Such a terrible change, and it's apparently the default for new users. I have no way to check if the person I'm about to spend 3 minutes typing a reply to is just bleep-bloop.
IMO it is a net negative.
10 years ago redditors took some pride in transparency, you were able to check who you were talking to based on their profile (unlike boards like 4chan). Now it's auto-generated user names with hidden everything. Might as well get rid of unique names and profiles at all and call everyone anon.
Agreed. Hiding history has become a negative signal or, really since it's so common to hide, open history is a positive signal.
There used to be bots that summarized an account's posts. One, I think it was usersimulator, was particularly amusing as it ran a markov chain over the account and generated a fresh post in the style of that user. Quite telling.
I still use reddit but I tag accounts using RES and sometimes see the same bad apples turn up in other subreddits.
Unfortunately, what you state is also true and it is now harder to avoid replying to bots, obvious shills, or trolls.
this type of behavior just comes from a deep place of misery and anger
the amount of time someone spends online is directly related to their socioeconomic status
someone with a rich vibrant and wholesome life with economic comforts to do travelling and hobbies dont have time to go through somebodys comment history and spend time judging and trying to instigate others
someone without those things are going to be online all day.
Unless you delete before scrapers get it, it's stored on multiple databases.
I've stopped engaging on HN a lot because of the characteristic change I notice especially since 2020.