Remember Digg? The social news aggregator that once rivaled Reddit? Well, get ready for a blast from the past! Digg is officially getting a reboot, spearheaded by none other than its founder, Kevin Rose, and a surprising partner: Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Rose has repurchased Digg for an undisclosed sum, and the duo are teaming up to breathe new life into the platform. Their goal? To "restore the spirit of discovery and genuine community that made the early web a fun and exciting place to be," according to a press release. This revival aims to tap into what worked (and didn't) at both Digg and Reddit.
AI to the Rescue
Since it's 2025, of course, there's an AI component! Rose and Ohanian plan to leverage AI to differentiate Digg. The focus will be on "AI innovations designed to enhance the user experience and build a human-centered alternative." Think AI-powered moderation and even fun quirks like translating discussions into Klingon, as Rose suggested to The New York Times.
“At various times over the years I had been approached to repurchase Digg; it never felt right. The technologies to solve our biggest pain points didn't exist," Rose said. "Just recently we've hit an inflection point where AI can become a helpful co-pilot to users and moderators, not replacing human conversation, but rather augmenting it, allowing users to dig deeper, while at the same time removing a lot of the repetitive burden for community moderators."
A Rocky History
Digg's journey hasn't always been smooth sailing. Once a darling of the Web 2.0 era, it faced challenges with system gaming and a controversial 2010 redesign that led to a mass exodus of users to Reddit. The company was eventually sold off in parts, and Betaworks later relaunched it as a curated content site.
Justin Mezzell, a product design veteran, will serve as CEO, with Rose as board chair and Ohanian as an advisor. The team is taking a mobile-first approach and plans to gradually roll out new features in the coming months.
Nostalgia Trip
But what about the features we loved? Many are hoping that this revival includes the return of Digg Reader, the beloved RSS reader from the Betaworks era. And, while we're at it, can someone please bring back StumbleUpon too?
"Here’s hoping that, as part of this revival, the company reanimates Digg Reader, a much-missed RSS reader from the Betaworks era. And while we’re bringing new life to staples of the Web 2.0 era, for the love of all that is well and good in this world, can someone please bring back StumbleUpon too?"
The social media landscape has changed dramatically since Digg's heyday. Will this AI-powered revival be enough to recapture the magic and challenge the giants of today? Only time will tell. In other tech news, Apple recently launched new iPad Air models featuring its M3 chip and AI capabilities, and a New York City startup is using neuroscience and AI to develop an app that helps users manage chronic stress. Apple also unveiled a new Mac Studio featuring the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips.
Stay tuned for more updates as Digg embarks on its next chapter!