Reddit is the only social media platform I engage with on a daily basis. While I truly enjoy using it, I can’t ignore the prominent issues that diminish the overall experience.
1 Posts and Comments by Bots
I’m beginning to think that generative AI is ruining social media. Bots have always existed, but now it’s simpler than ever to generate fake posts and comments using bot accounts.
I frequently browse r/AITAH and notice that many users express skepticism about the stories, often claiming the author is a bot. There are even instances where a seemingly sincere response turns out to be a comment appropriated by a bot.
The purpose of these bots is to gain karma on Reddit, which can then be sold to access exclusive subreddits that require a certain level of karma to join.
While some people accused of being bots may genuinely be real users utilizing temporary accounts, I’ve discovered an account named “Farm Account” that clearly exhibits the traits of a bot. It had just been created, posted contradictory stories, and even recycled content from another user as if it were its own. It also mistakenly shared a fabricated story as a comment in an unrelated subreddit.
The sheer number of these bot-generated posts and comments raises doubts about the authenticity of the content I come across on the platform.
2 Irrelevant Content in the Home Feed
I understand that for posts to go viral or receive upvotes, they must be shown to users while they’re still fresh. However, I often encounter poorly crafted obscure memes or overly niche questions that have no relevance to my interests.
Many of these posts receive fewer than ten likes or comments, even though they appear in subreddits with hundreds of thousands or even millions of members. If they were coming from smaller niche subreddits, it would make more sense, but these are from major groups like r/meme. It’s frustrating since I often miss out on popular content unless I specifically visit a subreddit.
3 The Proliferation of Ads and Sponsored Posts
Reddit has increasingly become cluttered with ads. Some might argue it’s a strategy to encourage users to subscribe to a premium version. Although it’s not nearly as overwhelming as YouTube, the number of ads is still excessive. I’m generally seeing a promoted post every seven to ten entries on average while scrolling through my feed.
I’ve adjusted my ad settings on Reddit to exclude ads from sensitive areas and to prevent the platform from using data from third parties for targeting. While I appreciate having these options, the downside is that Reddit shows me the same advertisements repeatedly for days on end.
It’s disheartening to see the same ads pop up in my feed and at the top of comment threads. One week, I’m prompted to vote in the upcoming U.S. elections, and the next, I’m seeing ads for Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.
4 No Option to Opt-Out of AI Training
Social media companies are using user data to train AI. When they don’t have their own AI tools, they’re licensing our data to AI firms to enhance their products based on our posts. Given that these companies profit from advertising and subscriptions, I’m frustrated that our personal data continues to be exploited without our consent.
While LinkedIn allows users to opt out of AI training, and even X provides the option to opt out of training Grok, I wish Reddit would do the same. However, I’m not holding my breath. Personally, I like to keep my Reddit activities as private as possible. I mostly lurk in various subreddits, only occasionally seeking advice. Over my nine years on the platform, I’ve managed to avoid linking my email and have a mere five posts. Yet with 29 comments, it’s inevitable that an AI somewhere is utilizing my words for its training data.
As a dedicated Reddit user, I have no plans to stop using the platform anytime soon, but these issues significantly impact my overall experience. If they continue to escalate, I might find myself reducing my usage of the app in the future.