Alexis Ohanian and Kevin Rose, the founders of recently acquired Digg, are on a mission to change the social media world. They are trying to address major issues with AI and how it’s affecting humans’ ability to interact on the internet. Ohanian has recently emerged as one of the dead internet theory’s most vocal boosters. He makes the case that the majority of the inputs that we’re all exposed to today online are created and produced not by human beings – although there’s some aspect of human production – but a lot by bots or AI. This theory for a long time was dismissed as a conspiracy. Now, it’s finally picking up speed as more Americans understand what AI means for digital communication.
Ohanian’s worries about AI’s impact stem from his years at Reddit. His resignation from the board came as a protest over how the platform has dealt with hate speech and violent content. His departure followed Reddit’s decision to keep the controversial forum “r/WatchPeopleDie” operational until public outcry arose after the Christchurch mass shooting. This incident led Reddit to reconsider its policies surrounding violence and gore, forcing the platform to take a more accountable approach to moderation.
Ohanian, together with Rose, is hell-bent on bringing Digg back from the dead. They emphasize community building and promote discovery, keeping the magic of the early internet alive. They imagine a space that pushes back against the tidal wave of AI media set to flood traditional social media platforms.
“I’ve long subscribed to the ‘dead internet theory,’” – Alexis Ohanian
As they continue this journey, both founders have realized an important pivot. For large online communities, this huge increase in online activity rendered unpaid moderation unsustainable. Rose expressed his belief that those who dedicate their time and energy to these communities deserve compensation, stating, “I do believe the days of unpaid moderation by the masses… has to go away. I think these people are putting in their life and soul into these communities, and for them not to be compensated in some way is ridiculous to me.”
Among the most intriguing solutions under the duo’s vision for Digg, for instance, is the potential for tiered engagement levels to be determined by how users verify themselves. Rose called for platforms to provide tiered services. That ought to vary based on how likely any given reader is to be a human. All of these strategies combined focus on getting the users who want a real experience with a business to find one.
“There’s going to be these tiers that we do, based on how you want to engage and interact with the actual network itself,” – Kevin Rose
Both Ohanian and Rose warn, we’re on the edge of being completely bombarded with junk generated by AI. Ohanian gave some examples of the disturbing effects of this trend, explaining how it can create a nasty user experience. He stated, “We are going to live in a world where the vast, vast majority of the content we’re seeing is in…some shape or form, AI-generated, and it is a terrible user experience if the reason you’re coming to a place is for authentic human connection, and it’s not with humans — or it’s with people masquerading as humans.”
This risk — combined with strong anxieties about the rise of AI-generated content — has led researchers to more deeply investigate its impact. In one of the most interesting experiments, researchers released AI bots to imitate human behavior on a popular Reddit forum. More importantly, they wanted to understand how these bots might be able to shape human perspectives. These kinds of studies highlight a clear call to action for platforms like Digg to focus on meaningful engagement.
Ohanian’s venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, is a natural fit for these values, as Seven Seven Six focuses on investing in businesses that do the right thing. Digg’s reboot turns on an ironclad promise. It seeks to shape a future in which, even as we increase automation, human connection continues to flourish.
“Probably in the last few years — since we’ve blown past the Turing test — [the dead internet theory] is a very real thing,” – Alexis Ohanian
Digg’s return to life is an excellent opportunity to build a beautiful, fun, community-driven place for people to connect with each other. It commits to addressing the growing threats of bots and AI agents. Noted that distrust of the technology should not distract stakeholders from the agendas these technologies push. He noted, “Sometimes that can be good, but oftentimes it’s pushing really weird agendas. That’s not even getting into the whole bot and AI side of things that are pushing those agendas.”
With Ohanian and Rose’s joint venture, we’re seeing a significant new direction for social media platforms. It demonstrates how, in an increasingly automated world, these platforms can succeed. Importantly, they highlight community-driven moderation and cultivate genuine connections. Their aim is to create a new paradigm of online interaction that appeals to people searching for authentic relationships.
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