Reddit is the latest platform to embrace the ‘For You’ feed

Reddit is the latest social platform to adopt the “For You” feed popularized by TikTok. The company announced on Wednesday that users will now see two options when opening the platform: “For You” and “Following.”

The “For You” feed combines posts from communities users have joined with recommendations tailored to their interests. Reddit says the feature will help users discover relevant communities and conversations they might not have otherwise come across. The “Following” feed only displays posts from communities they have joined.

The company says the change is designed to foster connection, participation, and belonging.

Reddit is likely hoping that the redesigned feed experience will nudge users to engage with content beyond the communities they already follow. It also brings Reddit more in line with the recommendation-driven experience that’s become standard across social media, where algorithms play a significant role in shaping what users see.

With the launch, Reddit joins a number of popular platforms that have adopted “For You”-style feeds, including Instagram, X, Threads, and Facebook.

Of course, not everyone will welcome the change, as some users may prefer the more focused feed experience of only seeing posts from communities they’ve joined, rather than having recommended content mixed into their home feed. Some users who encountered the new feed during its initial testing phase have already expressed their frustration with the change.

Reddit says users can switch between feeds and return to the one they last viewed the next time they open the platform.

It’s worth noting that although Reddit has long recommended posts from outside users’ subscribed communities, the new layout gives those recommendations their own feed on the homepage.

“This new feed experience is a first step in helping drive discovery that leads to something novel and relevant – an idea, a connection, a unique perspective, or even a new interest,” the company wrote in a blog post. “A more human internet is not just something you sit back and watch, it is something you find value in and want to participate in.”

The new feed experience is rolling out globally over the next few weeks, the company says.

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Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.

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