or let more trash content accumulate. Researchers studying online communities would be forced to put projects and doctoral dissertations on ice.<\/p>\n

The Pushshift blockade and its consequences are just part of the collateral damage from an aggressive pivot by Reddit\u2019s leaders to shut off free, wholesale access to the platform\u2019s content by outside software. The policy shift has triggered two months of turmoil, including mass protests by Redditors and a mod rebellion that has left 2,400 of the platform\u2019s over 100,000 communities shut down. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman likened mods to \u201clanded gentry\u201d flexing undemocratic power as he tried to describe tensions within Reddit\u2019s community.<\/p>\n

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The saga is due to reach a climax on July 1, when Reddit\u2019s new fees for data access go into effect. A few popular independent apps for accessing the platform have said they will shut down, because the cost and new terms are too burdensome. But Reddit\u2019s leaders say changes are needed to bring stability to a company that, despite having 57 million daily users, has struggled to find a firm financial footing and delayed going public. They hope to cash in from outfits ranging from small services like Pushshift to rich tech companies like ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which uses online conversations to train chatbots.<\/p>\n

The drama has led to speculation that Reddit has choked off the fuel of its success, repelling a generation of power users who curated a uniquely helpful, creative, and profanely silly corner of the internet. Some mods have resigned, including one using the handle desGroles, who was among four leaders of Reddit’s sourdough baking community, or subreddit, in recent years. This week, he blocked Reddit access on his router at home in Cape Town, South Africa. \u201cYou don’t want to put in hours for someone who treats you so abusively\u2014for me, it\u2019s irreparable,\u201d says desGroles, who declined to be named, fearing online harassment. \u201cIt has soured,\u201d he adds\u2014and not in a tasty way.<\/p>\n

But while mods have been lost and the company\u2019s reputation with users bruised, there are signs that Reddit is already on the rebound.<\/p>\n