Reddit is working on implementing new features that help the platform seem more active, giving it more of a real-time sense of activity and interactivity.
Real-time animations in social media have sort of become a pretty prevalent trend, and we never really noticed it happening until it did. The advent of real-time media platforms had a rather slow start to begin with. Most individuals even in their early 20s can probably remember the feeling of having to refresh your Facebook page to get updated about notifications, messages, or new posts. Now, with browsers and the platforms themselves having improved, new posts and messages get updated in front of our eyes without more than a second’s worth of delay. Messaging platforms particularly have features depicting when a person is typing something out, that manages to keep both parties invested in the occurring conversation. We’ve seen all of this in WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, and so on and so forth. The only technology that hasn’t caught on are text messages, which is fine since those rely on satellites to bounce signals around as opposed to the ever connective internet that social media depends on.
Ultimately, the reason that these features exist, even if unintentionally, is to create a sense of virtual life. Real time features do more than just keeping users invested in their online personas, they help the world those personas inhabit feel more lifelike and interactive. The fact that you can know when your friend is typing out a message really helps sell just how real the conversation feels for both individuals. It’s one of those small things that no one really notices or talks about, and yet have added volumes to conversations online. Social media truly feels social with real time additions, and it truly feels like transposing real life discourse online in the best way possible.
So, what is Reddit choosing to bring to the real time media table? A couple of things, really. To start us off, votes no longer require refreshing, since they will update in front of users. Votes will also now be accompanied by animations, adding more fluidity to the process instead of just seeing a number go up. Comments on posts will now display a pop-up stating that someone is writing one out, much like how comments on Facebook work. Finally, instead of having to refresh your page to see new comments, a new comment pill addition to the interface will need to be clicked upon, automatically rolling out the freshly added comments.
Read next: Reddit Is Shutting Down DubSmash, Improving Its Video Editing Tool In The Process
Real-time animations in social media have sort of become a pretty prevalent trend, and we never really noticed it happening until it did. The advent of real-time media platforms had a rather slow start to begin with. Most individuals even in their early 20s can probably remember the feeling of having to refresh your Facebook page to get updated about notifications, messages, or new posts. Now, with browsers and the platforms themselves having improved, new posts and messages get updated in front of our eyes without more than a second’s worth of delay. Messaging platforms particularly have features depicting when a person is typing something out, that manages to keep both parties invested in the occurring conversation. We’ve seen all of this in WhatsApp, Messenger, Snapchat, Instagram, and so on and so forth. The only technology that hasn’t caught on are text messages, which is fine since those rely on satellites to bounce signals around as opposed to the ever connective internet that social media depends on.
Ultimately, the reason that these features exist, even if unintentionally, is to create a sense of virtual life. Real time features do more than just keeping users invested in their online personas, they help the world those personas inhabit feel more lifelike and interactive. The fact that you can know when your friend is typing out a message really helps sell just how real the conversation feels for both individuals. It’s one of those small things that no one really notices or talks about, and yet have added volumes to conversations online. Social media truly feels social with real time additions, and it truly feels like transposing real life discourse online in the best way possible.
So, what is Reddit choosing to bring to the real time media table? A couple of things, really. To start us off, votes no longer require refreshing, since they will update in front of users. Votes will also now be accompanied by animations, adding more fluidity to the process instead of just seeing a number go up. Comments on posts will now display a pop-up stating that someone is writing one out, much like how comments on Facebook work. Finally, instead of having to refresh your page to see new comments, a new comment pill addition to the interface will need to be clicked upon, automatically rolling out the freshly added comments.
Read next: Reddit Is Shutting Down DubSmash, Improving Its Video Editing Tool In The Process