The IT Nerd

There’s a variety of methods that people are using to protest the API changes that Reddit wants to make. But this one that is being highlighted by The Verge is a new one:

A handful of subreddits have classified themselves as not safe for work (NSFW) to protest Reddit’s recent treatment of the platform’s volunteer moderators, and as a result, some non-porn communities are starting to get a lot of porn.

And:

Subreddits that have made the NSFW switch include r/interestingasfuck, r/TIHI (Thanks I Hate It), r/formula1, r/videos, r/HomeKit, and r/HomePod.

• The only subreddit-specific rule in r/interestingasfuck is that “any content you submit must be something you consider interesting as fuck.” The subreddit is now filled with porn. 
• r/TIHI removed a rule that forbids “extreme NSFW content,” according to a pinned post on the subreddit. “We feel we have been too restrictive with our content, especially on the NSFW side of things, so we have removed this rule. As long as it’s legal under U.S. law, and you hate it, we encourage you to post it.” As you can imagine, the subreddit has some gross stuff now.
• r/formula1 reopened on Tuesday. “Formula 1 is known for, both in the past and today, to include certain risque imagery that fall within the NSFW space,” a mod wrote in a post. “Switching our classification means Reddit’s age verification shields underage users from being exposed to content considered harmful.”
• r/videos is now an NSFW subreddit, and like a few other huge communities, it only allows content about comedian John Oliver. (I can’t believe I am writing this statement: so far, I have not seen porn about John Oliver on the subreddit.)
• r/HomeKit and r/HomePod each have pinned posts pointing to r/Apple’s statement about why it reopened. As far as I can tell, both subreddits otherwise haven’t changed things, and the posts I’ve seen appear to be on topic.

Other subreddits that aren’t explicitly NSFW have loosened their rules such that users are posting porn and inappropriate content anyway, including r/iOS, r/simpsonsshitposting, and r/Wellthatsucks.

Here’s the core reason why they are doing this:

And switching to NSFW might also create some pain for Reddit itself, as NSFW subreddits are not eligible for advertising.

They’re taking money out of Reddit’s bank account. That’s pretty crafty. Now it might be a little money, or a lot. It really doesn’t matter as Reddit isn’t revenue positive at the moment. So anything that takes money out of their bank accounts will hurt. I guess that’s why Reddit decided to do this:

Reddit has started removing moderator teams managing subreddits that switched the labeling on their communities to Not Safe For Work (NSFW) in the latest protests against the site.

While some of these moderators have been reinstated, it’s clear to me that this latest salvo does hurt Reddit. It will be interesting to see how things escalate from here.

This entry was posted on June 21, 2023 at 8:18 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Reddit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.