To be fair, I read HN regularly since 2016 but only created an account since the reddit fiasco looking to engage more actively. Could be a similar situation.

I’ve been a reader of this site since 2018, but only have I recently created an account.

Then you should know that people have been frequently mentioning Reddit since 2009, which is why it's even mentioned in the guidelines.

The Redditization is real this time though. Just because something wasn’t true previously doesn’t mean it continues to be that way.

"Please don't post comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. It's a semi-noob illusion, as old as the hills."

Read the guidelines.