ColemanLaing

Reddit has quietly removed nearly all avenues for users to provide direct feedback to the platform. Traditional support channels, appeals, and human contact points have been replaced with automated systems, and even r/RedditFeedback is no longer monitored by Reddit staff. This shift reflects a broader trend in large platforms moving toward automation over user communication, raising concerns about transparency, accountability, and long‑term community trust.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how different platforms handle identity, and I’m realizing that many of the problems users run into come from the same underlying issue: most major platforms were built on an older model of identity that assumes everything should be permanent and tied to a single unchangeable account.

I’m not talking only about usernames, but the whole system:

• Reddit accounts that can’t be meaningfully reset • Facebook accounts that can’t be recreated once deleted • Steam accounts tied to old payment methods or old emails • Recovery systems that depend on information people no longer have • Usernames and emails that become permanently locked • Deletion systems that don’t actually delete anything • No way to “start fresh” without losing everything

It feels like the entire landscape is built on assumptions from 10–20 years ago, and users are stuck dealing with the consequences.

So I’m wondering:

• Is there a better model for identity that platforms could adopt? • Should identity be modular instead of monolithic? • Should usernames be changeable or detachable? • Should accounts be more portable or resettable? • Should deletion be more thorough and user‑controlled? • Are federated platforms like Lemmy closer to this future, or do they have their own limitations? • And realistically, do platforms like Reddit, Facebook, or Steam have any path to upgrading their identity systems, or are they locked into their current designs?

I’m not trying to rant — I’m trying to understand the design side of this. If anyone here has insight into how identity is handled on lemmy.ca specifically, or how Lemmy’s architecture approaches these issues, I’d appreciate the perspective.

I’m trying to understand how post deletion is intended to work on lemmy.ca..

When I delete one of my posts, the content disappears, but the entry still shows up in my profile as “Permanently Deleted,” and there’s an option to undelete it. From a user point of view, this feels different from what I’d normally expect when something is deleted, so I wanted to check whether this is:

the expected behavior on lemmy.ca,

a limitation of Lemmy/federation in general, or

a bug or configuration issue on this instance.

More specifically, I’m wondering:

Should deleted posts still appear in my profile at all?

Is it intentional that I can still undelete them after they’re marked “Permanently Deleted”?

Is there any way, on lemmy.ca, to make a post fully disappear from my account view once I’ve decided to delete it?

I’m not trying to complain, just to understand how things are supposed to work here so I can adjust my expectations.