>I think the forced login is a way to bring back that engagement?
I just don't see it when they've decided that (a) bans, sometimes perma bans, are the solution to any (often hallucinated) misbehavior and that (b) the new user experience is to be as terrible as possible in as obtuse a way as possible.
It really seems like they're going hard for ragebait as their main driver of engagement. AITA, GirlDinnerDiaries, etc. Reddit is where your average oversocialized office worker with a boring life goes to read about peoples' drama and problems. The Jerry Springer show for millennials.