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The social media and bookmarking platform was one of the most popular websites around in 2006, before the boom of platforms like Reddit, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram helped to usher in its obsolescence. But Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian are bringing Digg back — with a relaunch that aims to fix all our problems with modern social media.
"The social space online is definitely harsher, it feels like, than it’s ever been before," Justin Mezzell, who will serve as the new company’s CEO, said, according to the Associated Press. "It feels really difficult to connect. I think the platforms have gotten more disconnected. You know, if ever there was a true town hall of the internet, it feels like it has been deconstructed in a pretty big way."
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So the company is offering an alternative: A return to the past with a focus on — you guessed it — AI.
"By combining Ohanian's and Rose's historical knowledge and deep understanding of what has and hasn't worked from their experiences at Reddit and Digg with today's technological advancements – particularly in AI – Digg plans to become an online destination with humanity and connection at its core," the company said in a press release.
Digg originally launched in 2004 and was sold for parts in 2012. Its podcast, Diggnation, ran from 2005 to 2011 and was brought back in August 2024.
"Online communities thrive when there's a balance between technology and human judgment. We're bringing Digg back to ensure that balance exists," Ohanian said in the press release. "Kevin and I are here to build something better than what social platforms are offering today. AI should handle the grunt work in the background while humans focus on what they do best: building real connections. No one dreams of spending their day hunting down spam or playing content police - they want to create, connect, and build thriving communities. I'm all in on this chapter."
The company announced it would be reintroducing the platform during SXSW on March 5 during a livestream of its podcast, Diggnation, and people seem pretty happy. In the comment section of the nearly 1.5-hour livestream of the Diggnation podcast, the comments are overwhelmingly positive — although this is just a slice of the type of people who would not only watch a livestream of a Diggnation podcast announcement but also comment on it, so take it with a grain of salt.
"The world has its issues right now, but having Diggnation back is one of the best surprises for 2025. Love you guys!" one user commented.
"This was so fuxing awesome. Can’t believe they are actually back," another user said.
Digg was the site that originally popularized up-votes and down-votes that are so typical on online posts today. But, despite Digg's pioneering introduction of this feature to internet culture it was the very up-votes and down-votes that led to its downfall in the first place. As ZDNET reported, the site took down the votes after there was a censorship campaign against left-leaning users by users who called themselves "Digg Patriots." People stopped using Digg, went all in on Reddit, and here we are.
It isn't live just yet, but you can sign up to get early access when invites go live at Digg's website.