Reddit is changing how it displays votes and comments, making them more dynamic to encourage user interaction and make the platform feel more “lively.”
Previously, Reddit’s vote and comment counts were displayed as static numbers which would only update when users refreshed their page. Now, vote and comment counts will be animated, with redditors able to see the numbers go up and down in real time.
This is similar to how likes and retweets are already displayed on Twitter, though Reddit will let you turn it off in your animation settings if you prefer.
Credit: Reddit
Reddit’s changes don’t stop at simply showing users when comments are added, though. The social media platform is also adding notifications showing how many new comments have been added as you’ve been scrolling through a post, encouraging you to check out the current conversation.
Further, a new indicator in the comment window will show when two or more users are simultaneously typing up a comment, and another indicator at the top of the comment section will show when five or more redditors are reading a post at the same time. Similar features are already used in messaging apps such as Slack and Discord.
All of these indicators will be anonymous, so usernames won’t show up in the aggregation, however they’ll still appear alongside the actual comments themselves.
Credit: Reddit
Credit: Reddit
Reddit’s new features are rolling out on both desktop and mobile today.