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Reddit Is Bringing Back the Lo-Fi Glories of Public Access TV
The freewheeling online forum is testing a new livestreaming network that feels like public access TV — but better
Reddit is testing a new live broadcasting feature, called Public Access Network (RPAN). The company has only tested the feature a handful of times with the public, but it has already created a grassroots community of content creators devoid of the coercive incentives of monetization.
On Thursday, August 29, more than 13,700 people watched a livestream that featured a person in a horse mask listening to jazz music and enjoying a hot beverage on RPAN. The random — yet strikingly intimate and ordinary — nature of “Horse Lounge” best exemplifies RPAN’s early content, which has featured someone writing the Bee Movie script by hand, New Yorkers sitting in traffic to the tune of lo-fi music, and a banana running for president.
How do Reddit’s established community frameworks shape its content creators’ performances? More importantly, how can it sustain success beyond a seemingly fleeting test? The platform’s affordances and history shine a light on the potential for its success.
