The Problem with Reddit
 

We all know Reddit's a cool source of traffic.

No doubt about that.

But there is one serious problem with Reddit as a whole/as a business.... it is TOO DEPENDENT on its user base to remain relevant.

The current drama it's facing (see Is Ellen Pao snafu beginning of Reddit?s end? - MarketWatch ) threatens to turn Reddit into another Digg...

You remember Digg, right?

How do you walk the tightrope between extreme cult popularity, monetization, and minimizing abusive behavior?

Whoever answers that will nail the space Reddit, 4chan, and others are in.

Another reason why Digg died: the rise of Facebook and Twitter.

Ellen Pao resigned today.. I'm sure that will make the user base happy. A former co founder of Reddit is the new CEO.

As far as user bases.. That's the problem all social networks face, even Facebook has lost its appeal to the younger generations. All social networks have limited lifespans as their user base is always going to be mobile and will eventually run off to the next cool thing.

Isn't that the problem with any social media site? Any site that relies on its users to create the content is fully dependent on them and if they go away they are in trouble.

:2 cents:

True that. I've been Redditing for a few years now and it seems to still be on an upwards trend, especially when new subs pick up some crazy growth.

Personally, I'm a big fan of /r/trees and /r/explainlikeimfive a lot for my particular "interests"

For instance, check out reddit.com: over 18? (NSFW)

It's been up for 2 days and has 761 subscribers and is one of the fastest growing according to All Subreddits | redditlist.com - Tracking the top 5000 subreddits right now.

OMG!!! I think I have never heard more obvious remark!! all the businesses are dependent of its users!!! or please tell me one that isn't.

I guess you don't really get User Generated Content-dependent sites. For UGC sites, the PRODUCT is the USER BASE.

When the user base leaves (see Digg and recently, Reddit) the site dies. Compare that with other site models where the site actually CREATES the content and the users CONSUME the content.

Yes all businesses are dependent on their users BUT if the users themselves ARE 'the product' (so to speak) then that's when things can get unstable. If the users go away the business goes away. If customers go away the store/site/product still remains (tho no one is buying it).

Social networks also may face a future where - SHOCK! - people may get tired of using them 24/7 for everything like telling us what they had for dinner. I know it doesn't seem that way now but using Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, on and fucking on, is getting overwhelming. How many sites can you check a day? How many hours can you stare at a screen? Throw in Angry Birds and we're doomed. LOL

I am praying for a backlash. I feel it will happen.

I've seen an influx of Reddit idiots on 4chan, it's obvious due to their potato brain.

Lots of redditors are moving their asses to Voat: have your say

Instead of subreddits, they are called subverses and they already have a preferred image hosting service, Reddit has Imgur and Voat has https://veuwer.com

Good to hear Pao resigned. She is a serious CUNT who I hope will not recover form this. Long history of douchebag moves.

Thanks for VOAT link. Reddit has always been a scamocracy.

preach on

I loathe social media and I wish you were right, but honestly ya gotta take into account that we're not the generation to which they're marketing.

I'm involved in an after school workshop for late teens down here and while they are a thoroughly wicked group of individuals holy fuck they are glued to their phones aka social media every moment they can spare. it's baffling to me; the mentality that if something is not captured in text and photos and public comments and retweets and on and on it's useless. personally I don't understand that, I never take pics because I'm too busy enjoying the real thing . I try not to judge peeps but honestly I think they're missing out on something, a lot actually.

but yeah, reddit may fade but social media is here to stay. peeps 30+ don't rule the internets

for real though, I worry about the long term ramifications of the 'social' generation's blind trade in of privacy for what really boils down to an internet footprint for ego's sake.

I know wicked work and meaningful interactions occur due to social media so I'm not trying to disparage the concept out of hand btw. All I'm saying is that in interacting with these kids it's like they have two sides to their social lives; the real world and then their online spaces. and each are equally real and meaningful to them.

that worries me, that peeps feel comfortable (and actually seek to) open up every aspect of their lives to public/corporate/government scrutiny. actually what baffles me the most is that privacy barely seems to be a relevant subject on the internet when it comes to social media.

not to get all conspiracy theory-ish (as in, I don't think myspace/fb/twitter/reddit et al. are a plot by the government or some ish), but I can see how -down the road- peeps who never experienced the idea of a life not fully documented on traceable records might be more amenable to invasions of state/surveillance than those of us who can recall a time when privacy was not just available, but valued.

but yeah, reddit will get replaced eventually. something new will take it's place though, I crave the backlash as well but honestly I don't see it anywhere in sight.