Katharina Esau
@kathaesa.bsky.social
Senior Research Fellow @qutdmrc.bsky.social, Pol Comm, Digital Publics, Democratic Innovation, Automated & Relational Content & Sequence Analysis, interested in news media, polarisation & opinion formation online: https://shorturl.at/4WIcP
Pinned
I’m so happy and humbled to share that I’ve been awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA26) ($528,013 + 1 PhD scholarship funded by QUT) for my project "Democratic Resilience Online: Strengthening Public Opinion Formation Amid Digital Threats" 🥳🎉
Reposted by Katharina Esau
ALL EYES ON PALESTINE - the exhibition of works by 20 brilliant Palestinian artists, organised my mέta-DiEM25, is now open in downtown Athens. For a glimpse of their works, see metacpc.org/en/eyes-on-p...
All Eyes On Palestine - mέta
mέta - the Centre for Post-Capitalist Civilistation, is a cultural and research organisation connected to the politicalmovements Mera25 and Diem 25. mέta
metacpc.org
December 13, 2025 at 12:53 AM
ALL EYES ON PALESTINE - the exhibition of works by 20 brilliant Palestinian artists, organised my mέta-DiEM25, is now open in downtown Athens. For a glimpse of their works, see metacpc.org/en/eyes-on-p...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Climate protesters win groundbreaking class action against Victoria police over use of pepper spray
Climate protesters win groundbreaking class action against Victoria police over use of pepper spray
Potentially precedent-setting case brought after Jordan Brown hit with capsicum spray outside mining and resources conference in Melbourne in 2019
Climate protesters have won a class action against Victoria police over the use of capsicum spray during an anti-mining demonstration in Melbourne.
The first class action against Victoria police in relation to alleged excessive use of oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray was heard in the state’s supreme court earlier this year, and a decision was handed down on Friday. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Climate protesters win groundbreaking class action against Victoria police over use of pepper spray
Reposted by Katharina Esau
"Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban" www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban
Platform fighting world-leading ban on grounds it contravenes implied freedom of political communication in constitution
www.theguardian.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:59 AM
"Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban" www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Here's a peek at our new Social Media Research Toolkit, a curated collection of more than 50 social media research tools. This toolkit is unique in that it only features tried and tested tools that have been used in peer-reviewed academic studies. (ETA Jan 5, 2026) #academicsky #comsky
December 11, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Here's a peek at our new Social Media Research Toolkit, a curated collection of more than 50 social media research tools. This toolkit is unique in that it only features tried and tested tools that have been used in peer-reviewed academic studies. (ETA Jan 5, 2026) #academicsky #comsky
Reposted by Katharina Esau
After 3 years and 5,322 emails (and counting) our Encyclopedia of Political Communication is finally out at @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
December 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
After 3 years and 5,322 emails (and counting) our Encyclopedia of Political Communication is finally out at @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
Honoured to be part of this cohort: five QUT researchers awarded a 2025 ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award $2.53M in total funding 🎉 Grateful for the support by QUT and DMRC @qutdmrc.bsky.social, www.qut.edu.au/news?id=202811
QUT celebrates new Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards
Five QUT researchers have received ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA), on projects covering topics from social justice to sustainability, valued at $2,529,831.
www.qut.edu.au
December 9, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Honoured to be part of this cohort: five QUT researchers awarded a 2025 ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award $2.53M in total funding 🎉 Grateful for the support by QUT and DMRC @qutdmrc.bsky.social, www.qut.edu.au/news?id=202811
Reposted by Katharina Esau
The Australien Government has made an ad about the Social Media Ban for Under-16s, and it's surprisingly honest and informative.
Honest Government Ad | Social Media Ban
YouTube video by thejuicemedia
www.youtube.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:49 AM
The Australien Government has made an ad about the Social Media Ban for Under-16s, and it's surprisingly honest and informative.
Reposted by Katharina Esau
This paper is now out in Artificial Intelligence Review
Bottom line: using LLMs to "simulate humans" sits in a no-man’s-land between theory and empirics—too opaque to function as a model, too ungrounded to count as evidence.
Validation remains the core challenge.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Bottom line: using LLMs to "simulate humans" sits in a no-man’s-land between theory and empirics—too opaque to function as a model, too ungrounded to count as evidence.
