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Alberto Acerbi

Alberto Acerbi

@acerbialberto.com

2.9K followers 1.2K following 820 posts

I am an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento (Italy): cognitive anthropology / cultural evolution / digital media / cultural analytics
More info in the pinned post. .. more

Sociology 30%

Political science 19%

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Posts Replies Media Videos

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Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · Mar 23

Tecnopanico: www.mulino.it/isbn/9788815...

Cultural evolution in the digital age: bit.ly/2McstmR

Individual-based models of cultural evolution. A step-by-step guide using R: bit.ly/3MQBjT4 (free: acerbialberto.com/IBM-cultevo)

Substack (italiano): bit.ly/3lDERMq

web: acerbialberto.com

A. ACERBI, Technopanic. New Media, Reasonable Caution, Unfounded Fear

The spread of fake news, the power of conspiracy theories, the influence of algorithms on our choices and behaviour, the impact of social media on youth’s mental health, and other similar phenomena al...

Reposted by Andrew K Przybylski, Alberto Acerbi, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

Eli Stark-Elster @eselster.bsky.social · 1d

A vast array of data suggests that school, not social media, is the biggest modern threat to the mental health of children. If you were recently a child, that won’t be a surprise. If not: enjoy the post :)
open.substack.com/pub/unpublis...

School is Way Worse For Kids Than Social Media

On building a world that doesn’t make children want to die

open.substack.com

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

...How these selective pressures create the forms of intelligence that different AIs show? How do they explain their features? Could we change the selective pressures to have the features we want more?

Here, take also my take!

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

...Is it a bat? Is it a children of six month? These aren't yes/no answers, but different ecological and evolutionary pressures select for different forms of intelligence. From here, there there are interesting questions: what are the selective pressures on AI?...

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

In the mess of comments about AI (often selling our good old technopanic), there could be an occasion to reflect on cognition from an evolutionary and ecological perspective. There is no one AGI, but there are many different intelligences. Is a chimp intelligent?...

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

Oggi su "Il T"

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

Haha indeed!

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

Thank you Thom!

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

maybe it was used somewhere by @thomscottphillips.bsky.social?

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 1d

I seem to remember a quote on not-rejecting scientific principles in human/social sciences because science is imperfect - the idea was that just because an operating room cannot be perfectly sterile we do not operate with a saw...Am I imagining it?

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 3d

We explore misinformation, conspiracy theories, echo chambers and polarisation, algorithmic radicalisation, mental heath, etc.

Based on my book "Tecnopanico" - English translation forthcoming!
www.mulino.it/isbn/9788815...

il Mulino - Libri - ALBERTO ACERBI, Technopanic

Affronta le paure legate alla comunicazione digitale e scopri come navigare l'era digitale con intelligenza. Con Alberto Acerbi.

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 3d

Great chat with Ricardo, assessing the research on the consequences of digital/social media, what are the historical and psychological roots of alarmist narratives, and why they can be dangerous

The Dissenter @thedissenteryt.bsky.social · 3d

New episode (1207), with Dr. Alberto Acerbi. We talk about his book, Tecnopanico, and how to approach digital media with reasonable caution. #Sociology #Science

YouTube: youtu.be/D6NLQjxIjps
Podcast: tinyurl.com/waw82jd4

#1207 Alberto Acerbi: Digital Media, Between Reasonable Caution and Unjustified Fears

YouTube video by The Dissenter

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 3d

Algorithms and social media are bad - unless kids like what we liked, which is "innately countercultural and offers a liberating, non-prescriptive form of fandom and discovery"
www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...

Anti-pop and an alien sigil: how Aphex Twin overtook Taylor Swift to become the soundtrack to gen Z life online

The mysterious Cornish electronic music pioneer has gained an extraordinary second life in the TikTok era. Writers and musicians explain why his glitchy slipperiness is so in tune with life today

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Alberto Acerbi

The Dissenter @thedissenteryt.bsky.social · 3d

New episode (1207), with Dr. Alberto Acerbi. We talk about his book, Tecnopanico, and how to approach digital media with reasonable caution. #Sociology #Science

YouTube: youtu.be/D6NLQjxIjps
Podcast: tinyurl.com/waw82jd4

#1207 Alberto Acerbi: Digital Media, Between Reasonable Caution and Unjustified Fears

YouTube video by The Dissenter

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 5d

It seems like a good moment to re-share knightcolumbia.org/content/dont...

