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wearenew_public

@wearenew_public@mastodon.social

A community of thinkers, designers and technologists imagining and building the digital public spaces of the future.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

wearenew_public, to random
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Are you the creator, admin, or moderator of an online space for people in your local community? Do you strive to make it inclusive, uplifting, and public-spirited?

Introducing our Neighborhood Steward Fellowship!

Deadline: May 20 🗓️

https://newpublic.org/fellowship

wearenew_public,
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Apply for our new 8-week program and come together with other leaders of local-oriented online spaces to share and experiment with fun new ideas that aim to improve social trust and community connection.

We’re offering each participant a $1,000 honorarium to help us shape the future of this work.

wearenew_public, to random
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Would you go see The Social Network 2?

Almost 15 years after the release of the movie The Social Network, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is reportedly working on a sequel that grapples with tensions between Facebook’s growth and its integrity.

“Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible.”

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/aaron-sorkin-social-network-2-sequel-january-6-facebook-1235983390/

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We tend to discuss Big Tech's control of the internet with cold terms like "monopoly" and "antitrust."

But this wonderful piece in Noema talks about "rewilding" the internet.

https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild-the-internet/

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"The world’s emails, TikToks, classified memos, bank transfers, satellite surveillance, and FaceTime calls travel on cables that are about as thin as a garden hose."

https://www.theverge.com/c/24070570/internet-cables-undersea-deep-repair-ships

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🧩 HUGE news from Google's Jigsaw: they are releasing new AI-powered tools that can elevate comments with prosocial qualities, such as sharing a personal story or fostering human compassion.

https://time.com/6966990/ai-google-jigsaw-social-media-division/

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New publication Sherwood (a Robinhood subsidiary) on Apple:

"The last time Apple’s [R&D] percentage was this high was more than 20 years ago, around when Apple released the iPod and was developing the iPhone. But in the meantime, Apple’s R&D as a share of sales had sunk. In other words, it’s raking in cash without commensurately redeploying it toward its next big thing."

https://sherwood.news/tech/apples-ecosystem-lock-in-isnt-innovation/

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Ezra Klein makes a thoughtful point about social media in the midst of his goodbye to Gmail and all that it represents:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/opinion/gmail-email-digital-shame.html

wearenew_public,
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@wjmaggos @tchambers

It could also be for friends and family though, couldn't it? Instagram stories is one novel way to connect on social, and there are many more. No?

I understand the hesitancy about conflating "messaging" or "groups" with "social media," but surely it's more about more than democratizing media?

wearenew_public, to random
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All hail our merciful King Rochko? (Mastodon CEO)

As Nathan Schneider writes, as the internet's infrastructure advanced, and no longer needed sysops with absolute authority, why didn't these spaces become more democratic?

Turns out, authoritarian digital spaces are more profitable.

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/the-internet-was-supposed-to-be-democratic

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In this moment, as Congress weighs forcing a sale / banning TikTok, Signal President @Mer__edith says, "we need to weigh our choices and define what we’re actually fighting for."

https://lpeproject.org/blog/social-media-authoritarianism-and-the-world-as-it-is/

wearenew_public, to random
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We’re seeking admins or mods of online groups for local neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Think: Facebook groups, Subreddits, email lists, and forums.

We want to learn more about these roles, and we’re looking to chat with people in the US who do this work, in exchange for a small stipend.

Please help us spread the word by passing this along 🙏

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWqGUCz6Jy_2YwYfXtHfjIbt1xCWCsH-l2Uh_QkOXUR5qH8Q/viewform

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wearenew_public, to random
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Why is the default for digital communities a system where community members have no power, representation, or agency?

This “implicit feudalism” isn’t great for moderators either — they’re just vassals of the platform CEOs.

Read an excerpt of media theorist @ntnsndr's new book, Governable Spaces: Democratic Design for Online Life.

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/the-internet-was-supposed-to-be-democratic

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Researchers are beginning to capture data that seems to show Meta's pivot away from political and news content.

This shift on Facebook, between spring and winter 2023, is wild:

https://psychoftech.substack.com/p/social-media-that-is-bad-for-the-world

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Facebook isn't a democracy — we post at the pleasure of Mark Zuckerberg. But what if it was?

"Now’s the time for a Users’ Republic of Meta," writes Kevin Frasier in Tech Policy Press.

https://www.techpolicy.press/imagining-a-roadmap-to-userled-governance-of-meta/

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REMINDER: The Young Futures , a $1 million open funding call is currently accepting applications through next week Friday, April 5. Learn more: https://bit.ly/yfutures

wearenew_public, to random
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New issue of the HTML review!

Deeply fun, surprising, experimental pieces built to be experienced in a browser

https://thehtml.review/03/

wearenew_public, to random
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Is the internet really more toxic now than it used to be?

Seriously considering that premise via a new study:

"While the platforms and how we use them have evolved, human behaviors in these spaces have remained surprisingly stable."

https://linksiwouldgchatyou.substack.com/p/actually-the-internets-always-been

wearenew_public, to random
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"The painful reality is that the internet somehow makes it easier to find friends who live halfway across the world than to connect with the people who live down the street."

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/navigating-the-digital-landscape

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The TikTok bill has passed the House and is advancing to the Senate. How are you feeling about a potential TikTok ban in the US?

Many users are greeted with this screen when logging on:

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Our friends at People Powered are debuting their updated ratings of digital participation tools.

See how experts and hundreds of users and the platform developers have evaluated the best tools for participatory, democratic engagement online.

Sign up for the launch event: Thursday, 9am EST

https://www.peoplepowered.org/events-content/launch-digital-participation-tools-ratings-2024

wearenew_public, to random
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Research: Can small changes to the metrics used for algorithmically curated content affect the beliefs people form?

Yes! This study finds observable differences in belief accuracy and consensus.

More:

https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5yfbt

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HIRING: We're seeking a researcher to research local communities and institutions, what is and isn’t working in local digital public spaces, and the needs of local leaders and the people they serve.

https://newpublic.org/jobs/contract-researcher-local

wearenew_public, to random
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Many moderators and admins are spending tons of time creating their own guides and resources for stewarding their communities.

Could we help them by creating in-context, recommended actions or step-by-step stewardship guides?

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/empowering-community-stewards-to

wearenew_public, to random
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"We are about to see the biggest reshuffling of power on the internet in 25 years, in a way that most of the internet’s current users have never seen before ... a few of the most important changes haven’t gotten any discussion at all."

–@anildash

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/internet-future-about-to-get-weird-1234938403/

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