Reddit's Battle Royale - CEO Unleashes Forced Eviction Plan Against Moderators
The Reddit Saga continues to generate attention in the blogosphere, but unfortunately, not for positive reasons.
In what can only be described as a devastating blow to Reddit moderators, the CEO has unleashed a formidable weapon in an attempt to quell the protest against API policies — forced eviction.
In an interview with NBC News, the Reddit CEO stated his intention to implement changes that would enable users of a Reddit community to vote out the moderators, effectively weaponizing the very communities these moderators have dedicated countless hours to build and maintain.
Reddit clarified its stance in a fact sheet released on Thursday, stating that it is "not shutting down discussions or unilaterally reopening communities." The admin account u/ModCodeOfConduct also commented on the moderator removal policy, stating:
If a moderator team unanimously decides to stop moderating, we will invite new, active moderators to keep these spaces open and accessible to users.
According to TheVerge, some moderators have already begun receiving notices to either reopen their communities or face removal. Here is the full text of the letter:
Hi everyone
We wanted to ensure that you are aware that the API update does not impact moderation bots or sitewide tools to control spam or remove harmful content. You can find more details in this article in our help center. You may have seen posts or received messages from users telling these tools are going away or are somehow impacted, but this is not the case.
We are also aware that some members of your mod team have expressed that they want to close your community indefinitely. We are reaching out to find out if this is the consensus reached by the mod team.
Subreddits exist for the benefit of the community of users who come to them for support and belonging and in the end, moderators are stewards of these spaces and in a position of trust. Your users rely on your community for information, support, entertainment, and finding connection with others who have similar interests. Ensuring that communities are able to remain stable and actively moderated is incredibly important to the people seeking out these spaces to make and foster connections.
If there are mods here who are willing to work towards reopening this community, we are willing to work with you to process a Top Mod Removal request or reorder the mod team to achieve this goal if mods higher up the list are hindering reopening. We would handle this request and any retaliation attempts here in this modmail chain immediately.
Our goal is to work with the existing mod team to find a path forward and make sure your subreddit is made available for the community which makes its home here. If you are not able or willing to reopen and maintain the community, please let us know.
ThoughtsUnboxed acknowledges that Reddit ultimately belongs to its owner as a private entity. Consequently, they have the authority to tailor rules according to their own aspirations. This can serve as a cautionary tale for Reddit community volunteers who have devoted countless hours to building their communities, only to realize in the end that they were merely pawns, willingly providing their services to a private owner. When the owner decided to upend the situation, they were left with nothing but regret. It is advisable not to place blind trust in private companies when engaging in volunteer efforts.
While we sympathize with the moderators, one thing is certain: Reddit's owners will have the final say in this entire debacle. Whether the moderators choose to continue pursuing the Sunk-Cost Fallacy or abandon the ship, the subreddits will likely endure, and the moderators themselves may eventually fade into obscurity.
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