- Reddit joins other social networks in implementing “official” badges to verify the authenticity of certain profiles.
- The platform makes improvements to self-moderation notifications to avoid unnecessary notifications to users.
- Reddit is committed to improving accessibility in its screen reader apps, in response to community concerns.
Social networks have become an integral part of our lives, and the search for authenticity and accessibility has been a constant in its evolution. Following the launch of a new payment verification scheme by Twitter (now X), other platforms like Meta tried to implement their own official badges. Now, Reddit is joining the bandwagon with its own “official” badge experiment. In addition, the company has listened to the voices of the community and has announced important changes to improve accessibility on its platform.
Reddit bets on authenticity
Following the lead of other social networks, Reddit has begun testing to add an “official” tag to a small set of profiles as a measure to verify authenticity.
This tag will appear next to the username and is currently only available to a select group of profiles belonging to organizations with which Reddit already has established relationships.
These organizations are interested in interacting with the Redditor community and participating in the platform.
Although the company has not specified if there will be an application process or a fee associated with verification for other organizations or users, this step towards authenticity could benefit the credibility of the platform and foster greater trust among users.
Notification and accessibility improvements
In addition to profile verification, Reddit has also implemented a major change to its self-moderation notifications.
The moderator bot will now check if a comment or reply complies with the platform rules before sending a notification to the user.
This measure will help avoid unnecessary and frustrating notifications when the post has already been removed.
In another significant aspect, Reddit has announced its roadmap to improve accessibility in its applications. Over the next month, adjustments will be made to make important parts of the service, such as the left navigation menu, profile drawer, bottom tab bar, and other key areas, compatible with screen readers.
This move seeks to address concerns expressed by the user community about the lack of accessibility on the platform, especially after some controversial changes to the Reddit API that negatively affected apps with accessibility features.
Response to community protests
At a recent event called “r/Place,” where people collaborate to paint on a huge digital whiteboard on Reddit, the community used this opportunity to protest the changes made.
Reddit has taken note of these protests and is working to address the community’s concerns. The company plans to start reaching out to users and moderators next week to better understand their needs and concerns.
The platform is committed to maintaining an open dialogue and taking concrete actions to improve the user experience.
Final words. These measures are a positive sign that the platform is listening to its community and taking action to offer a more authentic, transparent and accessible experience. With a focus on engaging with users and implementing meaningful changes, Reddit is paving the way for a more inclusive future for its online community.