Reddit has taken a controversial turn
on its platform by removing the number of visible subscribers on
each subreddit. Instead, two new metrics are now displayed: how many people
visited the community in the last seven days and how many contributions were
made in that same period.
Reddit's
new approach
The company
explained that the number of members never reflected the true level of
participation, since on Reddit anyone can post or comment without needing to
formally "join." That's why, according to the company, it's more
useful to show visits and activity rather than the gross number of subscribers
Impact
on moderation
The change
not only affects ordinary users, but also mods. Now, those who
manage more than five subreddits with more than 100,000 weekly visitors will be
limited. Those who moderate smaller communities will not count towards that
limit. Reddit claims that the measure will impact only 0.1% of active
moderators.
Mixed
reactions
On r/modnews,
many users expressed their rejection. Some say they prefer to keep seeing the
total number of members because it conveys the magnitude of the community.
Others compare the change to what YouTube did by hiding
dislikes in 2021, forcing the community to use extensions to get them back.
???? And
what do you think: do
you think it's okay for Reddit to hide the number of members to prioritize real
activity, or do you think it takes away identity and transparency from
communities? We read them in comments.
