Reddit has been facing massive online protests from its users in recent weeks, with parts of the platform being completely unusable by visitors at times.
So the company apparently decided now would be the perfect time to come out again r/Countrya large blank canvas where users can display pixel art in a public space online.
Naturally, Redditors have taken this opportunity to express their opinions about Reddit in the form of pixelated art.
For example, “Fuck Spez” is emblazoned across the r/Place canvas for all Reddit visitors to see. Spez is the Reddit username used by the company’s CEO Steve Hoffman, who users of the platform have blamed for many recent unpopular decisions made on the platform.
Credit: Screenshot: Reddit
Reddit announced the return of er/Place on Wednesday. The company launched previous versions in 2017 and again in 2022. Reddit explained that the 2023 version was originally planned for April, but various setbacks (and power outage protests) pushed this year’s r/Place to launch on Thursday, July 20.
“Better late than never?” read r/Place announcement post from Reddit. The comments section quickly filled up with users posting “API” in the comments. This is a reference to the main problem users have with Reddit: the new overpriced API. Many popular third-party developers were forced to shut down their Reddit-based apps earlier this month after the company began charging a subscription fee for use of an API that was once free.
The developer behind Apollo for Reddit, a popular Reddit client app, shared that it would be forced to pay $20 million a year for API access under these new terms. Redditors quickly gathered together and planned a long day protest about darkness, turning many popular subreddit communities private, which blocked visitors from accessing them. Days of protests turned into weeks before Reddit began to take the veil threat to remove moderators who did not reopen these online communities. As many subreddits subsequently reopened, Redditors found new ways to protest such as SATURATION some of these communities reopened with nothing but pictures of comedian John Oliver.
In an attempt to use Reddit’s recently relaunched r/Place for their new protest actions, some Redditors have started a new subreddit called r/PlaceAPI where users can strategize messages for their pixelated art take.
Despite this massive user feedback, Reddit hasn’t budged on its API pricing. In fact, the company has made new, more recent decisions that have upset its user base. Last week, Mashable reported that Reddit has REMOVE years of chats and message archives from user accounts during the transition to a new chat system. Soon after, so did Reddit announced that it was sunsetting its popular Reddit Gold rewards system, further angering users.
