Moderators of various Reddit communities are committing to keep their subreddits private or restricted indefinitely to protest Reddit’s expensive API pricing changes. While most subreddits expected their blackout to last from Monday until Wednesday, following a Tuesday post on the r/ModCoord subreddit, users have confirmed that their subreddits will remain dark beyond the 48-hour window.
According to a post by u/SpicyThunder335, a r/ModCoord moderator, on Tuesday, “Reddit has budged microscopically.” SpicyThunder335 says that “our core concerns still aren’t satisfied, and these concessions came prior to the blackout start date; Reddit has been silent since it began.” SpicyThunder335 also highlighted a line from a Monday memo issued by CEO Steve Huffman, which said, “like all blowups on Reddit, this one will pass as well,” and said that “more is needed for Reddit to act.”
Wrote in the post.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
Prior to the Tuesday post, over 300 subreddits had pledged to stay dark indefinitely, including popular communities like r/aww, r/music, and r/videos. Even r/nba committed to an indefinite blackout during a crucial period. SpicyThunder335 invited moderators to share their commitments to keep their subreddits dark and the responses are still coming in.
SpicyThunder335 acknowledges that not all subreddits can go dark indefinitely due to their significance as valuable resources for communities in need or for sharing urgent news. Thus, SpicyThunder335 recommends alternative actions, such as implementing a “weekly gesture of support on ‘Touch-Grass-Tuesdays,’” which would be up to each community’s discretion. SpicyThunder335 also recognizes that some subreddits may need to poll their users to ensure their support.
