SAN FRANCISCO, March 6 — In an unexpected twist, the founders of two once-competing social media platforms — Kevin Rose of Digg and Alexis Ohanian of Reddit — are joining forces to relaunch Digg with a fresh focus on meaningful online interactions.
The new Digg aims to reshape online discourse by using artificial intelligence to assist with moderation while prioritizing genuine conversations over viral outrage.
Rose, who founded Digg in 2004, and Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit in 2005, were once locked in a battle for dominance in the early days of social media, but now they’re teaming up to take on a new challenge.
Rather than relying on rigid content bans, Digg will introduce a more flexible moderation system designed to fit the tone of individual communities.
“There is a world where, you know, you show up in (a) meditation (group) and you’re swinging four-letter words all over the place, and you hit submit,” Rose was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
“And we come back and we say, hey, you can post this, of course, but only 2 per cent of the audience is going to see it.”
This relaunch comes at a time when Reddit has cemented its dominance in the social media space, recently going public in March 2024 with a market capitalization of around US$9 billion.
The company’s IPO underscored its evolution from a scrappy startup into a major player in the digital landscape.
Justin Mezzell, Digg’s CEO, said today’s social platforms feel increasingly disconnected, making it harder for users to engage in meaningful conversations.
The revamped Digg is set to launch in the coming weeks as both a website and mobile app.
