\nReddit communities adopt alternative forms of protest as the company threats action on moderators<\/br>
\n2023-06-19 21:35:52<\/br><\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/reddit-glitch-1.jpg?w=1140&ssl=1\")
\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nMultiple subreddits are adopting alternative methods of protesting like publishing only one kind of post, changing the topic in focus, and days when the community turns private.<\/p>\n
A lot of these communities took part in the Reddit blackout from June 12-14 to rally against Reddit\u2019s API rule changes<\/a>, which could effectively kill a lot of third-party apps. As the company \u2014 and its CEO Steve Huffman \u2014 decided not to make any changes, subreddits started thinking about going dark indefinitely.<\/p>\n However, Reddit pointed out that moderators must\u00a0keep the community open. Plus, they can\u2019t decide that their community should go dark without a public vote. The company even sent <\/span>messages<\/a> to moderators saying that they will be removed if they all continue to particulate in the blackout.<\/p>\n To get around the moderator removal action, multiple communities are running polls to decide what type of posts are allowed on the subreddit. They are also relaxing some<\/a> rules<\/a> \u2014 because of the changes, moderators won\u2019t have certain tools available to them, making their job more difficult.<\/p>\n Some of the biggest communities like r\/pics<\/a>, r\/aww<\/a>, and r\/GIF decided to post John Oliver pictures and GIFs<\/a>. In a tweet, Oliver approved this move.<\/p>\n Dear Reddit, excellent work. Attn: r\/pics \u2014 have at it\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 John Oliver (@iamjohnoliver) June 17, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n In the case of r\/aww, the community is also allowed to post pictures of Chiijohn<\/a>. r\/iPhone decided to post pictures celebrating \u201cdashing\u201d Tim Cook<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are some truly bizarre forms of protest as well:<\/p>\n While these methods are innovative and amusing, we\u2019ll have to see if Reddit management shows any tendency to budge. In recent interviews, Huffman vehemently defended the company\u2019s API rule changes<\/a> and said that it wants to be profitable. He also suggested that these protests were spearheaded by a \u201csmall group that\u2019s very upset\u201d and it didn\u2019t have any impact on the company\u2019s revenues. Through these public votes, communities are trying to prove that a large number of people are unhappy with the changes made by Reddit.<\/p>\n\n