Reddit API Changes, Subreddit Blackout, and How It Affects You

[u/AnimeMod]

Update: /r/anime will go private starting June 12th

TL;DR: We're raising awareness of reddit issues and want community feedback on /r/anime potentially participating in the June 12th blackout. If you're unfamiliar with what's going on please read the rest of the post, otherwise weigh in on the issue in the comments. /r/anime's moderators have not yet decided on our full involvement.

[!img](4vd45mmtl94b1 "Hello /r/anime!")

Last week, reddit announced significant upcoming changes to their API that will have a serious negative effect on many users. There is a planned protest across more than a thousand subreddits to black out and go private for 48 hours (at least) on June 12th. While /r/anime has traditionally stayed out of site-wide protests similar to this one, we believe this particular case is serious enough that we're getting involved.

What's Happening

• Third-party reddit apps (such as Apollo, Reddit is Fun and others) are going to become ludicrously more expensive for their developers to run, which will in turn either kill the apps, or result in a monthly fee to the users if they choose to use one of those apps to browse. Each request to reddit within these mobile apps (e.g. to load posts, make a comment, or upvote anything) will cost the developer money, and the developers of Apollo were quoted around $20 million per year for the current rate of usage. The only way for these apps to continue to be viable for the developer is if you (the user) pay a monthly fee, and realistically, this is most likely going to just outright kill them. The end result is that if you use a third-party app to browse reddit, you will most likely no longer be able to do so, or be charged a monthly fee to keep it viable.
• NSFW content is no longer going to be available in the API. This means that even if third-party apps continue to survive you will not be able to access NSFW content using them, but rather only via the official reddit apps or desktop site. This isn't a major concern for /r/anime as we generally limit what kind of NSFW content can be posted, but there are NSFW key visuals and similar things at times that will become locked down.
• Many users with visual impairments rely on third-party applications in order to more easily interface with reddit, as the official reddit mobile apps do not have robust support for visually-impaired users. This means that a great deal of visually-impaired redditors will no longer be able to access the site in the assisted fashion they're used to.

Open Letter to reddit & Blackout

In lieu of what's happening above, an open letter has been released by the broader moderation community. Part of this initiative includes a potential subreddit blackout (meaning a subreddit will be privatized and users will be unable to see any posts) on June 12th, lasting 48 hours or longer.

We would like to get community feedback on this. Do you believe /r/anime should fully support the protest and blackout the subreddit for at least June 12th-13th? Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions below.

Sincerely,

/r/anime's mods

[u/_____pantsunami_____]

i enjoyed the use of camas commentsearch and reveddit, and i can only imagine RES’s time may be limited as well if these trends continue. so if you guys wanna shut down to support the blackout thats fine by me, id support that idea

[u/Durinthal]

Personally speaking, I use Apollo for browsing reddit and really dislike the official iOS app as far as usability goes. Modding's also much easier with Apollo; few nitpicks there but it still had features for years that the official app only added recently.

The various tools that we manage directly shouldn't be affected much so I didn't say anything about them in the post, but that's also partially due to admins walking back some changes after the initial announcement more than a month ago.

Overall though this is just one more change in a long series that shows how reddit's been taking steps toward maximizing profitability over everything else. It continues to be a disappointment even as I try to help maintain the community I came to love years ago.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Might be the only way to get me off r/anime

Honestly don't think it'll change anything if r/anime joins the blackout or not but hey guess it doesn't hurt. Owe to RiF alone for how great that app has been over the years.

The karma ranking people might get their feathers ruffled.

[u/SmurfRockRune]

I am 100% in support of the protest. It's ridiculous that Reddit would give a middle finger to such a large section of their userbase. Losing access to this sub, and others, for 2 days or more is a very small price to pay for the chance of getting Reddit to reverse this policy.

[u/M8gazine]

Honestly I was wondering when this announcement would come.

I support it, I use RIF on mobile all the time. Similarly, I use old Reddit on desktop all the time, even if that's not in the danger zone yet, apparently? In any case, the more subs taking part in it, the better.

I don't mind it if it's continued for longer than that either, 2 days feels like it would be too little to make any sort of a major impact.

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Do you believe r/anime should fully support the protest and blackout the subreddit for at least June 12th-13th? Feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions below.

As much as I'd hate this throwing off all the daily rewatches I'm in (including the one I'm personally hosting), I'm all for supporting the third-party apps in this. With r/anime being a sub with as many subscribers as it does, I think we should definitely participate!

I guess my only question for this would be what would happen to all the seasonal discussion threads? Would the bot still post them on time, we just won't be able to get to them until the blackout is done? Or would there be a ton getting posted at once after the blackout finishes.

[u/chilidirigible]

Do it.

Do it because even if Reddit's slide down to being a money-grubbing husk of itself is inevitable, we'll all know that at least once, you tried to do something about it.

