So Reddit just made a major change to its API access. Beginning next month, they are charging 3rd party developers for access to its APIs that had previously been free.
Over the past 8 (?) years, 3rd party developers have created software to make Reddit better. This included reading apps that added functionality and blocked advertising, management apps so volunteer moderators could prevent SPAM and porn from dominating subreddits, and other apps that added to Reddit’s usability, manageability and functionality.
I used one app, called Apollo, for browsing and reading Reddit posts.
That’s all over now.
In protest, a bunch of popular subreddits went dark this week. Their position is that Reddit enabled and encouraged them to develop these apps and took advantage of them to increase its user base. And now, Reddit has yanked the rug out from under them with fees that are exorbitant.
It won’t matter.
This is how the world works. Expecting Reddit to be any different is willfully ignoring history.
Every tech company that allowed free access for 3rd party apps and encouraged “volunteer” contributors, eventually moves in a money-making direction.
Reddit want to go public. They want to make a ton of money. So of course they’ll block any apps that get in the way of advertising revenues or that siphon money away from Reddit’s own crappy app.
For me, this has been a blessing.
As much as I’ll miss Apollo, I’ve been spending too much time scanning videos of dogs and cats doing cute things and too many people doing stupid things as I wind down before bed each night.
In effect, Reddit was making me stupider every night.
The loss of Apollo, combined with the crappiness of the Reddit app (full of ads) and the blackout of the best subreddits were a lethal combination for me. After two days, I detailed the app and have no plans to browse Reddit anymore.
I have been cured.