Reddit is a rare instance of a social media where people don't really care about features.
Since its first inception in 2005, Reddit remains humble by avoiding the social media glamour and news media spotlight. But behind the scene, where it remains quiet, there are reasons why the social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website is considered the "front page of the internet"
Redditors who are users of Reddit, as well as others on the web that stumble to the platform, visit and stay on Reddit because of the contents it provides.
More than often, it's the people on Reddit who discuss what would become the next viral internet sensation. It could be them who would eventually give birth to new popular websites, including image sharing community and image host platforms, new theories, answers to agelong questions, and more.
This happened because Reddit has long known for its open nature and diverse user base. With subreddits that can be very niche, Reddit can cover wide-ranging subject areas.
These are the things that make Reddit thrives, even in the time when titans that feed on user-generated contents like Facebook and others become the rulers of the social media sphere.
Previously, Reddit's vote and comment counts were displayed as static numbers which would only update when users refreshed their page. New comments and user interactions were also limited without a page refresh.
In the days where websites can act like web apps, in which notifications can be pushed without requiring a page refresh, Reddit's interface engagement simply felt outdated.
While people on Reddit love Reddit they way it is, there is nothing wrong in bringing some social media gimmicks to the table.
This is why the platform is introducing a handful of features that are designed to make it more social and more interactive.
First, Reddit is providing a way for users to see vote and comment counts on posts that increase (as well as decrease) in real time. Second, users can also see typing indicators that will tell them when two or more people are replying to a comment.
Third, another set of real-time indicators are introduced to show when five or more people are reading the same post.
And lastly, Reddit has reworked the comment pill to display new comments as users scroll through a post.
In practice, the new features will make Reddit feel more like a chat app.
With the update, Reddit should appear friendlier to those who use social media networks in general, and also more modern to be precise.
In Reddit's words on its blog post, by changing how it displays votes and comments, and making them more dynamic to encourage user interaction, can make the platform feel more "lively."
The company said the purpose of introducing these features is to create a better experience for users.
With more features, Reddit expects that the features can keep users interacting with content more often.
In turn, this should increase user engagement.
Following the announcement, Reddit is rolling out these features globally across Reddit’s desktop, iOS and Android apps.