Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- Data suggests the Reddit protests hurt the site’s traffic and advertiser engagement.
- During the peak of the protests, Redditors spent about 16% less time on the platform than average.
- Reddit said the protests hadn’t had a significant impact on revenue, but these numbers appear to contradict that.
From June 12 through the end of June 13, Reddit saw one of the most significant protests in its 18-year history. That period saw thousands of high-profile subreddits “go dark” — cease all user activity — in an effort to protest changes Reddit is making related to access to its data APIs, third-party applications, and moderation tools. We have a full rundown on the Reddit protests if you need a refresher.
During the height of the protests, a leaked memo from Steve Huffman — a Reddit co-founder and its current CEO — claimed that the protests had had no significant revenue impact on the platform. However, data (via TechCrunch) suggests that that isn’t a wholly accurate statement.