@Bahadir > if people want to really protest something, they should just stop using it

That is *a* model of protest, however it ignores the network effect, general momentum issues, and the fact that the majority of people who don’t like the situation may want it fixed, but not enough to disrupt their social life.

It’s the digital equivalent of “If you don’t like the policies in your state, move”. Not everyone gets that option, and in any case, that doesn’t actually change the original issue, in fact often it makes it worse for those who stay.

Leaving is a great way to build new systems, but as a protest it doesn’t work because it’s not visible. What they are doing is *very* visible, and is building support.

> That requires no extra work unlike finding hot pictures of John Oliver

Leaving requires lots of work. New software. New people. Missing content.

Staying can be *fun*! But yes, protesting is work. Some of those moderators may also lose control of something they’ve been involved in for decades. They might even get banned. But they’re willing to do the work for something they believe in. Which is why

> They'll do this for a while and slowly return to normal. Everyone is hating on #reddit CEO but he's right about the fact that this whole thing will blow over.

that is not necessarily going to happen. Apparently they’ve already gained some small concessions. The longer they hold on, the more likely they’ll get more, because the cost to them is far less than the cost to Reddit. Union-style organizing *works*.