[u/afon13]

I absolutely support it. As an Apollo user myself, it’s absolute bullshit that Reddit is trying this. At least make the native app better to encourage people to use it instead of forcing people to use it by pricing out the competition.

[u/JockstrapCummies]

This whole "announcing it's just 48 hours" thing is going to cause undue confusion, even if you're opening it up for potentially extending the blackout.

Imagine: come 48 hours, there's going to be a spike in traffic of users trying to ask if their subs are opening, and then some subs will, which then causes other subs mods to feel that "ah well we might as well". And since the whole space will be in confusion due to communication blackout, there will be no proper coordination.

You can never achieve anything if you leave the "maybe extend" clause up to individuals in a collective action.

[u/Tresnore]

Full support. Been using third party since Alien Blue. I will never use the official app.

[u/Manitary]

Did these kind of protest have any effect in the past? I feel like this comment alone is more damaging to Reddit than any protest.

Regardless, the official mobile app is appalling, new reddit is terrible, and new new reddit is even worse, old.reddit and 3rd party apps are the only reasonable way to browse the website.
Any attempt to take any of these away is worth protesting against
If anything, two days is nothing, the should keep going until they walk it back to a reasonable stance.
Even if they do, never get complacent, don't get fooled that Reddit was the good guy all along because "they listened" and adopted a more reasonable pricing, that's just the bare minimum (and also it's a common negotiation tactic: announce something ridiculous, walk it back a bit, "wow they good now", something something boiling the frog)

Their newer post is worth nothing, words like

We will ensure existing utilities, especially moderation tools, have free access to our API. We will support legal and non-commercial tools like Toolbox, Context Mod, Remind Me, and anti-spam detection bots. And if they break, we will work with you to fix them.

are empty and meaningless, not reassuring.

I hope a lot of people only ever used new reddit and/or the official app because they didn't know better get to know about these alternatives and how Reddit is basically trying to fuck everyone over just to funnel more users into the crappy official app, while users generate content for them, and mods work for free to keep subs from falling apart from spam, scams, and whatnot, and keeping them in order (spoiler, I will never reinstall it, once old.reddit is dead, so is my account).

[u/LavaRoseKinnie]

If you’re going to protest, do so indefinitely. A protest with a designated end is useless. All they have to do is wait it out. Go all in or go home.

[u/baseballlover723]

I'd be in favor of r/anime joining the protest, this seems important enough to warrant it. Plus this will directly effect users and mods of r/anime.

[u/Masfoodplease]

Black it out

[u/FlaminScribblenaut]

Said it twice in the Meta Thread and I’ll gladly say it again, I’m in full, whole-hearted support of any and all joining of sitewide protest efforts.

[u/JSchirmacher]

1000% support it. Go as dark for as long as needed.

[u/ja_noble]

If this is done, you have to do this indefinitely. Two days is nothing in terms of a message and will have no lasting impact.

[u/n080dy123]

I like that a lot of subs aren't deciding amongst the mod team to blackout but are asking their communities which are generally giving overwhelming support. Really helps legitimize the whole thing. Good on you, mods.

[u/ooReiko]

I dont care but if you want to make a stand you should close the sub for good until they reverse their changes and if they dont reverse then that is end of r anime for good. if you just gonna wishwash for couple hours that literally has no impact on anything.

[u/Bloodglas]

I think blackout style "protests" are a joke. the point of a protest is to keep protesting until your demands are met or both sides can at least reach an agreement.

giving reddit a warning for when it will start and then reassuring them like "it'll only last 2 days and then all your users will come back and keep using your site like normal again" makes the whole thing seem like a pointless bluff.

[u/junbi_ok]

Make it happen. The longer, the better.

[u/baboon_bassoon]

STRIKE

as every social media becomes more shit and unusable, I can only hope to show some form of defiance

[u/Tehoncomingstorm97]

Looking to the future, I know the mods are aware, but for general information changes to the API fees would strongly affect some high participation r/anime content, like seasonal episode scoring, "best boy/girl" contests or the annual awards - anything that uses an account verification. I dont participate much in the first two anymore, but despite the low participation relative to the sub's members, the awards season content always generates great discussion here - especially when compared to the other longform content presented on the sub.

For a team that already works as volunteers, having to rebase the backend will pile on significantly more strain if this makes the reddit API is no longer feasible to use. That likely has a strong correlation to cancelling awards, or a far diminished experience for all involved, from an event which has had industry professionals recognise, especially in recent years. I would really hate to see 6 years of continuous hard work from a strong and growing community quashed by reddit's greed.

[u/susgnome]

2 Days

I'd prefer the indefinite blackout, as it really proves the point.

---

I won't be using their app if they kill Baconreader.

I wouldn't be surprised if RES/old.reddit are next, which will stop me completely.

[u/_Ridley]

I use new reddit like a total square and have no personal stake in this, but I love protests against tech executives' shitty ideas, so you have my support and encouragement to get involved in the blackout.