David Lazer
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David Lazer
@davidlazer.bsky.social
6.5K followers 1.4K following 290 posts

computational social scientist

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David Lazer is a distinguished professor of political science and computer and information science at Northeastern University, as well as the co-director of the NULab of Texts, Maps, and Networks. .. more

Political science 23%
Communication & Media Studies 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by David Lazer

claesdevreese.bsky.social
Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 4h
The case is so interesting because it will unpack addiction, addictive design, and vulnerabilities, and, what companies knew internally, and when.

"Instagram boss: 16 hours of daily use is 'problematic,' not addiction"

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Instagram boss: 16 hours of daily use is not addiction
Instagram's Adam Mosseri faced questioning about the impact of his platform on minors.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Nina Jankowicz, David Lazer, Brendan Nyhan , and 6 more

benmullin.bsky.social
Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · 11h
NEW: “CBS Evening News” producer Alicia Hastey sends a bombshell farewell note:

Stories are “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”

Reposted by David Lazer

Pranav Goel @pranavgoel.bsky.social · 18h
Very excited to announce a new satellite coming to NetSci 2026 @netsciconf.bsky.social, co-organized with Scott Cambo and @davidlazer.bsky.social!

More details in this thread and the website (national-internet-observatory.github.io/beyondapi_ne...)

Sign up here: forms.gle/sgjVPMSNWYeY...
An image summarizing the satellite's information. On top is a logo for the National Internet Observatory. Below it is the title of the satellite: "Beyond APIs: Collecting Online Activity Data for Research using the National Internet Observatory." This is followed by a small subheading below "A Satellite at NetSci 2026". Below this are details in text: the location, satellite time, and conference dates. This screenshot is directly taken from the website of the satellite that is linked in the post.

Reposted by David Lazer

poqjournal.bsky.social
Public Opinion Quarterly - POQ @poqjournal.bsky.social · 20h
In the past, Republicans had more trust in scientists than Democrats. This is no longer the case.

In POQ, Schulam et al. identify demographic changes in political parties as a source of polarized trust in the scientific community.

Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
The point is that there are certain groups that have been structurally underrepresented in science that have less trusting of science for this entire period, by a remarkably stable margin. Education is esp important, so educational partisan polarization --> partisan gap in trust.
David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
Where I think the key thing underlying this pattern is the long run structural under representation of certain groups in science (blacks, women, low SES, etc).
David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
Ps, this should be coupled with our recent paper in @nathumbehav.nature.com that looks at some of the causal structure underneath these long run correlations, w/ suggestions re interventions.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Representation in science and trust in scientists in the USA - Nature Human Behaviour
Druckman et al. document gaps in trust in scientists in the USA. People from groups less represented among scientists (for example, women and those with lower economic status) are less trusting. Incre...
www.nature.com

David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
With wonderful collaborators, Jonathan Schulman, Jamie Druckman, Alauna Safarpour, Matt Baum, Katya Ognyanova, Krissy Lunz Trujillo, Alexi Quintana Mathé , Hong Qu , Ata Aydin Uslu , & Roy Perlis.
David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
_Except_ for partisanship, where there have been huge shifts over the last generation (Dems more trust, Reps less), driven substantially by shifts in the demographics of the coalitions around the parties (ed polarization --> trust polarization).

Much more in the paper, of course.

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Will Jennings, Julia Lynch , and 2 more

David Lazer @davidlazer.bsky.social · 1d
Check out our new paper on the demographic foundations of trust in science in @poqjournal.bsky.social

The tldr is that w/ all of the radical shifts in trust in the US over the last 50+ years, the demographic predictors of trust in science have been rock steady(!)

