Reddit has taken control of the popular subreddit r/malefashionadvice, which had been closed in protest of the platform’s API pricing changes. The subreddit is now open again, but with restricted posting capabilities. Only select users are able to make new posts, while the rest of the Reddit community can browse the content.
Last week, the moderators of r/malefashionadvice, a subreddit with over 5 million subscribers, had made the community private and directed users to Discord and Substack instead. They expected to be removed after receiving a message from a Reddit admin named ModCodeofConduct, warning them that they would be replaced if they didn’t reopen the subreddit.
According to three former moderators of r/malefashionadvice who spoke with The Verge, they were indeed removed from their positions on Thursday. One of the former moderators, referred to as “Walker,” explained that they had anticipated this outcome for a few days. Currently, only ModCodeofConduct remains as the sole moderator on the community’s modlist. Despite the subreddit’s restricted status, someone managed to post on Thursday, encouraging members to join the Discord.
It appears that the Discord server is gaining popularity. Another former moderator, “Zach,” revealed that it had 2,000 users last week but has now grown to 5,000 users. Walker also mentioned that the community members who have joined the Discord have been generally respectful and enjoyable to interact with.
As of now, Reddit has not responded to requests for comment on the situation. ModCodeofConduct, in addition to being the sole moderator of r/malefashionadvice, also holds the same position in other subreddits.
According to the Reddark tracker, the largest subreddit that remains private is currently r/streetwear. Zach, who is also a moderator of that community, stated last week that it has over 4 million subscribers. Similar to r/malefashionadvice, r/streetwear also maintains a Discord server.
The situation highlights the ongoing tension between moderators and administrators on Reddit, with disagreements arising from changes to the API pricing structure. It remains to be seen how other subreddits will respond to these changes and whether they will resort to private or restricted modes as a form of protest.
In conclusion, Reddit is now in control of r/malefashionadvice, one of the largest subreddits that had been closed in protest. The subreddit has reopened in restricted mode, allowing limited posting capabilities. Former moderators were removed, leaving only ModCodeofConduct as the sole moderator. Despite the limitations, the related Discord server has seen a substantial increase in users. Other subreddits, such as r/streetwear, continue to remain private. The situation reflects the ongoing tension between moderators and administrators regarding API pricing changes on the platform.
