/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23985507/acastro_STK024_03.jpg "Reddit Community Encourages Users to Transition to Discord")
The largest private Reddit community involved in the protest is now directing its users to migrate to Discord and Substack. When attempting to access r/malefashionadvice, which has over 5 million subscribers, users will be redirected to visit the community’s Discord and Substack platforms instead. The Discord platform allows community members to engage in chat and share content related to fashion fits and inspiration, while the Substack platform offers various fashion guides. The community has found Discord to be a more preferable platform, with one moderator stating that they “will never go back” to Reddit. The Substack platform primarily serves as a means to transfer and maintain the formatting of the subreddit’s guides. Despite their smaller user bases, the Discord has over 2,000 users, while the Substack has nearly 560 subscribers.
The discord between Reddit and its major communities stems from new API pricing that led to the closure of certain popular third-party applications. During the peak of the protest in June, over 8,000 communities became private. However, many communities have since reopened, with some doing so after being informed by Reddit that their moderation teams would be replaced if they didn’t reopen. Reddit expresses dissatisfaction with r/malefashionadvice remaining private and warns the subreddit’s moderators that they will be replaced if they don’t reopen the community within three days.
Despite the warning, the moderation team intends to continue until they are removed. They anticipate being removed and express gratitude to those who have contributed to the subreddit’s history. If new moderators are installed and the community is reopened, it is expected that many regular users will not return due to the ongoing issues with bots and other bad actors. Other communities are also participating in protests in different ways, such as r/AccidentalRenaissance, which has resigned and encouraged users to join offshoot communities on alternative platforms Kbin and Lemmy. The r/PICS subreddit, which only allows posts about comedian John Oliver, is requesting for Oliver himself to join the moderation team. Currently, over 2,000 subreddits are still participating in the protest.