I mean the article is just former mods repeating what you're saying, it's not like they're reporting anything new happening. Also includes some examples of stuff that is ultimately irrelevant for reddit as a platform, such as canning and electric garage doors.
Also includes some examples of stuff that is ultimately irrelevant for reddit as a platform, such as canning and electric garage doors.
That stuff absolutely is relevant, because having the right info for those things is crucial, because acting on the wrong info can literally kill you.
The reason why Reddit content is valued so highly by users (and search engines) is because it was seen to have some level of curation to it, due to the efforts of the volunteer moderators who took their "job" seriously. They felt that it was vitally important to weed out dangerous info. And that basic safety effort is likely all that is saving Reddit from a massive lawsuit once someone tries to fix their garage door the wrong way and dies.
It's like Reddit made a list of things that sane companies do to protect their brand and reputation, and made a point of doing the exact opposite.
It’s not about Reddit. The platform will continue. It’s about the communities with some built-in danger reducing the bar for safety, potentially leading to death.
The internet is pretty callous, but someone dying over this would be bad, right? That’s still a living person who might not do enough research or follow the unsafe article and get hurt or die. Reddit as a platform aside, and even if you or someone else believes they should have been more careful, people dying in part because of this is the issue.
If a single one of those niche subreddits disappears, the site will be fine. So, sure, you can argue they're individually irrelevant to Reddit as a platform, I guess. But Reddit having a vast collection of niche subreddits is what keeps the platform alive. Do you think people would be nearly as engaged in the long term if it was only world news, politics and memes? Those broad categories are going to have the widest appeal but they're not what a lot of people stay for. They stay so they can discuss their favourite TV show, the specific game they're playing right now, the niche hobby they're interested in, the particular celebrity they're weirdly obsessed with, that incredibly specific kind of porn that gets them off.
And there's a reason a lot of people add "reddit" to the end of their Google searches - there are all kinds of niche subreddits with information they're looking for about a particular issue they're having right now. If I'm having issues with my electric garage door, having a high-quality, well-maintained forum dedicated to the subject - filled with experts and knowledgeable enthusiasts - is exactly what I need, and Reddit had that.
Memes might have a broader appeal and be more monetisable right now, but losing all the niche subfora is something that will hurt Reddit in the long term.