Reddit traffic returns to normal after API protests squashed

New data shows that despite the overwhelmingly negative reaction to recent changes at Reddit, users are starting to flood back in post-blackout.

SimilarWeb, an internet traffic analyzer, has new data from a world post-Reddit blackout. Analysis has seen an increase in traffic to the site since multiple subreddits came back online after protesting API changes.

The data has seen Reddit begin to creep back to normal, as it hit 56 million users on June 18 and 19. During the protest, Reddit’s traffic had taken a hit to 52 million users.

Speaking with PC Mag, SimilarWeb also found that time spent on Reddit has also seen an increase, with people spending nearly eight minutes on the site or app – up from 7 minutes and 17 seconds.

Reddit is currently attempting to squash protests via threats, or forcibly removing participating moderators from their roles. According to Reddark, some 2586 subreddits are still actively protesting by locking out users. Meanwhile, some subreddits are protesting in public by sabotaging themselves. This includes enforcing John Oliver-based rules, or allowing explicit images to take over the board.

Reddit staff are squashing API protests

Reddit

However, Reddit staff are starting to get fed up with the ongoing protests and the effects on the business. CEO Steve Huffman has been on a warpath in recent interviews, doubling down on decisions to begin charging for the API.

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a vital part of large parts of Reddit’s communities. It has been free for years, allowing third-party apps and useful bots to take on significant roles within the communities that have been built.

With the changes coming in, and a vast majority of users who use the API not making enough money to cover the costs, large swaths of the website will suddenly vanish.

However, it seems that the Reddit CEO’s claims that things will pass are coming to fruition as traffic starts to normalize.