Validation remains the core challenge.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
December 8, 2025 at 8:31 AM
This paper is now out in Artificial Intelligence Review
Bottom line: using LLMs to "simulate humans" sits in a no-man’s-land between theory and empirics—too opaque to function as a model, too ungrounded to count as evidence.
Validation remains the core challenge.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Bottom line: using LLMs to "simulate humans" sits in a no-man’s-land between theory and empirics—too opaque to function as a model, too ungrounded to count as evidence.
Validation remains the core challenge.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
How is AI impacting people and the planet, and how can we do better? 🌍
In my most recent TED talk, I shed light on how the current way we do AI and explore ways forward in which we can make it more sustainable:
www.ted.com/talks/sasha_...
In my most recent TED talk, I shed light on how the current way we do AI and explore ways forward in which we can make it more sustainable:
www.ted.com/talks/sasha_...
We’re doing AI all wrong. Here’s how to get it right
Artificial intelligence is changing everything — but at what cost? AI sustainability expert Sasha Luccioni exposes how tech companies' massive data centers are burning through energy and wrecking the ...
www.ted.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:17 PM
How is AI impacting people and the planet, and how can we do better? 🌍
In my most recent TED talk, I shed light on how the current way we do AI and explore ways forward in which we can make it more sustainable:
www.ted.com/talks/sasha_...
In my most recent TED talk, I shed light on how the current way we do AI and explore ways forward in which we can make it more sustainable:
www.ted.com/talks/sasha_...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
"According to our analysis, reasoning models use, on average, 100 times more energy than models with no reasoning capabilities (or with reasoning turned off)"
Good new analysis of how 'reasoning' mode in chatbots consumes a fairly massive amount more energy than normal mode
Good new analysis of how 'reasoning' mode in chatbots consumes a fairly massive amount more energy than normal mode
AI Energy Score v2: Refreshed Leaderboard, now with Reasoning 🧠
A Blog post by Sasha Luccioni on Hugging Face
huggingface.co
December 5, 2025 at 5:00 AM
"According to our analysis, reasoning models use, on average, 100 times more energy than models with no reasoning capabilities (or with reasoning turned off)"
Good new analysis of how 'reasoning' mode in chatbots consumes a fairly massive amount more energy than normal mode
Good new analysis of how 'reasoning' mode in chatbots consumes a fairly massive amount more energy than normal mode
Reposted by Katharina Esau
HEY FRIENDS!! Did you know that Australia - #2 in the world for data centre investment - is now formally missing its climate targets thanks in large part to the resulting surge in power demand?
It's massive news - @crikey.com.au let me NERD OUT to explain why:
www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/04/d...
It's massive news - @crikey.com.au let me NERD OUT to explain why:
www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/04/d...
December 4, 2025 at 11:19 PM
HEY FRIENDS!! Did you know that Australia - #2 in the world for data centre investment - is now formally missing its climate targets thanks in large part to the resulting surge in power demand?
It's massive news - @crikey.com.au let me NERD OUT to explain why:
www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/04/d...
It's massive news - @crikey.com.au let me NERD OUT to explain why:
www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/04/d...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
🚨New pub alert!🚨 Now available open-access in @journal-of-comm.bsky.social, we (w/ @dkreiss.bsky.social, @danlane.bsky.social, & @shannimcg.bsky.social) critique political communication's "Identity Turn" and offer instead a foundation for studying #polcomm from a *group* perspective. 🧵
December 3, 2025 at 6:04 PM
🚨New pub alert!🚨 Now available open-access in @journal-of-comm.bsky.social, we (w/ @dkreiss.bsky.social, @danlane.bsky.social, & @shannimcg.bsky.social) critique political communication's "Identity Turn" and offer instead a foundation for studying #polcomm from a *group* perspective. 🧵
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Our new article shows how the trend of data dismantling and artificially creating data scarcity about key public issues is affecting scrutiny and journalism investigations. Great working with Mathias Felipe de Lima Santos, @antmandan.bsky.social @tjthomson.bsky.social 360info.org/governments-...
Governments are hiding data, threatening democracy. Here’s how it affects you - 360
From being custodians of public knowledge, governments are turning to architects of manufactured ignorance. Amid disappearing evidence, citizens are struggling to hold power to account Around the w...
