Why Reddit blocked my daily visit to its mobile website

为什么 Reddit 封锁了我每天访问其移动网站的路径

I’ve recently developed a daily habit—perhaps one I should cut back on—of visiting several subreddits to keep up on things like audio production and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But I was surprised this weekend to suddenly find myself cut off; Reddit simply would not let me visit the site on my mobile phone. 我最近养成了一个每天访问几个子版块（subreddit）的习惯——也许我该减少这种习惯了——以便了解音频制作和俄罗斯入侵乌克兰等方面的最新动态。但这个周末我惊讶地发现，自己突然被拒之门外；Reddit 根本不让我通过手机访问其网站。

Instead, a new overlay popped up, saying, “Get the app to keep using Reddit.” There was no way to skip, bypass, or close the overlay. It did not provide any instructions or alternatives for continuing to use the mobile web version. What it did offer was a large button I could press to get the app. If I did so, the overlay told me, I would be able to “search better” and “personalize your feed”—two things I don’t care to do. 取而代之的是一个弹出的新遮罩层，上面写着：“下载 App 以继续使用 Reddit。”这个遮罩层无法跳过、绕过或关闭。它没有提供任何关于如何继续使用移动网页版的说明或替代方案。它唯一提供的是一个巨大的按钮，点击即可下载 App。遮罩层称，如果我下载了 App，就能“更好地搜索”并“个性化你的信息流”——而这两件事我并不感兴趣。

The block seemed curious, given that Reddit began as a website, and websites generally want traffic. Few are in the practice of turning traffic away. But some services, including X and Instagram, aggressively push users toward apps—or at least toward being logged in to them. 这种封锁行为看起来很奇怪，毕竟 Reddit 起家于网站，而网站通常都渴望流量。很少有网站会把流量拒之门外。但包括 X 和 Instagram 在内的一些服务，都在积极地将用户推向 App——或者至少推向登录状态。

I reached out to the company to ask what was going on. According to a spokesperson, “We recently started running a test for a small subset of frequent logged-out mobile users that prompts them to download the app after visiting the site. These users are already familiar with Reddit and we’ve seen that the experience is much better for them in the app. The app offers a more personalized experience and users can more easily find communities that match their interests.” 我联系了该公司询问具体情况。据一位发言人称：“我们最近针对一小部分经常在未登录状态下使用移动设备的用户进行了一项测试，在他们访问网站后提示其下载 App。这些用户已经熟悉 Reddit，我们发现 App 能为他们提供更好的体验。App 提供了更个性化的体验，用户可以更容易地找到符合其兴趣的社区。”

The company confirmed to me that it is moving in a direction that other platforms have taken: converting users to the app. Reddit says that the test aims to find out if people like me—those who use the service but aren’t generally logged in—get a better experience with the app. 该公司向我证实，他们正在向其他平台已经采取的方向靠拢：将用户转化为 App 用户。Reddit 表示，这项测试旨在了解像我这样的人——即使用该服务但不常登录的用户——是否能在 App 中获得更好的体验。

I often prefer the open web and don’t really want one more app cluttering up my phone. And while I’m open to learning about the “much better” experience in the app, hardball blocking tactics seem an odd way to educate users about something supposedly in their own interests. (After clearing cookies in my browser, I was able to access the mobile website again. It sounds like you can alternately log in to Reddit, though the overlay says nothing about this; I cleared cookies before I could try it.) 我通常更喜欢开放的网络，并不想再多装一个 App 来占用手机空间。虽然我愿意去了解 App 中所谓的“更好的”体验，但这种强硬的封锁手段似乎并不是向用户推介“为他们好”的功能的好方法。（在清除浏览器 Cookie 后，我又可以访问移动网站了。听起来你也可以选择登录 Reddit，尽管遮罩层对此只字未提；我在尝试登录前就清除了 Cookie。）

User reaction to the move seems somewhat negative. Futurism ran an angry article last week saying that Reddit “Intentionally Breaks Its Mobile Website.” And redditors have posted numerous complaints in places like r/bugs, r/help, and (naturally) r/enshittification. (Representative sample comment: “Reddit is a Website; why is it forcing me to the app?”) 用户对这一举措的反应似乎相当负面。Futurism 上周发表了一篇愤怒的文章，称 Reddit “蓄意破坏其移动网站”。Reddit 用户也在 r/bugs、r/help 以及（不出所料的）r/enshittification 等版块发布了大量投诉。（代表性评论：“Reddit 是个网站；为什么要强迫我用 App？”）

Some of this carping does feel a bit strident for a free and (generally) useful service. Perhaps I should switch to the app. Perhaps I should browse while logged in to enable a truly customized feed. Perhaps I really would love the better search options. But as I mentioned at the beginning, I often wonder if I could spend my Reddit time in more productive ways; signing up for a more targeted feed that better plays on my dopamine triggers doesn’t actually sound helpful. I think that’s one reason I resist these pushes to log in, to customize, to spend even more time on site. Indeed, if more force continues to be applied, perhaps the better choice would simply be to walk away altogether. 对于一个免费且（总体上）有用的服务来说，这些抱怨听起来确实有点刺耳。也许我应该改用 App。也许我应该在登录状态下浏览，以获得真正定制化的信息流。也许我真的会喜欢更好的搜索选项。但正如我在开头提到的，我经常怀疑自己是否能把花在 Reddit 上的时间用在更有成效的事情上；注册一个更具针对性、更能刺激我多巴胺分泌的信息流，听起来其实并没有什么帮助。我想这就是我抵制这些登录、定制、从而在网站上花费更多时间的要求的原因之一。事实上，如果这种强制手段继续升级，也许最好的选择就是彻底离开。