Digg Is Returning, And It Already Wants You To Pay To Reserve Your Username
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Summary
- Digg will introduce an early access group where users pay $5 to secure their username.
- The fee is aimed at curbing bots, with proceeds donated to charity.
- Despite AI involvement and fee transparency, doubts persist about whether more social media from prior site owners is the solution to old social media.
About a month ago, Kevin Rose announced that he bought back the social media site Digg, with plans to rebuild the site to take on Reddit, with the help of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. While it may be a noble cause to build an alternative to Reddit’s hate-filled front page (it’s gotten so bad that Reddit is now penalizing anyone who upvotes hateful content), Kevin is the one who sold Digg in the first place, but at that point the mass migration to Reddit had already happend thanks to a failed redesign, a redesign that happened under Kevin’s watch. And then there is Alexis Ohanian, who reportedly sold Reddit to Conde Nast for a lowly $10 million, and we’ve since seen what Conde Nast has done with the site.
Well, now that both of these people failed their users with their original social media sites, they are now teaming up to bring back Digg as a duo with the help of AI (you just knew trendy AI had to be in the mix), and before the site even launches it is now being revealed potential users will be able to pay for the privilege of securing their username by joining the Groundbreakers early access group for $5.
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Supposedly, the fee is to curb bots
Thanks to a report by The Verge (sharp eyes may notice this coverage comes from an AP alum, hey Dom), we now know Digg plans to start an early access group called Groundbreakers where users will pay $5 to secure their Digg username while also gaining access to some insider looks as the site is built. This is a one-time fee (not a subscription), so the idea the fee exists to slow bots lines up, and once early access ends, the proceeds will be donated to a nonprofit of the Groundbreaker’s community choosing.
Overall, the fee appears to be on the up and up in that it isn’t being used to earn money before Digg is even live, but one has to wonder why paying for access is the go-to for two seasoned tech gurus to curb bots. And if that money is just sitting in an account until early access ends, will the interest also be donated to a charity? Somehow, putting the onus on the user feels more like old hat, a standard play that shows Digg isn’t trying to do things different, instead sticking to the status quo and modern trends like paid early access, which is why the mention of AI also sticks out when it’s still unclear if users even want AI in their social media in the first place.
Sure, $5 isn’t all that much money, and it’ll eventually reach a nonprofit, but at the end of the day, it’s doubtful that more social media is the answer to the failings of our current crop, especially when it’s coming from the same people who failed the last time. The belief that AI will somehow improve things feels detached from reality.
Still, if you’re curious to see what Rose and Ohanian have cooking and don’t mind tossing $5 their way (that will eventually be donated), you can head over to Digg’s signup page and drop your email and possibly get an invite to the Groundbreakers program. Spots are limited, so your mileage may vary.
