Why Reddit blocked my daily visit to its mobile website (arstechnica.com)

submitted 1 day ago by CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net to c/enshitification@slrpnk.net

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The company confirmed to me that it is moving in a direction that other platforms have taken: converting users to the app. Reddit says that the test aims to find out if people like me—those who use the service but aren’t generally logged in—get a better experience with the app.

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[-] unmagical@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 day ago

The app calls the same backhand services as the website, and it's UI is governed by the same company. The only possible reason an experience would be "better in the app" as so often claimed is if the website was intentionally rendered useless.

The real reason is that apps have access to more data about you than websites do, and data is valuable.

[-] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 day ago

Absolutely. As someone who was using the website back during the GFC, I cant help but think of that godfather meme every time I hear something new about Reddit these days.

[-] teft@piefed.social 24 points 1 day ago

Some of this carping does feel a bit strident for a free and (generally) useful service. Perhaps I should switch to the app. Perhaps I should browse while logged in to enable a truly customized feed. Perhaps I really would love the better search options.

If you’re a tech writer and you believe this maybe you should get into a different line of work.

Bait and switch is wrong no matter who does it, even if the service was free to begin with.

[-] noodles@slrpnk.net 23 points 1 day ago

In fairness to the writer the next paragraph follows up with "perhaps, or perhaps the better option is to just walk away and do something more productive with my time." Basically your sentiment.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Bait and switch is wrong no matter who does it, even if the service was free to begin with.

"...perhaps the better option is to just walk away and do something more productive with my time.” Basically your sentiment.

I don't mean to speak for @teft@piefed.social , but I don't think that was necessarily his sentiment at all. The correct solution to corporations engaging in bait-and-switch or other morally-incorrect behavior is for government regulators to force the behavior to stop and punish the corporations, not just for customers to walk away.

Corporations are not "people" and do not have any inherent right to exist. They were created as a concept in order to benefit society as a whole -- not just shareholders! -- and should be made to do so again.

[-] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 8 points 23 hours ago

Uh, hello, that was rhetorical and you read it literally. It’s really obvious that the writer is building an argument against reddit in this phrasing.

RTFA

[-] Tiresia@slrpnk.net 1 points 8 hours ago

A majority of US Americans have a reading level where understanding this sort of rhetorical structure is difficult for them. This is the result of an underfunded and emotionally abusive educational system and deliberate social engineering outside that.

teft made a mistake, yes, but they have probably had enough disgust and apathy about their intellectual development to last a lifetime. Thank you for taking the time to explain it, but I don't think you're helping anyone by "talking to them like they're an idiot" (which is a horrible phrase, come to think of it).

You wouldn't blame someone for being unable to walk up three flights of stairs (I hope), so why blame someone for misreading a rhetorical device?

[-] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 11 points 1 day ago

Ars is good source for pointing out just how shitty the tech world has gotten. They definitely have a bunch of writers who love lapping up the slop they're fed like little piggies.

[-] Blackout@fedia.io 8 points 1 day ago

Where does all their assets come from anyways? The users. Who do it for free. The users should boycott.

[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

With the direction privacy has been going in some states(US) and countries, I'm waiting for just the blanket regulation of user-specific content is owned by the user and the company that uses it has a license to use it.

As such the user has full rights to delete all data at any time I firmly believe the US will probably be the last country to adopt it, but I do think eventually we will hit that point.

[-] TachyonTele@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago

Seriously.
"Maybe I should use it just because they want me to. So i will."

[-] knatschus@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 23 hours ago

My question is what do they gain from it? And since i can't answer the question aside from to steal my data I'm very reluctant to use apps and prefer using the browser.

[-] TachyonTele@piefed.social 2 points 23 hours ago

Same. Apps are mostly just data trackers now. I'm the same way, much prefer a website than an app. (Including lemmy)

[-] ponypuncher@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

All free services eventually evolve into this or they die. Nothing gold can stay.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 4 points 22 hours ago

All for-profit services eventually evolve into that. Ones run by non-profit foundations and funded by donations can continue to exist without enshittifying indefinitely.

[-] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago

Fuck Reddit and Fuck Spez.

[-] Watermark710@piefed.social 5 points 21 hours ago

The vast majority of my internet use is on my desktop PC. I don't use many "apps", I use websites. Sure, I use Lyft when I want to go somewhere but I'm too drunk to drive. I use Grubhub when I'm hungry and lazy. I use the alarm app when I need to. I use an app to check on the progress of my Sous vide machine.

But as far as general browsing, why would I use a tiny little phone screen when I can use my PC, with a 65" monitor? Watching YouTube on my phone sucks, and makes my neck hurt. Scrolling through content aggregators (like reddit, or my preferred platform PieFed) is much more pleasant on my PC. It's easier to type, I get to use a mouse, and I can actually see what I'm looking at instead of straining my eyes to look at a tiny phone.

I'm already done with reddit, and I'm glad I am, since they seem to be intent on killing it. RIP to my old friend. We had a good 19 years. But I've moved on now.

[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 3 points 13 hours ago

Damn! 65 inch monitor? That's huge.

[-] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

What the hell did this generation of social media companies think was going to happen? They squandered their potential by suffocating the communities they allowed in to prove the point that they could make their users go onto an app and that this would be good for shareholder value.

They won the battle, lost the war and then destroyed the kingdom from losing the war so badly.

[-] cerement@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Tools vs. Uses [Pluralistic] – yes, being able to control their users is the main goal – but one of the biggest advantages of apps for corporations is being able to sue the hell out of anyone who “bypasses access controls” (ie. no jailbreaking your own phone, no alternative app stores, no using adblockers, etc.)

[-] scuppie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

I found a workaround for Waterfox/android and also learnt ublock origin has some "annoyances" lists that automatically create rules to unfuck this. Enable them and delete browser cache works for me.

But also yes agree, infuriating enshittification x

this post was submitted on 05 May 2026

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