Most tech companies in the social media sector operate on the assumption that the user generated content on their platforms is going to entice enough people to make accounts, thereby helping said companies generate even more revenue than would be possible if it was just a random user that did not actually have an account on the site.
Reddit has always been praised for the fact that it does not restrict access to its content in any way, and the fact of the matter is that this was one of the biggest reasons why this internet forum was thought to be different from other platforms, but it seems like all of this is about to change and that Reddit is no longer going to be the equally accessible platform that it has always been.
Users that try to access Reddit from a browser on their phone are now being told that this access is restricted, and that they will have to download the app in order to browse through this content. A lot of users complaining about the same while some Reddit users sharing the screenshots of how "This community is available in the app" message irritating them. The reason behind this is that the app requires you to sign in, so effectively Reddit is forcing people to make accounts in order to gain access to the content that they are trying to learn about.
Reddit has a lot to gain from users making accounts. User history is logged and all data that is extracted from these accounts is sold to brands and marketing agencies for a huge profit. Hence, Reddit is basically restricting access to user generated content simply so that they can end up making more money, and this is something that most people that use the platform are finding to be highly distasteful.
Reddit is primarily a source of information for internet users, and not everyone wants an account on the platform just to acquire a single piece of information that they wanted to get their hands on. Forcing app downloads like this is not in the spirit of Reddit, and most users are responding to the change to make it clear that they do not approve of this.
Reddit is not the only platform that has done something like this. Instagram also added a sign in wall for people that were just browsing content. This is the sort of feature that elicited a highly negative reaction, and it seems quite strange that Reddit would follow suit. Only time will tell whether Reddit listens to its users and removes this misguided sign in wall or whether it will stubbornly cling to the idea that the content its users generate should be used to earn the company more money.
Source: Reddit / Tjroberti.
Read next: Reddit’s New Policies – Impersonation Banned on the Platform
Reddit has always been praised for the fact that it does not restrict access to its content in any way, and the fact of the matter is that this was one of the biggest reasons why this internet forum was thought to be different from other platforms, but it seems like all of this is about to change and that Reddit is no longer going to be the equally accessible platform that it has always been.
Users that try to access Reddit from a browser on their phone are now being told that this access is restricted, and that they will have to download the app in order to browse through this content. A lot of users complaining about the same while some Reddit users sharing the screenshots of how "This community is available in the app" message irritating them. The reason behind this is that the app requires you to sign in, so effectively Reddit is forcing people to make accounts in order to gain access to the content that they are trying to learn about.
Reddit has a lot to gain from users making accounts. User history is logged and all data that is extracted from these accounts is sold to brands and marketing agencies for a huge profit. Hence, Reddit is basically restricting access to user generated content simply so that they can end up making more money, and this is something that most people that use the platform are finding to be highly distasteful.
Reddit is primarily a source of information for internet users, and not everyone wants an account on the platform just to acquire a single piece of information that they wanted to get their hands on. Forcing app downloads like this is not in the spirit of Reddit, and most users are responding to the change to make it clear that they do not approve of this.
Reddit is not the only platform that has done something like this. Instagram also added a sign in wall for people that were just browsing content. This is the sort of feature that elicited a highly negative reaction, and it seems quite strange that Reddit would follow suit. Only time will tell whether Reddit listens to its users and removes this misguided sign in wall or whether it will stubbornly cling to the idea that the content its users generate should be used to earn the company more money.
Source: Reddit / Tjroberti.
Read next: Reddit’s New Policies – Impersonation Banned on the Platform
