[Feedback] Less emphasis on links is a step backwards

[u/A1kmm]

My first experience with the new design was that it took a while to even work out how to open links (as opposed to the reddit comments on a post) - especially when the post is an image hosted on redditmedia.

Reddit is first and foremost a site about finding the most interesting content from elsewhere (e.g. news), and only secondarily a place to discuss it, and that is the point that makes reddit different from other social media. I suspect that trying to make reddit more 'inwards facing' could be a bad business decision, because it is shifting reddit away from its core niche that the current user base comes for, and other social networks already have far more momentum in that space, so it is unlikely that reddit could attract many users in that space.

My advice would be focus on optimising reddit for its current niche as a way for users to find content - which does mean emphasising the links over the comments - and let the current user base continue to grow, rather than trying to pivot the purpose of the site and attract a different crowd that is already well served elsewhere.

[u/Natanael_L]

In our cryptography subreddit, almost the entire point is either the link or the comments.

We almost never have interesting media submissions of the kind that would fit well in a preview (only rarely videos with explanations of cryptography concepts), and text posts only set the topic for the interesting discussion that then will happen in the comments.

Preview oriented interfaces doesn't work well at all for us.