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reality or remotely reasonable. I hope it goes without saying that I don’t have that kind of money or would even know how to charge it to a credit card.”</blockquote>For comparison, Selig notes that he pays Imgur, a similar site to Reddit in terms of user base and media, $166 for the same 50 million API called.Now, let’s be clear about a few things. It is not unreasonable to expect Reddit to charge some money for API access. After all, these third-party apps don’t show ads, so Reddit loses out on profits when users download Apollo instead of their main app. But the new cost is particularly high.Selig points to a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/reddit-users-are-the-least-valuable-of-any-social-network.html#MainContent">2019 CNBC report</a> that shows Reddit earns around$ 0.30 per user, per year. And that if Reddit’s API pricing was fair, it would likely align closer to Imgur’s pricing.Reddit’s decision comes just months before the platform is expected to file for an <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/reddit-aims-ipo-second-half-2023-information-2023-02-14/">Initial Public Offering (IPO)</a>. And since Reddit earns most of its money through advertising, the hope may be that this move will make the platform seem more lucrative. But Reddit should take note that many of its users are already considering heading elsewhere if their favorite client no longer works.Whether Reddit decides to change course remains to be seen. But for now, it feels all too similar to the same ball-and-chain tactic we’ve seen from countless other social platforms.They entice users with a quality, free, and ad-free experience with the help of third-party developers. And then, once users are locked into their service, the process of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/11/users-advertisers-we-are-all-trapped-in-the-enshittification-of-the-internet">enshittification</a> begins.Feeds full of friends

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and communities are replaced with ads, controversial content, and sponsorships. APIs are priced out for the third-party developers whose hard work brought users to the service in the first place, forcing users to use default apps. The basic free service becomes locked behind a “premium” or “blue-ticked” paywall. And that’s not to say anything of all the excessive data collection.In short, users and user experience become an afterthought as developers try to squeeze as much money as they can out of them. But this all occurs at a glacier-slow rate, so most don’t even realize it’s happening.Hopefully, Reddit listens to its community and doesn’t make all the same choices.But if it does, what are the alternatives for users?Decentralized social platforms are unlikely to replace social media giants, but they do currently offer a haven from the enshittification process. Right now, the most well-known of these is Mastodon. But Mastodon isn’t exactly a replacement for a link aggregator like Reddit.One platform that does look promising, though, is Lemmy, which looks poised to present itself as a federated alternative to Reddit. That said, right now, the community there is small, and the platform itself is a work in progress.Still, while the servers there are struggling to keep pace with the recent influx of Reddit users, I’ve enjoyed the user experience I’ve had there so far. If nothing else, I personally think that it sure beats downloading the Reddit app.Thanks for reading.Interested in seeing more stories like this? Consider giving me a follow, fueling <a href="http://buymeacoffee.com/mgrindle">my coffee addiction</a>, and joining my free newsletter <a href="https://buttondown.email/mikegrindle">In The Margins</a> (no ads, no up-selling, no junk guaranteed). Your support inspires me to keep writing, and I genuinely love interacting with the community. So thanks again.</article></body>

Reddit and the Enshittification of Social Media

Is Reddit about to pull a Twitter on its API?

The social news aggregation and discussion site known as Reddit, has long been a popular app. But there is no denying that third-party apps have played a huge role in its continued success.

Reddit did not even have a mobile app until 2016, and many haven’t had much good to say about the app since its arrival. Complaints typically note its extremely busy, ad-ridden, and chaotic interface. And it is no stretch to say that without third-party apps like Apollo, many users would have left the app for greener pastures.

But now it looks like these third-party apps will be no more, as Reddit has decided to charge for API access. And they’re not asking for penny change either.

Apollo developer, Christian Selig, was recently involved in a meeting with Reddit concerning these new API costs, and the news coming from these meetings doesn’t look good. According to Selig, Reddit is looking for $12,000 per 50 million requests, which Selig estimated would cost him $20 million a year to keep his service running.

“I’m deeply disappointed in this price. While Reddit has been communicative and civil throughout this process with half a dozen phone calls back and forth that I thought went really well, I don’t see how this pricing is anything based in reality or remotely reasonable. I hope it goes without saying that I don’t have that kind of money or would even know how to charge it to a credit card.”

For comparison, Selig notes that he pays Imgur, a similar site to Reddit in terms of user base and media, $166 for the same 50 million API called.

Now, let’s be clear about a few things. It is not unreasonable to expect Reddit to charge some money for API access. After all, these third-party apps don’t show ads, so Reddit loses out on profits when users download Apollo instead of their main app. But the new cost is particularly high.

Selig points to a 2019 CNBC report that shows Reddit earns around $0.30 per user, per year. And that if Reddit’s API pricing was fair, it would likely align closer to Imgur’s pricing.

Reddit’s decision comes just months before the platform is expected to file for an Initial Public Offering (IPO). And since Reddit earns most of its money through advertising, the hope may be that this move will make the platform seem more lucrative. But Reddit should take note that many of its users are already considering heading elsewhere if their favorite client no longer works.

Whether Reddit decides to change course remains to be seen. But for now, it feels all too similar to the same ball-and-chain tactic we’ve seen from countless other social platforms.

They entice users with a quality, free, and ad-free experience with the help of third-party developers. And then, once users are locked into their service, the process of enshittification begins.

Feeds full of friends and communities are replaced with ads, controversial content, and sponsorships. APIs are priced out for the third-party developers whose hard work brought users to the service in the first place, forcing users to use default apps. The basic free service becomes locked behind a “premium” or “blue-ticked” paywall. And that’s not to say anything of all the excessive data collection.

In short, users and user experience become an afterthought as developers try to squeeze as much money as they can out of them. But this all occurs at a glacier-slow rate, so most don’t even realize it’s happening.

Hopefully, Reddit listens to its community and doesn’t make all the same choices.

But if it does, what are the alternatives for users?

Decentralized social platforms are unlikely to replace social media giants, but they do currently offer a haven from the enshittification process. Right now, the most well-known of these is Mastodon. But Mastodon isn’t exactly a replacement for a link aggregator like Reddit.

One platform that does look promising, though, is Lemmy, which looks poised to present itself as a federated alternative to Reddit. That said, right now, the community there is small, and the platform itself is a work in progress.

Still, while the servers there are struggling to keep pace with the recent influx of Reddit users, I’ve enjoyed the user experience I’ve had there so far. If nothing else, I personally think that it sure beats downloading the Reddit app.

Thanks for reading.

Interested in seeing more stories like this? Consider giving me a follow, fueling my coffee addiction, and joining my free newsletter In The Margins (no ads, no up-selling, no junk guaranteed). Your support inspires me to keep writing, and I genuinely love interacting with the community. So thanks again.