Reddit crisis disrupted Google and favored rival social networks
A leaked audio authored by Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s vice president of search, revealed that the blackout of Reddit forums affected the company’s search engine results. As many people add the name of the platform to come up with a more accurate result, the “suspension” of subreddits has also led to a “blackout” in Google searches.
On June 12, moderators from more than 7,000 Reddit communities shelved the “subs” as a way of protesting the increase in API values. However, when archiving a forum, its contents are inaccessible, as if it were placed in a safe and hidden. So not even Google can find it.
For example, a user might have the following command in a “glitch Yngol Barrow Skyrim Reddit” search, aiming for Google to return some topic on Reddit that shows how to solve a problem in the game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. However, if the forum dedicated to the game is archived, the user will not receive a r/Skyrim result. And alternative protests don’t improve the situation either.
If the protests hurt Reddit’s visibility (and Google’s accuracy), competing social networks celebrate the “” and the new search engine Perspectives tool. Launched last week, Perspectives (direct translation) will deliver “useful” content created by humans.
The tool could reduce Reddit’s reach in searches, as many subs are still protesting the API changes. Since you can’t bang pot on the platform, users are annoying the head of the social network with posts unrelated to its topic. For example, several forums are just posting pictures of John Oliver. On the r/iPhone, there are only photos of Tim Cook.
Because of this, competitors like TikTok and in-text posts on websites can excel in Perspectives. This tool can cater to audiences who want quick and direct answers that could be found on Reddit — sure there’s a video on TikTok explaining how to beat Nameless King in Dark Souls 3.
