Paying their users for content is actually a good thing on paper. In fact, it counteracts the largest argument over API charges that I had: That they were gonna make more than per MDAU via ads, but have the audacity to keep all of it, while not even giving the users that provide it nary a crumb.
The problem with this is: What is a fair price for user generated content? What is a fair redistribution based on DAUs and activity? Is there even a fair model? How could you guarantee it when there will be cabals to provide content at a certain level, as was seen when blogrings tried it in the late 2000s?
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer, because reddit will always give the least amount they can endure, especially as they are not profitable. And when they are, they will bargain down because they need cheap UGC to function. Such a system is probably going to be unfair by philosophy and design.
I think even on paper paying users for content without any sort of regulation, standards, or guidelines will rapidly lower the quality of that content.
There are already so many accounts, and I’m not even talking about bot accounts, that focus on saving front page posts, coming back in 3 or 4 days, and reposting those posts.
I can only see the low effort post situation deteriorating once Reddit starts paying karma farmers.
