Reddit is reaching out to moderators after tensions rose over recent policy changes and API pricing. A Reddit admin acknowledged the strained relationship and outlined new weekly feedback sessions and other outreach efforts to repair ties. However, moderators remain skeptical of Reddit’s efforts given mixed results from past initiatives. Many mods feel Reddit has been unwilling to make meaningful changes to address their concerns like more accessible API pricing or exemption for accessibility apps. After a tumultuous few months, moderators have very low expectations that Reddit’s latest efforts will result in real changes.
The “super mods” who moderated a lot of the large subs definitely were high on their own power. Many mods would ban you from their subreddit but also then try to get you banned from the entire site using any excuse they could conjure.
I got banned from r/JoeBiden for criticizing his policy decisions (not name calling or anything) and then when I asked which rule I’d broken I got a message from the admins that I was abusing modmail and would be banned if I persisted, meaning the mods had to have reported me. Which counts as an indelible “strike” on your record.
The mods who moderate multiple subs will ban you on one sub and then stalk you across your profile until they find something that could be construed as objectionable out of context in one of the other subs they mod and report you there to see if maybe an inattentive admin will ban you without any real due dilligence.
I recieved a several week ban for “brigading” because I cross posted a screenshot of a post from r/PoliticalCompassMemes (with the users and sub blacked out) to a totally different sub that is critical of PCM. The post itself was basically calling for the murder of trans people and people were cheering it on.
The mods on reddit were too closely aligned with the admins themselves and many were overly influential. Controlling your own sub and setting whatever arbitrary rules there is fine, but trying to manufacture reasons to force people off the platform entirely through bad faith use of the back channel to the admins is nonsense.
They’re not all bad, but I have trouble mustering much sympathy for many of the reddit mods. The site culture is toxic and it’s a top down effect, the mods played their part in that.