Reddit users can now hide posts and comments in their profile
New option for more privacy in the user profile should encourage Reddit users to make more posts. This is because various activities can be hidden.
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Reddit has introduced a new function designed to give users more privacy. In the user profile, either all public posts and comments or even the activities in individual groups, the communities, can be hidden from other users. This makes it possible to hide activities in groups with adult content, for example. Reddit is likely to encourage users to write more posts and comments to increase advertising revenue.
Reddit has been listed on the stock exchange since March 2024, and the share price rose by 48% immediately. The stock is now worth more than three times its issue price of USD 34. As a listed company, Reddit is increasingly focusing on maximizing profits, and Reddit CEO Steven Huffman announced in February of this year that some Subreddits will soon cost money. This is to be introduced in 2025.
Selective discretion in the user profile
This motivation is also assumed to be behind the new function of hiding posts in the user profile. Until now, all posts, and comments have been listed there, which remains the standard. However, users can now set their profiles to hide all public posts and comments. Posts and comments from individual groups can also be hidden, although this is only possible on a group-wide basis. According to Reddit, individual posts cannot be hidden.
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This means that activities in groups with adult content can be hidden, whereby there is now also a NSFW switch in the profile that hides the corresponding content and groups (NSFW: Not Safe For Work). However, users can now also hide other groups with sensitive content in their profile, such as those relating to illnesses or relationships.
More user data is worth more money
In these cases, many users have only read and not posted anything. However, Reddit is interested in more posts and comments, as they generate more advertising. Other users have also created additional Reddit accounts so as not to reveal their true identity when participating in discussions in such groups, writes TechCrunch. As such activities can now be hidden from the profile, many users are likely to do without second accounts. This in turn also favors Reddit, as user data linked to a single profile is better suited for targeted advertising.
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However, hiding activities in the user profile does not guarantee anonymity, as the posts and comments within the individual groups are still managed under the username. In addition, individual moderators can also access posts that have been hidden from the profile for 28 days. After all, it is their job to check posts and comments in some cases.
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