Also worth noting that reddit control the metrics that they release for a lot of this.
There's no real measure of good engagement vs shallow engagement, so they can find a way to show that user visits are up even if the worthwhile content is starting its slow slide. Shit, i probably used to visit reddit once a day for 12 hours, but now i visit 5 times a day when i instinctively enter the URL.
Reddit protest plunges user engagement, site activity and ad portal visits (techcrunch.com)
Reddit protest by its community moderators has impacted user engagements, traffic and visits to its ad portal since its beginning on June 12.