There were signs that foreshadowed The RCP's massacre. Like many, I ignored them. Now trying to figure out Reddit's next move

In a way, I have a strong feeling that the Great MoonFall of 2023 was kinda predictable and I should have listened to users ringing the alarm 3 months ago.

Let me remind you. 3 months ago Reddit randomly announced – all Coins will expire on Sept 12 and we'll have something else in place later. Stay tuned. Lots of Redditors paid actual money for their coins! No redemption, no apologies, just like that – poof! Coins and awards are deprecated.

Some users were concerned – what does it mean for RCP's? All they got in response was "It's Coins that get deprecated not MOONs, we're safe". Obviously, RCP's weren't mentioned in THAT announcement, it was only about Coins. But if you look at that move by Reddit with a little perspective then it all makes sense...

Reddit showed they wanted to change how "awarding quality content" works so as to maximize their own profit.

What was Reddit's problem with Coins?

Coins weren't only bought. Some awards, like Platinum, would give the recepient some Coins and Premium as well. So there was a way to get Coins without Reddit getting their cut. People were having fun. Quality posters had thousands of Coins they didn't buy. They could then give awards to other users and have fun without Reddit getting their cut. That's why Coins had to go.

Back to that announcement. People read that and started wondering – are MOON's getting deprecated too? Reddit admin even answered some comments in that post, clarifying that RCP's weren't getting canceled, just Coins at the time. But you could see how RCP were doing the same thing:

- people awarding submissions they liked without Reddit getting their cut

- people tipping each other and having fun without Reddit getting their cut

- people earning something for their submissions without Reddit getting their cut

Now you can see how THAT announcement, that had nothing to do with RCP's, already showed the direction Reddit was going. See my point? It makes sense now but back then, I guess I just fell for confirmation bias and turned off the voice of reason. "It's Coins getting the axe not MOONs" worked like a charm on me. Plus Reddit admins explicitly said "RCP's aren't getting deprecated, it's just Coins" obviously they meant "for the time being"...

So... what now? Reddit has intoduced their stupid Gold upvote thing that immediately gives Reddit half the money you spend. What else doesn't fit in Reddit's final vision?

What do you think is Reddit next step?

What other things allow Redditors award quality submissions, have fun and earn something without Reddit getting their cut?

Bear in mind how ruthless Reddit can be to get their way.

I guess no one wants to look one step ahead and see where this is going. After all, Reddit admins "didn't ban unofficial community points, so they're safe" right?