360info.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Our new article shows how the trend of data dismantling and artificially creating data scarcity about key public issues is affecting scrutiny and journalism investigations. Great working with Mathias Felipe de Lima Santos, @antmandan.bsky.social @tjthomson.bsky.social 360info.org/governments-...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Next in our round-up of #AANZCA2025 conference slides, we have Laura Vodden's presentation on "Reflections on the value of disagreement in human-LLM collaboration".
www.slideshare.net/s...
Laura's co-authors were @kathaesa.bsky.social, @tariqchoucair.bsky.social, and @riedlinm.bsky.social
www.slideshare.net/s...
Laura's co-authors were @kathaesa.bsky.social, @tariqchoucair.bsky.social, and @riedlinm.bsky.social
Vodden_Esau_Riedlinger_Choucair_AANZCA_2025_The_Value_of_Disagreement.pptx
Reflections on the value of disagreement in human-LLM collaboration - Download as a PPTX, PDF or view online for free
www.slideshare.net
December 2, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Next in our round-up of #AANZCA2025 conference slides, we have Laura Vodden's presentation on "Reflections on the value of disagreement in human-LLM collaboration".
www.slideshare.net/s...
Laura's co-authors were @kathaesa.bsky.social, @tariqchoucair.bsky.social, and @riedlinm.bsky.social
www.slideshare.net/s...
Laura's co-authors were @kathaesa.bsky.social, @tariqchoucair.bsky.social, and @riedlinm.bsky.social
I’m so happy and humbled to share that I’ve been awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA26) ($528,013 + 1 PhD scholarship funded by QUT) for my project "Democratic Resilience Online: Strengthening Public Opinion Formation Amid Digital Threats" 🥳🎉
December 2, 2025 at 2:11 AM
I’m so happy and humbled to share that I’ve been awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA26) ($528,013 + 1 PhD scholarship funded by QUT) for my project "Democratic Resilience Online: Strengthening Public Opinion Formation Amid Digital Threats" 🥳🎉
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Day One of JERAA 2025 delivered. A powerful keynote from Professor Natalie Fenton, thought provoking panels, fresh research presentations in the breakout sessions and a celebratory book launch to close.
We are looking forward to another great day today, and the Ossie Awards tonight.
We are looking forward to another great day today, and the Ossie Awards tonight.
December 1, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Day One of JERAA 2025 delivered. A powerful keynote from Professor Natalie Fenton, thought provoking panels, fresh research presentations in the breakout sessions and a celebratory book launch to close.
We are looking forward to another great day today, and the Ossie Awards tonight.
We are looking forward to another great day today, and the Ossie Awards tonight.
@jeraaaus.bsky.social #JERAA2025 opens with a keynote by Natalie Fenton, where she builds a brilliant argument about why we need to let go of the ideal of independent journalism and acknowledge journalism as interdependent, which enables questioning power relations.
December 1, 2025 at 12:25 AM
@jeraaaus.bsky.social #JERAA2025 opens with a keynote by Natalie Fenton, where she builds a brilliant argument about why we need to let go of the ideal of independent journalism and acknowledge journalism as interdependent, which enables questioning power relations.
Reposted by Katharina Esau
The three day JERAA Conference 2025 is about to start with a keynote presentation from Professor Natalie Fenton.
Yesterday, we delivered professional development workshops and hosted welcome drinks for our presenters and guests, learn more in our Sunday Recap.
Hope to see you there today!
Yesterday, we delivered professional development workshops and hosted welcome drinks for our presenters and guests, learn more in our Sunday Recap.
Hope to see you there today!
November 30, 2025 at 9:54 PM
The three day JERAA Conference 2025 is about to start with a keynote presentation from Professor Natalie Fenton.
Yesterday, we delivered professional development workshops and hosted welcome drinks for our presenters and guests, learn more in our Sunday Recap.
Hope to see you there today!
Yesterday, we delivered professional development workshops and hosted welcome drinks for our presenters and guests, learn more in our Sunday Recap.
Hope to see you there today!
