Inspired by the likes of Instagram, Reddit is adding a Discover tab to its mobile app that will focus on showing multimedia-heavy content, allowing users to discover more stuff that might be of interest to them and also explore new communities. It's evident that the focus is mobile-first, and the target is vertical doomscrolling. Within the past year or so, the self-proclaimed front page of the internet has been on a makeover journey of sorts, pushing quick design and feature updates that are making waves at the moment.
In August last year, the Reddit app for iPhones landed a TikTok-like vertical feed of videos that users can access by tapping on the video button at the top, sitting alongside the search bar. The feed not only pulled content from the subreddits that users have subscribed to but also presented videos from related communities that might be of interest to the user. The formula was simple — dish out relevant content while also boosting discovery.
Reddit is now doubling down on that approach with a dedicated Discover tab. It will be available on the app's Android and iOS versions and can be accessed by tapping on the compass icon at the bottom. The Discover tab will focus on photos, videos and GIFs shared in subreddits users are already a part of. And just like the video feed described above, the Discover feed will also be populated by content from related subreddits that users might find interesting. At the top of each content tile, users will find the community it was shared in, allowing them to discover more subreddits of interest easily. The idea is neat since Reddit lacks a robust recommendation algorithm that has allowed the likes of TikTok and Instagram to keep users glued to their phone's screen. Reddit says that during initial testing of the Discover feed, one in five users joined a new community after spending some time there.
The Best Reddit Feature In A Long Time
Content appearing in the Discover tab will be based on the subreddits that a user is already a part of or based on their engagement habits. So, for example, if a user interacts heavily with discussion around cricket, the Discover feed will show related content from subreddits where the gentleman's game is discussed. So far, community discovery on Reddit has relied chiefly on word-of-mouth publicity among fellow users. "We're ushering a new era of discovery on Reddit, with images and video top of mind," wrote Jason Costa, Reddit's director of product for Content and Communities. However, there is no word if the company will roll out a similar experience for Reddit's desktop client as well.
At the top of the Discover feed, users will find topics that they can use to filter the kind of content they want to see and the communities they aim to find. Plus, there's also a neat feedback mechanism that offers controls such as "show me more of this content, hide that content, and show me less of that content" to curate the Discover feed further. Instagram takes a similar approach while serving content to its audience. But unlike Instagram and TikTok, Reddit won't be using personal details such as age, gender or location to curate the Discover feed. The company tells TechCrunch. Additionally, the Discover tab won't show NSFW content, nor will it host content from communities that have been banned in the past for problematic behavior.
Source: Reddit, TechCrunch