Digg is staging a bold comeback, hoping to revive the authentic energy that once made it a mainstay of internet culture.
As waves of automated content threaten to silence real voices, the team behind Digg believes the internet desperately needs brighter beacons of genuine connection. Kevin Rose, who co-founded Digg nearly two decades ago, has joined forces with Alexis Ohanian, the co-creator of Reddit, and together, they are mapping a new course for reviving meaningful social discovery at a time when social platforms feel overwhelmed by bots and manipulation.
This new vision, shared at a recent conference, is a bet that people are searching for a place that resembles the internet’s early promise—a place designed for organic discovery and actual conversation.
Both founders come to the project with battle scars from social media’s early days. Ohanian recounted his reasons for stepping down as Reddit’s chair after clashing with leadership over the company’s slow response to hateful content. He pointed to egregious subforums that were only removed after major public outcry, emphasizing a need for platforms to prioritize societal impact and accountability.
Fresh Strategies for a Different Internet
Rose also reflected on how algorithms first fueled the popularity of extreme or unusual content, shaping online spaces in unpredictable ways. The pair insists that Digg will be built to serve real people, not just sophisticated code and spammers.
Ohanian voiced concern that the so-called “dead internet theory”—the belief that bots make up most online voices—is no longer just the stuff of paranoia. With rapid advances in artificial intelligence, he says, the average user now has little idea how much of their social feed has been churned out by machines or users wielding those tools to manipulate opinion.
To counter this onslaught, Rose says Digg will experiment with ways of verifying participants as actual humans. Solutions could range from cryptographic protocols to various checks that give more weight to users with established identities or behaviors. For example, someone using a disposable email or browsing tools for anonymity might face stricter verification, like confirming a phone number or paying a nominal fee if their identity is unclear.
Rose believes these measures will help communities maintain spaces where human interaction can actually flourish.
At the same time, both leaders note that Digg will use artificial intelligence behind the scenes where it makes sense, such as moderating heated discussions or flagging trouble before it gets out of hand.
They also want to reshape the economics of online communities. People who serve as moderators or create valuable content often do it on a volunteer basis, which Rose thinks has to change. He pushes for systems that would pay or reward those who invest time and care into building vibrant spaces.
Ohanian sees the alignment of users, creators, and the platform itself as essential for new approaches to identity verification, with everyone benefiting if the experiment works.
