/r/weather's protest against Reddit's decision to kill 3rd party apps (and its implications on the future of reddit as a website)
Skip to the last paragraph for the relevant announcement. Keep reading for slightly self-important rambling.
You've all been on reddit, you've seen [the thing](https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/13wshdp/api_update_continued_access_to_our_api_for/), you know [the thing](https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/144f6xm/apollo_will_close_down_on_june_30th_reddits/). This affects me personally as I solely use [RIF](https://www.reddit.com/r/redditisfun/comments/144gmfq/rif_will_shut_down_on_june_30_2023_in_response_to/) on mobile, and browse old reddit on desktop (while they have not announced any changes to old reddit at this time, everyone sees [the writing on the wall](https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/13yh0jf/dont_let_reddit_kill_3rd_party_apps/)). But I also think this represents a death knell for some distinct positives that reddit brings to the internet as a whole.
I'm a big believer in reddit as an educational tool. Reddit was and remains unique among social media as a place for in-depth discussion, allowing for learning, context, and conversation at a pace that can (even if it usually doesn't) transcend hot-takes, clichéd responses, and obvious memes. I've been a panelist at /r/askscience for more than a decade ([jesus christ](https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExMTU1ODIwMTk4MjI5N2M0NDhkZWEwZjcyNGIxOTRhNThiMjlmNmE2YiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZzX2dpZklkJmN0PWc/8JrcyXvpOaFbFIatkm/giphy.gif)), and in that time have answered literally thousands of questions from people curious about the world. But new reddit, including the official app, [is not designed for that](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/13xxdcc/uandrewsad1_gives_a_great_visual_breakdown_on_why/). New reddit is designed to be social media first and foremost: churning through content to get the most eyeballs on the not-so-subtlely interspersed ads. Conversation through text slows down that process. And I'm not naïve: I know the [inevitable capitalistic reasons](https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/01/reddit-eyeing-ipo-charge-millions-in-fees-for-third-party-api-access.html) behind all this. Reddit wouldn't exist without venture capital, yet this push towards profit for investors made the end of the parts of reddit I value unavoidable. But even if it feels futile, there's no reason not to at least voice a protest.
We've been holding off on announcing anything because of the potential for severe weather during the protest blackout, scheduled for June 12 - 14. No one should use reddit for emergency information, but it would be irresponsible to think that people don't, and there's plenty of value to the simple awareness that comes from seeing a severe weather megathread. There are also people in this sub who quell their anxiety during severe weather. And I'm not trying to over-state this sub's importance; I'm aware there are at most a few hundred people who participate in the average discussion thread. But taking that resource away would go against the ideals that I stated above.
This sub will participate in the protest, but we will not be going completely dark. **Starting 20230612_0000z and continuing through through 20230614_2359z, /r/weather will be in megathread-only mode.** Users will be able to ask questions, discuss and share information about current weather, but no individual posts will be allowed. This is the part of reddit that I find most valuable, and I hope you all see the value in it too. Please discuss here or message the moderators if you have any feedback.