>I think it's just a result of HN becoming popular enough that it's attracting a larger audience. This could be true, however for me and what I think may be a

>I think it's just a result of HN becoming popular enough that it's attracting a larger audience. This could be true, however for me and what I think may be a larger issue is that people are getting tired of using Reddit and other sites altogether and there are few alternatives that offer good discussions. The reason Reddit became popular when it started I feel was for the niche subreddits and information and discussions on Reddit that you wouldn't find elsewhere on the web. Now Reddit censors anything outside of the hive-mind when it comes to common popular subreddits. Sure there are good subreddits with discussions and information still out there but unless you know where to look, the popular subreddits feel more like advertising designed to look like someone submitted something. I remember when people migrated from Digg 2.0 and Slashdot over to Reddit sometime around 2005. It appears now people have been increasingly jumping ship from Reddit to other platforms for the niche information while still using Reddit for the meme's and cat videos.