Before Reddit gained prominence, there was Digg, a platform that introduced the concept of up- and down-voting online content. The original creators of Digg and Reddit, Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian, are now relaunching Digg with a renewed focus on fostering “humanity and connection,” augmented by advancements in artificial intelligence.
Digg, established by Rose in 2004, permitted users to up-vote (“Digg”) or down-vote (“bury”) content both from users and various online sources. At its zenith, Digg boasted 40 million monthly users, a significant achievement given that Facebook reached 100 million users in 2008. In 2012, Digg’s components and patents were sold, with LinkedIn acquiring many of its assets. Meanwhile, Reddit, co-founded by Ohanian in 2005, adopted a similar voting system, allowing users to evaluate and prioritize the content according to popularity.
The digital landscape has evolved substantially since 2012, not only with the advent of advanced artificial intelligence but also in terms of how people interact online. According to Justin Mezzell, the newly appointed CEO of Digg, “The social space online feels harsher than ever before.” He remarked on the growing disconnect across platforms and suggested that the concept of the internet as a communal gathering place has significantly fragmented.
The new leadership at Digg envisions utilizing artificial intelligence to “handle the grunt work” of social media management, enabling humans to dedicate time to cultivating meaningful virtual communities. Mezzell expressed determination to encourage people to engage in sincere conversations, learn from each other, and share their passions, despite the fact that many of today’s social media algorithms prioritize sensationalism and outrage.
Rose noted that Digg intends to adopt a more nuanced strategy regarding content moderation, beyond the binary choice of banning or allowing content. As an example, he described a scenario where a user posts something inappropriate in a meditation group. Instead of outright banning the post, Digg might limit its exposure based on the tone established by the community moderator.
“This approach is unique and different,” Rose explained. “It’s not about imposing strict rules but about sensing the collective voice and how it aligns with the community’s ecosystem and underlying model.”
Sarah Gilbert, a research manager at the Citizens and Technology Lab at Cornell University with expertise in content moderation, observed that many platforms, including Reddit, already rely heavily on automated moderation. Though moderators can control some tools, AI in its current form often lacks contextual awareness, and moderation models overwhelmingly focus on toxicity. Furthermore, these models can inadvertently discriminate or overly censor underrepresented groups. Gilbert emphasized the need for AI moderation tools to account for specific community rules and ensure human oversight remains integral.
The revitalized Digg platform is set to be unveiled shortly in both web and mobile app formats, aiming to reconnect users in a more meaningful and considerate online environment.