academic.oup.com/poq/advance-...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Elizabeth Saunders , and 7 more

joshuajfriedman.com
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 2d
NEW: An immigration court has terminated removal proceedings against Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, finding that DHS did not meet its burden of establishing that she was removable, her lawyers tell the Second Circuit. live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io/app/uploads/...
Dear Ms. Wolfe, Petitioner-Appellee Rümeysa Öztürk submits this Rule 28(j) letter to advise the Court that on January 29, 2026, the immigration court held that the Department of Homeland Security had not met its burden of proving removability, and the immigration court thereby terminated removal proceedings against Ms. Öztürk.' This development underscores the dangers of the government's interpretation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Under the government's view, it could punitively detain any noncitizen in retaliation for her speech for many months, so long as it simultaneously institutes removal proceedings—no matter how unmeritorious—all without any federal court review of the lawfulness of detention at any time. To be clear, the termination of Ms. Öztürk's removal proceedings does not moot her habeas case. (By contrast, as Ms. Öztürk has argued, this appeal is moot. Br. 18-20.) Without habeas jurisdiction and the bail order that is currently in place, any government appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals would again subject Ms. Öztürk to re-detention. See 8 C.F.R. § 1003.6(a). For that reason, she continues to suffer the threat of continuing "now-or-never" First and Fifth Amendment harms. Br. in Opp. 55-57.

Reposted by David Lazer, Peter K. Enns, Nazita Lajevardi , and 1 more

kabirkhanna.bsky.social
Kabir K. @kabirkhanna.bsky.social · 2d
The Roper Center is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mitofsky Award, which honors excellence in public opinion research

Fill out form by April 6 to nominate someone (self-nominations welcome)

Call here, including past awardees and 2026 submission form: ropercenter.cornell.edu/events/2026-...

Reposted by David Lazer

fisherdanar.bsky.social
Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 2d
In this clip, Tamika Middleton from @womensmarch.com talks about the ways the administration has escalated violence agains citizens in 2026.

Check out the full episode 1 of the Apocalyptic Optimist Podcast here (or wherever you get your podcasts):
cece.american.edu/apocalyptic-...

Reposted by David Lazer, Brian Keegan

lauraknelson.bsky.social
Laura K. Nelson @lauraknelson.bsky.social · 2d
Recent publications arguing against the use of genAI in reflexive qual research inspired us (Elida Ibrahim and @andreavoyer.bsky.social) to write our own perspective. Not to convince anyone to use genAI but for those who might be interested and are looking for guidance.

osf.io/preprints/so...
Screen shot of title page of a preprint. Title: Should generative AI be used in reflexive qualitative research? Authors: Elida Izani Ibrahim, Laura K. Nelson, and Andrea Voyer

Reposted by David Lazer, David S. Cohen

ericlevitz.bsky.social
Eric Levitz @ericlevitz.bsky.social · 2d
Over the past three weeks, the "nightmare scenario" for November's midterms has grown more plausible www.vox.com/politics/478...

Reposted by David Lazer

jeffasher.bsky.social
Jeff Asher @jeffasher.bsky.social · 3d
New this week: I wrote about the incredible drop in carjackings in America over the last 3 years. There were nearly as many carjackings in New Orleans in January 2022 (53) as occurred in all of 2025 (57). It's a trend happening pretty much everywhere with data.
jasher.substack.com/p/carjacking...
Carjackings Have Fallen An Incredible Amount
Each December I do a presentation for a group known as the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI).
jasher.substack.com

Reposted by David Lazer

cphsodas.bsky.social
Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS) @cphsodas.bsky.social · 3d
SODAS Lecture on February 20! 📅

SODAS is delighted to host Matthew Salganik! In a fascinating lecture on evolving life trajectories, Matthew will discuss how rich registry data and new AI methods can bridge computational social science and biomedical research 🧪

Event🔗: sodas.ku.dk/events/sodas...

Reposted by Anders Aslund, David Lazer, Joe R. Feagin , and 10 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3d
*Green card application in process and work permit, married to US citizen
*Lived in US for 20 years, no criminal record
*In detention for five months with no charge, despite judge approving release
*He disputes ICE claim that he signed forms agreeing to deportation

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, David Lazer, Jana Lasser

iasliu.bsky.social
The Institute for Analytical Sociology @iasliu.bsky.social · 3d
Join us on Thursday, 12 February, at 14:30 CET for the International Roundtable on Computational Social Science with
@janalasser.bsky.social

