Reddit's algorithm is designed to keep you scrolling, not necessarily to show you the most valuable content. The Reddit Post Hider puts control back in your hands, allowing you to curate a more intentional browsing experience by hiding repetitive posts and blocking entire subreddits that don't add value to your feed.
The Infinite Scroll Problem
Anyone who browses Reddit's popular feeds has experienced this frustration: the same posts appearing repeatedly, recycled content flooding the home page, and subreddits that consistently generate noise rather than signal. The default Reddit experience prioritizes engagement over user satisfaction.
The problem is particularly acute for users who prefer browsing r/popular or r/all to discover new content, but find themselves seeing the same posts multiple times or being bombarded with content from subreddits that don't match their interests.
"A good content filter should be invisible when it works and obvious when it doesn't."
Building a Seamless Solution
The extension implements several key features to improve Reddit browsing:
- One-click post hiding - Click any post to hide it permanently
- Subreddit blocking - Block entire subreddits from appearing in your feed
- Persistent storage - Hidden posts stay hidden across browser sessions
- Keyboard shortcuts - Ctrl+H to hide/unhide posts quickly
- No account required - Works without Reddit login credentials
Technical Implementation Challenges
✅ What Works Well
- Hide repetitive posts - Prevents seeing the same posts again and again during home/popular browsing
- Easy subreddit blocking - Further prune the global feed to match interests
- No Reddit account required - Works for logged-out browsing
- One-click hiding - Immediate feedback and action
- Persistent storage - Settings and hidden posts survive browser restarts
⚠️ Technical Limitations
- Doesn't work well on subreddits - DOM structure differences cause inconsistent behavior
- Link format posts sometimes problematic - Different post types have varying HTML structures
- Still flashes some hidden posts - Brief visibility before the extension can process and hide them
- Keyboard shortcuts aren't really used - Users prefer clicking over keyboard combinations
The Challenge of Reddit's Dynamic DOM
Reddit's web interface presents unique challenges for browser extensions. The site uses different HTML structures for different post types (text posts, link posts, image posts) and different layouts for various pages (home feed vs. individual subreddits).
The extension works best on the main feeds where post structure is most consistent. Individual subreddits often have custom CSS and layouts that interfere with the extension's ability to identify and hide posts reliably.
User Experience Insights
Version 2.0 revealed interesting insights about user behavior:
- Clicking is preferred over keyboard shortcuts - Despite implementing Ctrl+H shortcuts, most users prefer the visual clicking interaction
- Flash prevention is critical - Even brief visibility of "hidden" posts breaks the illusion of a curated feed
- Subreddit blocking is more valuable than individual post hiding - Users prefer broad filters over granular content curation
Technical Architecture
The extension uses Chrome's local storage to maintain lists of hidden posts and blocked subreddits. It employs mutation observers to detect new posts as they're loaded by Reddit's infinite scroll, applying filters in real-time.
The challenge lies in balancing performance with completeness—processing every DOM change is expensive, but missing newly loaded posts breaks the user experience.
Future Improvements
Version 3.0 development focuses on:
- Better subreddit compatibility - Improved detection for various page layouts
- Reduced flash visibility - Faster initial hiding before posts become visible
- Smart keyword filtering - Hide posts based on title content, not just subreddit
- Export/import settings - Sync preferences across devices
The Philosophy of Intentional Browsing
Reddit Post Hider represents a larger movement toward intentional digital consumption. Rather than passively consuming whatever algorithm-driven feeds present, users can actively curate their information diet.
The extension succeeds not by adding features, but by giving users control. In an attention economy designed to maximize engagement, tools that help users consume content more deliberately serve an important purpose.
The project continues to evolve based on real user feedback, proving that the best browser extensions solve genuine daily frustrations rather than theoretical problems.