Digg, once hailed as “the homepage of the internet,” is set to make a resurgence following its acquisition by co-founder Kevin Rose in collaboration with Alexis Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit.
This move is particularly intriguing as Reddit emerged as a competitor that took on the mantle of the “homepage of the web.” Additionally, both Rose and Ohanian are optimistic that artificial intelligence can handle most moderation tasks.
A Brief Overview of Digg
For those unfamiliar, Digg was primarily a social news aggregator where both editors and users could submit links. Users could then either upvote the links (“digg”) or downvote them (“bury”).
A notable feature of Digg was that other websites could incorporate “digg” buttons, enabling voters to express their opinions on links without needing to visit the site directly.
Digg’s influence was such that even larger platforms often struggled to manage the influx of traffic when a link reached the top of its homepage.
The platform eventually fell out of favor due to a series of unliked updates, rampant manipulation, and the rise of Facebook, which introduced more appealing Like and Share buttons. In 2012, Digg was disassembled and sold off.
Digg’s Comeback
According to The New York Times, Digg’s co-founder has reacquired the domain and other assets, planning a relaunch with support from Alexis Ohanian.
On Wednesday, Mr. Rose announced that he had purchased Digg back for an undisclosed amount from Money Group, a digital media firm, intending to rebuild it as a competitor to Reddit. He’s collaborating with the surprising ally, Mr. Ohanian.
“This is the ideal moment to revisit this concept with a fresh perspective,” Mr. Rose, who is now a venture capitalist at True Ventures, stated in an interview. He emphasized that social media has become so prevalent that “it doesn’t have to be a winner-takes-all scenario,” asserting, “we don’t need to take down Reddit to be successful” […]
They have secured funding from True Ventures, where Mr. Rose holds a partner position, and Seven Seven Six, a venture firm created by Mr. Ohanian. They are also in the process of hiring a small team of engineers and designers for the new Digg and have appointed Justin Mezzell, a long-time collaborator of Mr. Rose’s, as the CEO. Both Mr. Rose and Mr. Ohanian will join Digg’s board, with Mr. Rose taking on the role of chair.
AI Will Handle Most Moderation
While the precise financial details remain undisclosed, The Verge indicates that, unlike Reddit, the new Digg team is largely dismissive of the need for human moderators.
Much of what a moderator does, Rose argues, is menial labor: addressing spam, reviewing clear policy breaches, and mediating trivial disputes. “How can we alleviate the mundane tasks of moderators and community managers,” he asks, “and instead transform their roles into more of a ‘director of vibes, culture and community’ rather than mere laborers handling the influx of tedious issues?”
According to Rose, the revamped Digg will incorporate numerous AI-driven methods for sorting through and making content decisions.
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The domain is operational, and you can enter your email address to receive early access notifications once the site relaunches.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe a renewed Digg has a place in today’s digital landscape, or is that moment in the past? We welcome your insights in the comments.
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Image: Digg