🔹 Collective moderation of hate, toxicity, and extremity in online discussions 🔹 More info: liu.se/en/event/int...
International Roundtable on Computational Social Science: Jana Lasser
"Collective moderation of hate, toxicity, and extremity in online discussions" Welcome to the International Roundtable on Computational Social Science with Jana Lasser, University of Graz and Complexi...
liu.se

Reposted by David Lazer

iyadrahwan.bsky.social
Iyad Rahwan | إياد رهوان @iyadrahwan.bsky.social · 3d
Free version:

dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/ha...
dspace.mit.edu

Reposted by David Lazer

iyadrahwan.bsky.social
Iyad Rahwan | إياد رهوان @iyadrahwan.bsky.social · 3d
Moltbook, the AI social network, is a fascinating phenomenon.

Those interested in studying these kinds of systems may find our 2019 (!) Nature paper on 'Machine Behavior' useful.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Machine behaviour - Nature
Understanding the behaviour of the machines powered by artificial intelligence that increasingly mediate our social, cultural, economic and political interactions is essential to our ability to contro...
www.nature.com

Reposted by David Lazer, Miranda J. Lubbers, Rense Corten

mbojan.bsky.social
Michał Bojanowski @mbojan.bsky.social · 3d
Today Springer published an Open Access book edited by @janlo.de , Marijn Keijzer and myself covering a diverse range of Computational Social Science approaches to questions about social cohesion and polarization. Come and get it at link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
🧵1/4
Computational Social Science of Social Cohesion and Polarization
This open access book explores the decay of social cohesion in democratic societies through the lens of Computational Social Science (CSS)
link.springer.com

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, David Lazer, Will Jennings , and 23 more

klillington.bsky.social
Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social · 3d
And here is my story: ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September

www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Adam S. Posen, David Lazer , and 10 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d
New, from me: Trump finalized his Schedule F policy, allowing him to remove job protections from career civil servants.

The new rule is dishonest and unmoored from reality in its effort to formalize the politicization of the federal government 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/trumps-sch...
Trump's Schedule F Rule Finalized
A bizarro rule formally justifies politicizing public services
donmoynihan.substack.com

Reposted by David Lazer, Brady T. West, Étienne Ollion , and 1 more

poqjournal.bsky.social
Public Opinion Quarterly - POQ @poqjournal.bsky.social · 7d
Got a great paper on how AI is reshaping public opinion research? Submit it to POQ's special issue on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Survey Research!

Papers are being reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis starting now – full details here: s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/clarivate-sc...

Reposted by David Lazer, Brendan Nyhan, John Horgan , and 1 more

wired.com
WIRED @wired.com · 8d
Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of paramilitary tactical units—including ICE’s two Special Response Teams (SRT), CBP’s one SRT, and the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC)—whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones.
The Paramilitary ICE and CBP Units at the Center of Minnesota's Killings
Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of highly militarized DHS units whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Archon Fung , and 10 more

kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 8d
This @bostonreview.bsky.social piece by @adambonica.bsky.social and @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social is an absolute must-read, as are many of the responses to it.

Spread this one far and wide.
How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism
Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated.
www.bostonreview.net

Reposted by David Lazer

ddc-sdu.bsky.social
Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · 9d
This week, we are welcoming our wonderful new addition to the @ddc-sdu.bsky.social and @d-ias.bsky.social teams: @jolukito.bsky.social!
Velkommen til Odense og SDU Jo! ❤️

We are so excited to have you join us!

@claesdevreese.bsky.social @lenafrescamente.bsky.social @curdknupfer.bsky.social

Reposted by David Lazer, Robert N. Stavins, Gordon Pennycook , and 8 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9d
The last time he started talking like this, his allies minimized the risks and we ended up with January 6. This time we must take him literally and seriously. These comments are a five-alarm fire for democracy. In a functioning republic, he would be impeached and removed from office today.

Reposted by David Lazer, Jon Green, Justin H. Kirkland , and 4 more

jonadejong.bsky.social
Jona de Jong @jonadejong.bsky.social · 10d
Do ordinary Republicans and Democrats really avoid each other in everyday life? In a new working paper with Delia Baldassarri, we present descriptive and experimental evidence to challenge the view that partisanship drives the formation of social relationships.

osf.io/preprints/so...

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