Just curious, because typing Reddit in at the end of searches magically makes the exact niche result you need appear, how do you open a post in old Reddit?
I'd be more likely to recommend you install a plugin like libredirect and use an alternative frontend to Reddit like libreddit. Get visibility into posts, spread your load across three alternative front end instances to avoid rate limiting, starve reddit of the tracking data they're trying to direct people to their preferred front end for
Yup, they’re forcing people towards the app because it allows them to collect telemetry data. Your browser walls them off so they can’t data mine your device, but the app gives them full control. It’s why so many services and companies have switched to apps instead of mobile sites; An app allows them to collect and sell your data.