I suppose my original sentiment was that HN gives me the I'm-bored-and-need-a-distraction-fix better than reddit. It's like reddit and HN are medicines that treat the same ailment, and HN is cherry flavoured while reddit tastes of old-cheese.
I wonder if this reddit usage strategy would work:
1. unsubscribe from everything
2. create an html file with links to just the subs that interest me
3. either
3.a. Browse using old.reddit.com (while it still lasts)
3.b. Write a userscript that removes all the annoying UI elements like the upvote bar, and suggestions.
I don't completely hate reddit. It can't be beat for breadth of topics and user population. It's the unhealthy parts of reddit that I don't like. The "appizeness" as you put it, where RedditCorp is prioritizing engagement at the cost of utility and community.
I'm also turned off by the the anti-social behavior of the users, which is typical of today's social platforms. I'm too young to have taken part in newsgroups, I wonder if they suffered from the same behavior problem.
I am on HN more, but it hasn't replaced Reddit. HN doesn't move fast enough for hours of dopamine hits like Reddit is. HN is for when I'm at work and I need to give my brain a rest from a tough problem. My time at home no longer has any social media when it used to have WAY too much Reddit.
I've actually completely stopped using Reddit since migrating to HN. The content is better, the comments are far better, and the overall user experience is massively superior.
HN is very good for one focused thing. Reddit used to be good for everythng but more and more it's bad for everything but soulless corporate-friendliness.
The fact that HN gives you this option at all, to my mind, sets it in the very unique category of self-aware information sharing communities/platforms. Reddit has subs that focus on productivity and discuss addiction to Reddit itself, sure, but they seem to be going down the same path of catering to addiction now.. deleted Reddit entirely in lieu of HN recently and it's been fantastic.
I'm in very much the same boat, though I am a hacker/developer/programmer.
I'm still using reddit more than HN, but I can see myself slowly gravitating towards HN. One thing that really does make reddit more bearable though is to unsubscribe from most subreddits. Once you drop askreddit, iama, pics, wtf, reddit.com, funny, etc, etc, and you're left with a nice core of coding, programming, (language-of-choice-subreddit), machinelearning, compsci and webdesign, you actually start seeing the more intelligent side.
Reddit is way more enjoyable than HN. On reddit you can have serious discussions and you can have fun.
HN is trying too hard to be serious. It may be interesting, but rarely it is fun.
I spend more time on HN these days for that reason. I actually prefer the content of Reddit (or at least in the specific subreddits I subscribe to) and it does have a better sense of humour and is less insular than HN. But HN loads faster and is rarely down. When I have just a few minutes in a work break that's important.
Yeah I used to be a huge Redditor trying to constantly keep up with the memes and funny content of the day. After quitting it made me realize how much a slave I was to the platform and how much I needed my hit of random funny crap.
I used HN as a replacement for the industry news and to remove all the other extra junk. Which seems to be working since I only visit about once a day for 15-20 minutes and don't feel a compulsive need to check it constantly for fear of missing something since there's a lack of memes and in-jokes.
HN is not a replacement for Reddit in general though.
Reddit is a collection of forums/communities with wildly varying topics. HN is just one specific forum.
Some of the worst behaviors that are common in many Reddit subs are discouraged here in HN, and for that I'm thankful. But the topics aren't the same, so one cannot replace the other in general.
Add to that is the sort of audiences reddit and HN attracts are very different. You have some users who enjoy both HN and reddit. I think the core users of reddit will not find HN appealing and the core users of HN can't stand reddit.
I mean, Reddit may suit your needs? I find HN pretty perfect for my needs. The simplicity keeps me coming back. I find all the things you mention to be benefits, personally.
I wonder if this reddit usage strategy would work:
1. unsubscribe from everything 2. create an html file with links to just the subs that interest me 3. either 3.a. Browse using old.reddit.com (while it still lasts) 3.b. Write a userscript that removes all the annoying UI elements like the upvote bar, and suggestions.
I don't completely hate reddit. It can't be beat for breadth of topics and user population. It's the unhealthy parts of reddit that I don't like. The "appizeness" as you put it, where RedditCorp is prioritizing engagement at the cost of utility and community.
I'm also turned off by the the anti-social behavior of the users, which is typical of today's social platforms. I'm too young to have taken part in newsgroups, I wonder if they suffered from the same behavior problem.
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