Reposted by Katharina Esau
🔍 Insightful piece debunking some of the "mythology” behind Big Data:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
#commsky #polsky #bigdata
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
#commsky #polsky #bigdata
Rethinking Scaling Up Content Analysis: A Reappraisal of Justifications and Practices for Large-Scale Content Analysis - Maximilian Linde, Chung-hong Chan, Paul Balluff, 2025
The use of automated coding procedures to scale up content analysis has risen over the last years. Using a mixed-method approach, we examine researchers’ justif...
journals.sagepub.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:55 AM
🔍 Insightful piece debunking some of the "mythology” behind Big Data:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
#commsky #polsky #bigdata
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
#commsky #polsky #bigdata
Reposted by Katharina Esau
A great keynote by @karinwahlj.bsky.social on the rise of boutique news media to start off the #AANZCA25 conference on the Sunshine Coast. Liveblog is up:
Understanding Boutique News Media as a Novel Form of Journalism | Snurblog — Axel Bruns
For my last conference of the year, I’ve made the short trip up to the Sunshine Coast to attend t
snurb.info
November 26, 2025 at 12:34 AM
A great keynote by @karinwahlj.bsky.social on the rise of boutique news media to start off the #AANZCA25 conference on the Sunshine Coast. Liveblog is up:
Reposted by Katharina Esau
ARC DECRA funding news is out - congrats especially to my fantastic @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleagues @kathaesa.bsky.social & @zahrastardust.bsky.social, and the brilliant @amymcquire.bsky.social @emvdn.bsky.social @hansasenbaum.bsky.social, all successful this round. 🎉
rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
Research Management System - Scheme Round Statistics for Approved Applications - Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2026 round 1
RMS is the ARC's Research Management System, a web-based system used by eligible researchers to prepare and submit research proposals and assessments under the ARC National Competitive Grants Program ...
rms.arc.gov.au
November 25, 2025 at 12:52 AM
ARC DECRA funding news is out - congrats especially to my fantastic @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleagues @kathaesa.bsky.social & @zahrastardust.bsky.social, and the brilliant @amymcquire.bsky.social @emvdn.bsky.social @hansasenbaum.bsky.social, all successful this round. 🎉
rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/D...
Reposted by Katharina Esau
PhD researcher Kate FitzGerald has a new article out in The Conversation today looking at generative AI chatbots and conspiracy theories.
AI chatbots are encouraging conspiracy theories – new research
If you interact with chatbots about conspiracy theories, research shows you can can easily fall down the rabbit hole.
theconversation.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
PhD researcher Kate FitzGerald has a new article out in The Conversation today looking at generative AI chatbots and conspiracy theories.
Reposted by Katharina Esau
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
November 23, 2025 at 11:40 PM
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
Reposted by Katharina Esau
Here's a new resource from @qutdmrc.bsky.social to explain #problematicinformation (and its various forms), harms, tips to help navigate online info environments, and what can be done. Access and download here: research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/explain... #informationintegrity #misinformation #disinformation
November 17, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Here's a new resource from @qutdmrc.bsky.social to explain #problematicinformation (and its various forms), harms, tips to help navigate online info environments, and what can be done. Access and download here: research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/explain... #informationintegrity #misinformation #disinformation
Reposted by Katharina Esau
What do young Australians think about the 'Social Media Ban'?
Join young people and researchers online to find out what the upcoming changes mean for 12-15 year olds from around Australia.
🗓 Mon, 1 Dec 2025
⏰ 9:00am Perth ⏰ 11:00am Bris ⏰ 12:00pm Syd/Melb
👉 www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webinar-am...
Join young people and researchers online to find out what the upcoming changes mean for 12-15 year olds from around Australia.
🗓 Mon, 1 Dec 2025
⏰ 9:00am Perth ⏰ 11:00am Bris ⏰ 12:00pm Syd/Melb
👉 www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webinar-am...
November 10, 2025 at 5:20 AM
What do young Australians think about the 'Social Media Ban'?
Join young people and researchers online to find out what the upcoming changes mean for 12-15 year olds from around Australia.
🗓 Mon, 1 Dec 2025
⏰ 9:00am Perth ⏰ 11:00am Bris ⏰ 12:00pm Syd/Melb
👉 www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webinar-am...
Join young people and researchers online to find out what the upcoming changes mean for 12-15 year olds from around Australia.
🗓 Mon, 1 Dec 2025
⏰ 9:00am Perth ⏰ 11:00am Bris ⏰ 12:00pm Syd/Melb
👉 www.eventbrite.com.au/e/webinar-am...