Reddit is not Facebook , it is site for social media. It’s people you know sharing stuff you don’t care about. Facebook is Facebook. There’s likely to be a community that’s interested in what you are. The forum connects pseudonymous strangers with common interests, and includes subreddits on everything from politics, nursing homework help to photos of horrible food.

Some of these are quite bizarre. One subreddit has the screen rotating around, another is for monks drinking beer, and yet another one is for photos of birds. Another one allows users to post pictures of themselves so that others can make fun of them. There are virtually no limitations to the number of niche-based communities that you can geek out in for site for social media.

After you have found your people, it is time to create an environment that allows them to interact. Facebook’s management of its community has been a source of controversy since the beginning. It has not always been able to support its most valuable asset, its users, from its policy requiring users to use their real names, to the many privacy missteps that culminated in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Reddit, in contrast to Facebook’s distant and high-handed approach, has maintained a close, comparatively accountable relationship. Administrators post public messages, such as CEO Steve Huffman’s quarterly inquisition Ask-Me-Anything threads. These comments can be voted on the same way as other comments. Users are quick to voice their disapproval of policies and encourage constructive dialogue between all parties.

A personalized digital world

Reddit allows you to find the things that matter most and you can also curate your experience. The site’s front page defaults to showing recent posts from the largest subreddits. However, any member can edit and modify the subreddits that they subscribe to to create a personalized experience.

Reddit is not for everyone. Someone who simply wants to see pictures of cute dogs will have a different experience than someone who wants to talk about philosophy (or make fun) of others who are passionate about philosophy, find niche pornography (clearly NSFW), and discuss the details of The Walking Dead.

You can customize your Facebook experience to some degree. After all, Facebook allows you to choose which pages you like and who you follow. Reddit has some distinct advantages over Facebook. Its algorithm is simpler than Facebook’s and it’s easier to find groups. The sheer number, activity and devotion of Reddit communities will outweigh Facebook’s.

Reddit’s average user spends more time on the site than any other social network. This is a quantitative indicator of Reddit’s popularity. It takes just 15 minutes per user per days, which is far more than Facebook’s 10 minutes 37 seconds or Twitter’s 6 and-a-bit minutes. This feat is impressive considering that these sites are notoriously slow for regular users.

Reddit’s redesign could make it Facebook-lite.

Reddit could face trouble, however.

Many users are unhappy with the website’s recent redesign. It’s seen as a step towards making Reddit a social network with more easily monetizable profiles and a user experience that favors ads over content.

The numbers tell a completely different story.

Reddit’s 2006 format is not easily understood by new users. Huffman spoke out about the redesign, saying that many of us promote Reddit and tell people how amazing it is. “When people first check Reddit, they are greeted by dystopian Craigslist.”

Reddit’s decision to remove it in order to make Reddit more accessible to the community might cause some people to feel less connected. However, they have the option to keep the old format if that is what they prefer. It might be what Reddit needs in order to attract a new generation of users. It may be able to surpass other social media platforms from countries around the world if it does that.

Reddit is winning the long game. This shows that, no matter how many computer engineers are hired to increase the time users spend scrolling through their news feeds, it is impossible to beat community-driven, organic engagement in keeping users reading.

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