Don’t Panic (Yet): Assessing the Evidence and Discourse Around Generative AI and Elections

knightcolumbia.org

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 6d

Got this from the excellent bsky.app/profile/toms...

Tom Stafford @tomstafford.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · 6d

Do YOU want updates on the latest research on #factchecking AI, social media, persuasion, reasoning and #psychology of decision making? Plus additional commentary to put it all in context?

Then YOU need my newsletter, which appears to weekly at the moment

Today: Grok, the "anti-woke" […]

Original post on mastodon.online

mastodon.online

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 6d

That is a nice study, in line with the perspective I delineated here - even if the results go in an unexpected direction
bsky.app/profile/acer...

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · Dec 17

New preprint: "The Cultural Ecology of Social Media"

osf.io/preprints/so...

Thread
⬇️⬇️⬇️

Abstract:
Most research on social media considers them as supports for transmission of information, explaining online success (and pathologies) by focusing on consumers’ biases and interests. This article takes a different perspective, applying ideas from an ecological approach to culture to social media informational dynamics. It argues that success online depends both on the intrinsic appeal of content to receivers and on how well content serves producers’ strategic goals within the constraints and affordances of specific platforms. These goals include reputation management, coalition building and identity management, and coordination or participation in shared activities. Transmission is often a by-product of these motivations, and replication fidelity plays a limited role compared with transformations that adapt content to local incentives. Finally, the article suggests that platforms and communities can be understood as distinct ecological niches, each characterised by different audience structures, affordances, metrics, and algorithmic pressures. This perspective offers novel insight to persistent debates on social media dynamics, such as misinformation, radicalisation and polarisation, and the reasons behind online success.

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Dean Eckles

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 6d

Very interesting: when X made "likes" privates, the number of likes to high-reputational-risk content (e.g., extremists, onlyFans, but also politicians...) *didn't* increase.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.11140

Reposted by Hugo Mercier, Alberto Acerbi

Tom Stafford @tomstafford.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · 6d

Do YOU want updates on the latest research on #factchecking AI, social media, persuasion, reasoning and #psychology of decision making? Plus additional commentary to put it all in context?

Then YOU need my newsletter, which appears to weekly at the moment

Today: Grok, the "anti-woke" […]

Original post on mastodon.online

mastodon.online

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 6d

I link della settimana (#125)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...

I link della settimana (#125)

(i) Alcuni media, come la stampa e i social media, hanno un effetto “divergente” (tendono a far divergere le prospettive), mentre altri, come la TV fino agli anni ‘90 del secolo scorso, hanno un effet...

open.substack.com

Reposted by Alberto Acerbi

Martin Palecek @martinpalecek.bsky.social · 6d

@acerbialberto.com I’ve had the privilege of reading the first translated version of Alberto Acerbi’s Technopanic. Truly a fascinating and timely book! mulino.it/isbn/978881539…

https://mulino.it/isbn/978881539…

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 7d

From ec.europa.eu/eurostat/sta...

Quality of life indicators - overall experience of life

Reposted by Joanna Bryson

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 7d

Eurostat data against the narrative...

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 7d

The tradition of hiking with academic guests in Trento continues. Thank you for your visit @martinpalecek.bsky.social!

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 10d

A social media ban is a decision that we should evaluate carefully (and at the moment there is not, as a minimum, a strong empirical support). Using the murder of a teenager with mental health problems to defend it is inappropriate and ethically wrong. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

UK ministers launch consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s

Move comes as peers prepare to vote on an amendment to a bill that would enact a ban within a year of the bill passing

www.theguardian.com

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 10d

Fantastico, cerchiamo il ristorante! :)

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 10d

Ci vediamo il 20 febbraio a Modena al www.learningmorefestival.it!

Alberto Acerbi @acerbialberto.com · 11d

The kids are alright
statsandsociety.substack.com/p/how-bad-is...

How bad is the youth life-satisfaction crisis?

Certain groups are hurting, but overall you're creating a moral panic

statsandsociety.substack.com