wearenew_public

wearenew_public, 1 month ago to random

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, 2 months ago to random

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

wearenew_public, 7 months ago to random

New from Nieman Journalism Lab: How does journalism flourish on TikTok? With some experimentation!

Sophia Smith Galer says what's missing is “personality and niche driven, platform-first content with infotainment and awareness at its core."

https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/10/journalists-can-be-tiktokers-too-three-journalists-explain-how-to-use-the-platform-for-news/

wearenew_public, 29 days ago to random

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, 1 month ago to random

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/

wearenew_public, 5 months ago to random

Six months after their large-scale moderator uprising, Reddit may have "won" while losing many veteran community stewards

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/30/reddit-moderator-protest-communities-social-media

wearenew_public, 7 months ago to random

Kyle Chayka observes in The New Yorker that many of the most popular social platforms are now more for broadcasting than interacting:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/why-the-internet-isnt-fun-anymore

wearenew_public, 2 months ago to random

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:

wearenew_public, 5 months ago to random

Survey: support for banning TikTok has fallen dramatically overall. About a quarter of those surveyed oppose a government ban, but half of the teens surveyed do.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/11/a-declining-share-of-adults-and-few-teens-support-a-us-tiktok-ban/

wearenew_public, 2 months ago to random

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, 2 months ago to random

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

wearenew_public, 2 months ago to random

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, 2 months ago to random

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

wearenew_public, 1 month ago to random

"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

wearenew_public, 2 months ago to random

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

wearenew_public, 2 months ago to random

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/

wearenew_public, 1 month ago to random

🧩 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/

wearenew_public, 9 days ago to random

New in @CNET from Katelyn Chedraoui: people are fleeing the “mindless scroll spiral” of the big social platforms for smaller groups in places like Nextdoor, Reddit, and even Letterboxd.

According to New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi : “We need to complement that with a movement to ensure that these small spaces are actually healthy.”

https://www.cnet.com/news/social-media/how-were-bringing-back-the-social-part-of-social-media/

wearenew_public, 18 days ago to random

Corey Doctorow: Meta's "entire business is grounded in the nonconsensual extraction and mining of billions of dollars’ worth of private information from billions of people all over the world."

Can Europe's DSA or DMA make a dent?

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/05/big-tech-eu-drop-dead

wearenew_public, 8 days ago to random

RESEARCH: On decentralized social networks like Mastodon, community moderators can choose to defederate — disconnect from another group to protect themselves from harassers and undesirable content.

The effects of defederation include reduced activity on blocked servers, but not necessarily less toxic content.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.02109

wearenew_public, 22 days ago to random

We know it takes empathy, civic responsibility, care, and a sense of justice to become an effective leader of an online space in your local community. We also know it can be a challenging and emotionally taxing (unpaid) job.

In our Neighborhood Steward Fellowship program, you will work together with other passionate community stewards to find peer support and new ideas.

Applications due Monday:

https://newpublic.org/fellowship

wearenew_public, 1 month ago to random

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/

wearenew_public, 1 month ago to random

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/