Just in case anyone here was wondering how Reddit’s numbers are looking these days…
Data and visuals from https://subredditstats.com/r/askreddit
Just in case anyone here was wondering how Reddit’s numbers are looking these days…
Data and visuals from https://subredditstats.com/r/askreddit
this is not an opinion that should be shared by anyone who has opened a frontpage comment section in the last 3 months. bot spam has only gotten significantly worse since july.
the API changes had no effect on bot accounts, anyway. reddit corp specifically made an exception for them and other “low volume” API users - which is why you can still use your own API key to activate defunct 3rd party apps.
(yes, the implication is that normal users can go to hell if they don’t want to use the app - but by imitating a bot, reddit gives you preferential treatment. they want bots juicing their activity metrics.)
my guess is that subredditstats.com is itself impacted by the API changes, or this is a consequence of frontpage posts cycling MUCH more slowly than they did before the protests. fewer individual posts reaching r/all means less traffic and fewer comments as a result.
Has it gotten worse, or has it stayed the same while real people left?
I don’t ask to be a jerk. I’m genuinely curious. I don’t roll over that way often anymore and when I do it’s always for super specific things so I don’t hit the front page.
it can’t really be evaluated in a vacuum. the front page moves so much more slowly that maybe it’s the same number of bots concentrated on a smaller number of posts, i dunno. i just know that it’s inescapable on popular posts and the bots have hardly needed to adapt because reddit corp doesn’t give a fuck.