Reviving an Internet Giant: Digg Returns to the Scene.
Digg, a true pioneer of Web 2.0, is returning to the scene with a new injection of capital.
History tends to repeat itself, and in this case, it seems that Web 2.0 is making a comeback. The community interaction that democratized the Internet is returning, along with the return of an old acquaintance: Digg. This platform, once considered "the homepage of the Internet," is coming back after its co-founder, Kevin Rose, acquired it in collaboration with Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. The new version of Digg is being presented as the "homepage of the Internet now with superpowers."
Digg was created in 2004 by Kevin Rose, Alexis Ohanian, and Joshua Schachter as a site for content aggregation and curation, allowing users to vote and comment on the submitted stories. During the first decade of the 21st century, it became a very popular source of information. Users could submit news and recommendations, and the community decided which content deserved more attention through a voting system that placed the most relevant stories at the top of the page. This mechanism ensured that the most voted content was the most visible to other users, making Digg an influential place. At its peak, even major websites struggled to handle the traffic generated by a link from Digg's front page.
However, Digg's popularity began to decline due to a series of factors, including an unpopular update, system manipulation, and, above all, the rise of Facebook, which introduced tools like "Like" and "Share" buttons. In 2012, the company was dismantled, and its assets were sold off separately.
Recently, it has been reported that Kevin Rose has regained the Digg domain and other related assets, with plans to relaunch the platform in collaboration with Ohanian. Rose announced that he had repurchased Digg from Money Group, a digital media company, to rebuild it and compete against Reddit. During an interview, Rose expressed that he believes the moment is ripe to reevaluate this idea with a fresh perspective, noting that today it is not necessary for a single player to dominate the social media space. Furthermore, he stated that they do not plan to eliminate Reddit to succeed in this new environment.
The new investors in Digg include True Ventures, where Rose is a partner, and Seven Seven Six, Ohanian's firm. To support Digg's revival, they have hired a small team of engineers and designers and appointed Justin Mezzell, a former collaborator of Rose, as CEO. Both Rose and Ohanian will join the board of Digg, with Rose taking the role of chairman.