Compare and contrast the current traffic stats of non-default subreddit /r/technology with /r/science. Circa 2013, they were nearly equal in subscribers and activity. Of course, /r/technology lost default status while moving towards a more laissez faire moderation policy. /r/science subsequently blew right by it in subscriber count.

Today, /r/science has 13 million subscribers to /r/technology's 5 million.

https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/about/traffic/

https://www.reddit.com/r/science/about/traffic/

Nevertheless, to date this September, /r/technology has 4.3 million page views versus 3.2 million on /r/science. This is despite the science subreddit's 8 million more subscribers.

According to redditlist.com, /r/science is currently ranked 56th in activity, between /r/hockey and r//Tumblrinaction and three spots above /r/conspiracy. /r/technology is ranked 30th.

So how have things changed? In August 2013, three years ago, /r/science was ranked 14th in total site activity with /r/technology 12th:

http://web.archive.org/web/20130823194552/http://redditlist.com/

In August 2013, /r/science had 26 moderators and /r/technology had 16.

http://web.archive.org/web/20130823125439/http://www.reddit.com/r/science/

Today /r/science over 1200 moderators of various powers, while /r/technology has 27. Albeit the latter subreddit has a very different crew than 2013. But as they might say on /r/science, correlation doesn't equal causation.