MappingTheWeb //

It’s been two weeks since the self implosion, AKA Digg revolution, occurred. Mark May 1st on your calendar. It will forever be known as the day social media broke.

I can’t think of a more heart-breaking dilemma than what the Digg crew was subject to. Remove the content or be sued. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation for the company. They chose to do what was in the company’s best interest, as opposed to the users’ best interest. This caused a quasi civil war within the site and a backlash like we’ve never seen before.

Now, two weeks later, has everything returned to normal? Not even close.

Though Digg is not deleting submission, they are taking on more subtle, less obvious approach. Stories with objectionable content (i.e. potential lawsuit material) are being intentionally ‘buried’ by the company to avoid site-wide exposure. Though not official, this process is likely to be occurring as many blogs are reporting its existence. See posts at DeepJive Interests, Pronet Advertising, and Social Media Club.

Users are genuinely pissed off. Two weeks ago, they were slapped in a more obvious manner. These new rumours and allegations come as another blow to the already-shaken social news community. This is exactly what they DON’T need right now.

Add to that the potential lawsuits that are predicted to come about. What about the loss of trust within the community? This is was the entire basis for the site.

I’m not even sure the best PR team in the world could shed a positive image on this net powerhouse at this point. Damage control seems beyond its grasp. Digg really needs to assess their priorities and re-evaluate their values. The long-term prospects look weak at best. But who knows… a site that has risen and fallen so quickly could very well blossom and rise from the distrust ashes once again.