How Digg Collapsed—and How Reddit Quietly Took Over the Internet
Digg was once the “homepage of the internet,” dominating web traffic in the mid-2000s.
Its downfall began with the Digg v4 redesign (2010), which ignored user feedback and prioritized publishers and ads.
Power users revolted as sponsored content flooded the front page.
Trust collapsed, and a mass user exodus followed almost overnight.
Most former Digg users migrated directly to Reddit, which kept community control intact.
Reddit’s subreddit model empowered users instead of algorithms.
Digg was eventually sold off in pieces, losing relevance.
Reddit filled the vacuum, becoming the new front page of the web.
Digg didn’t lose to Reddit—it lost its community
This article delves into the rise and fall of Digg, a pioneering social news platform that once dominated the internet before its sudden collapse. It explores how Digg's shift from a community-driven model to a more corporate approach, marked by a disastrous redesign and loss of user trust, led to its downfall. In contrast, Reddit's success is attributed to its commitment to community control and user-driven content. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of listening to users and maintaining community trust in the digital age.
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