Firstly, I understand why, most blank profiles are bots, but it’s so frustrating trying to dm people, and interact in communities when you are mostly a lurker. Now I’m not a lurker here, but on other places it’s very annoying when you just want to talk to a specific person. Reddit is especially dreadful for new accounts or lurkers. Karma requirement’s are such bullshit.
You’re starting with a faulty assumption that everyone wants to participate in DMs.
Why on earth would I want to exchange DMs with random strangers? On reddit, I never got a single DM that wasn’t a bot/scam or a creep asking for nudes or offering to be my foot-worshipping sub or telling me I should shut my woman mouth. Being a man on the internet must be so wild, seeing DMs on a pseudonymous platform as anything but a hidden channel to be sexually harassed.
Honestly, last time I used DMs was to give someone support during their finals since they were debating streaming during the time or not, and letting them know that their future and mental health are more important was well received.
I think the issue is that most well adjusted men see that there’s almost never a reason to DM a stranger since you can just reply where anyone can see it, and the depraved see it as a chance to unleash their inner ape behind a safety shield - so friendly folk do the friendly thing and simply don’t use the function until there’s a solid reason, and that almost never happens.
Anonymity and social things really don’t mix well when we have so many abusive and self-centered people who see it as an opportunity to ape out.