RIP Google Reader: 10 years later
On July 1, 2013, Google shut down Google Reader, its then-popular RSS reader service. While Google’s infamous for shutting down anything that isn’t instantly or massively popular on a whim, Google Reader’s demise has become the most infamous shuttering. To this day, there are still people nostalgic for Reader and annoyed by its shutdown.
Why did Reader shut down? And what replaced it?
As for why Reader shut down? Google shuttered Reader claiming declining usage. That might’ve been partly the case, with the rise in the early 2010s of modern social media. However, many (including myself) figure the other unstated reasons include:
RSS is an open standard and not proprietary.
RSS is hard to monetize.
Google wanted to promote Google+, its (ultimately failed) social network.
Since 2013, the concept of the “open web” (and open internet standards like RSS) feels like an endangered concept. These days, the internet is dominated by a few “walled garden” sites: Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Amazon, etc. Recent events at Twitter and Reddit, plus Google trying to incorporate AI into its search results, aren’t helping with any of this.
The state of RSS post-Reader
I’ve written before about RSS readers, as well as why they’re worth using. Still, I note the popularity of RSS likely wasn’t helped by Reader’s shutdown. Some sites also don’t include RSS feeds.
One area RSS still dominates are podcasts. That’s even with Spotify trying to usurp RSS with its own proprietary podcasts (and do to podcasting what social media did to RSS readers). So far, however, Spotify has had mixed results.
Alternatives to Google Reader
I was a regular user of Google Reader, but after its shutdown, I ended up switching to Feedly, which I stuck with until 2022. I’ve since switched to NetNewsWire, a free and open source RSS reader for Apple devices.
While some former Google Reader users now use Twitter and other social networks as a replacement, I still favor using an RSS reader. Twitter’s decline aside, it also required checking frequently to make sure I didn’t miss any important tweets. Meanwhile, RSS readers let me check for updates from my favorite sites at my leisure, and without worrying about missing anything.
For those who don't want to use an RSS reader, Google does offer Google News as a service. While Google News is limited to the sites Google offers, it's easy to use, offers apps for Android and iOS, and is still better than trying to get all of one's news from Twitter or Facebook. Apple offers a similar service for Apple device users, Apple News.
Conclusion
Do any of you still miss Google Reader? Do you still use an RSS reader? Let everyone know in the comments.
"Google Logo 1" by Ryan J. Quick is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Flickr / cropped from original)