How Reddit crushed the biggest protest in its history

theverge.com

5 points·pg_1234··5 comments

hmmm, "crushed" seems a bit strong ...

... "fumbled incompetently for weeks" might be more accurate.

I think a desperate Reddit paid for this puff-piece.

The article is fairly hostile to Reddit, I'd say. Consider this excerpt:

> As Reddit flexes its control, it’s playing a risky game ahead of its long-gestating IPO. Even though many third-party apps will likely go away, Reddit’s attitude toward the users that have made it into the giant that it is could harm the platform more than any apps ever did.

I recall when Reddit began crushing and corralling all conservative-leaning or free-speech related subs. They'd put subs on notice, publish the lines that couldn't not be crossed, and then sockpuppets would come en mass with violating posts. Reddit at large cheered and laughed at their ideological enemies. In the midst of their glee, they failed to realize that what can be done to one, can be done to another once your usefulness has run its course.

First they came for the Nazis and the pedophile and I did not speak out because it made Reddit more tolerable for many years.

The problem the Reddit protest had is they really had no leverage beyond forcing Reddit to boot protestors from the site.

Had they coordinated a move to an alternative site (that was easy to use and could handle the traffic, so not Lemmy), that would have had power.

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