San Francisco, 6/12/23 C.E. – A trove of leaked communications between Reddit and the Temporal Transit Blockade Authority (TTBA) has revealed that the corporate owners of the popular site contacted the TTBA for information from the future about the outcome of their recent controversial policy changes and the ensuing protest “blackout” by reddit communities (known as subreddits). The TTBA, which is responsible for maintaining the Kuznetsova Temporal Gateway, quickly dismissed Reddit’s request, stating that it fell outside of its mandate to serve the greater good.
The controversy began when Reddit introduced new policies, including charging third-party app developers substantial fees for API access, which many claim will make the platform inaccessible to a significant number of users. In protest against these changes, thousands of subreddits organized a widespread blackout, impacting millions of users worldwide. Major subreddits, such as r/videos, r/gaming, and r/earthporn have gone dark for 48 hours as of June 12th, attempting to pressure Reddit into reversing their decision.
A website called Reddark has emerged as the go-to source for tracking which subreddits have gone dark in solidarity with the blackout movement. Reddark has gained significant traction and support among the Reddit community, as it provides a real-time tally of participants and highlights the growing dissatisfaction among Reddit’s user base. The site’s popularity emphasizes the desire for transparency and fairness within the platform.
The TTBA responded to our request for comment: “Our primary function is to preserve a stable relationship between the present and the future, preventing any potential paradoxes or harmful exchanges,” said Vanessa Tso, a spokesperson for the TTBA. “We do receive numerous requests from corporations seeking future insights, but as a matter of policy, we deny them. Our mission is to serve humanity at large, not individual corporate interests.”
Reddit’s attempt to gain an unfair advantage over competitors and users alike has left many in the online community disillusioned. A Reddit executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, tried to justify the company’s actions: “As a business, we need to be forward-looking. Reaching out to the TTBA was simply an effort to ensure we were making the right choices for our community and our bottom line.”
However, the move has backfired for Reddit, with many users now flocking to kbin, a decentralized, ad-free alternative on the Fediverse, which provides a similar platform for content sharing and discussion.
Longtime Reddit user “encephalomonster82” expressed her dissatisfaction with the platform’s recent actions, stating, “I feel betrayed by Reddit. They have prioritized profit over the community that made them who they are. The Fediverse and kbin have a more ethical approach, and that’s where I’m headed. Reddit can keep their useless interface.”
Another user, GimmeGimmeSeyez, said, “It’s stupid that they’d try to cheat their way into the future instead of listening to people and finding a solution. I’m done supporting a company that doesn’t value its users.”
Reddit was contacted for comment but had not replied as of the time of publication.
Reporting for Future News, this is Travis Sanders in San Francisco.