On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Reddit, the beloved platform known as the "front page of the internet," faced significant outages, leaving its millions of users baffled and frustrated. Users attempted to access the platform only to be met with the dreaded message: "upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. Reset reason: connection failure." This outage was first noted shortly after 3:00 PM ET, leading to over 46,000 error reports, according to Downdetector, which monitors website status around the clock.
Across the United States, Reddit users experienced similar issues. Reports of problems came flooding in from major cities, including Detroit, New York, Tampa, San Francisco, and Seattle. Many users were unable to load posts or navigate through the site, ramping up frustrations for those who rely on Reddit for news, entertainment, and community interaction.
Reddit's response to the chaos was prompt, as the company acknowledged the problem on social media. By around 4:38 PM, Reddit officials stated they were aware of the outages and were actively investigating the matter. They identified the root cause as "a bug" from a recent update, emphasizing their commitment to restoring services. A spokesperson from Reddit assured users, "A fix is in place, and we're ramping back up," attempting to calm the storm of angry tweets and posts flooding the platform.
Meanwhile, as Reddit grappled with its issues, other social media platforms encountered hiccups as well. Bluesky, which recently experienced substantial growth following the U.S. election, faced difficulties too, with about 2,200 users reporting problems. This surge came shortly after it emerged as a competitor to the once-dominant Twitter (now X). Interestingly, the problems likely stemmed from their sudden influx of new users, highlighting the challenges of scaling infrastructure quickly amid rapid growth.
Even the payment platform Venmo reported outages, adding to the sense of chaos surrounding the internet on this Wednesday afternoon. Nearly 5,000 users found it difficult to access their accounts or complete transactions, compounding frustrations across the web. The interconnectedness of social platforms means downtime on one can affect usage elsewhere, leading to even bigger headaches for users.
Reddit’s troubles were more than just inconveniences for its vast community. With nearly 100 million daily users, Reddit serves as a dynamic hub for discourse. It hosts countless communities (or subreddits) where individuals share insights, ask questions, and engage with topics ranging from niche interests to mainstream news. A significant outage can feel like losing access to the pulse of the internet – no memes, no discussions, no opportunity to upvote your favorite cat video.
By late afternoon, some signs of recovery were visible. Reports began to show fewer frustrations, with DownDetector indicating the rate of outages was decreasing. Although Reddit admitted to systemic problems, many users began regaining access by approximately 5:20 PM ET. The popular subreddit sections started to reload, albeit slowly. Yet, the smell of full recovery was still distant for some users, as intermittent error messages continued to plague their browsing experience.
On Twitter (X), Reddit kept its users informed. Amid all the chaos, they reassured followers with brief updates stating, "Yes. We're working on it," indicating their efforts to communicate with those affected. Reddit’s transparency during the crisis provided some users with comfort, knowing the company was not indifferent to the growing frustration of their community.
Further complicate the story was the timing of the outage. November 20 was also the day of U.S. News Anchor Katie Couric’s first-ever Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), which was launched at 2 PM ET, just before the impressive failures started. Though it may seem coincidental, some began speculating whether the increased demand placed on the site during the AMA contributed to the bugs affecting the site.
Reddit has experienced outages before, and the timing around major events has been noted. For example, during the U.S. election, Reddit reported degraded performance due to spikes in site traffic as users turned to the platform for real-time updates. This outage reminds us of the challenges social media platforms face as they navigate growing user bases and demands for seamless experiences.
Although the situation at Reddit appears to have stabilized, remnants of frustration linger as users across various platforms share their laughs and lamentations about the outages. The experience has contributed to what users often call "internet schadenfreude," where the disruption of one platform is humorously enjoyed by users across others. Memes and jokes swiftly filled the void left by missing posts on Reddit, fueling laughter even amid the chaos.
This experience serves as both a reminder of how pivotal platforms like Reddit are to daily life and highlights the fragility of tech infrastructure under sudden influxes of user traffic. The day may have ended with hope for restoration, but the internet remains ever-volatile, demonstrating just how reliant we are on these platforms for communication, information, and entertainment.