50
As Reddit Crushes Protests, Its User Traffic Returns to Normal (www.pcmag.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/reddit@lemmy.ml
28 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 12 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (2 children)

Reddit basically had a monopoly -- given how quickly things are moving on Lemmy and other sites -- I think that monopoly is over. It's still a bit too chaotic here for a major mass move but there's now so much more interesting content. People will eventually figure out how to make these sites competitive now that there is so much interest.

It's at that point that things will really change.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I think you and @Screak42 hit the nail on the head.
    There was never going to be a mass exodus, not without an established competitor (as Reddit was to Digg back in the day).

    Trust has been broken. That's like a boat that now has a tiny hole in it- it may not sink now, but that doesn't mean it's not sinking.

    That said- I don't think there will be a mass move. I think the more passionate old school people will migrate away, which will leave less content for the newer folks. The site will certainly get a lot less interesting. And this will hurt them in the long run. But like most mismanagement, it'll look good for the next quarter or two.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    People forget that there wasn't even a mass exodus from Digg. Although we can pinpoint the exact day that Digg killed itself, it actually took a long time for everyone to eventually leave. People hedged their bets between platforms -- just as many people are doing now between Reddit and all the new alternatives.

    This week on Lemmy actually feels very different from last week. There's some sort of critical mass that has been hit even if it's just some minuscule tiny fraction of the total traffic of Reddit.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago

    Agree 100% on the critical mass. Last week I would visit a day later and sort by new, and there'd be maybe a page of stuff since my last visit. Now I am back to sorting by top day, because going through new would take hours.

    I think it's not just more users that are here, but that the users who are here are invested now. It's no longer just a fun toy to hack around with, it's potentially a new home so we are starting to decorate :-)

    We're not going to get the same numbers as Reddit, and that's a good thing. I don't want already users to leave. I want the smart ones to leave and come here. The ones who have something to say, the ones who can engage in discussion and debate, the type of people who made up reddit's early user base. The idiots who just want to scroll memes and TikTok style low effort videos all day and can't have a respectful conversation to save their own life, Reddit can have them. They install apps without question and don't use ad blockers so maybe Reddit can make some money of them. Best of luck with it.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent