Alberto Acerbi
@acerbialberto.com
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 info in the pinned post.
Pinned
Alberto Acerbi
@acerbialberto.com
· Mar 23
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...
www.mulino.it
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
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
So, maybe not the phones?
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
‘A Recipe for Idiocracy’
What happens when even college students can’t do math anymore?
www.theatlantic.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:12 AM
So, maybe not the phones?
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
I link della settimana (#118)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#118)
(i) Una storia della crescita della destra americana sui social media.
open.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:04 AM
I link della settimana (#118)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
Join us in Torino for the second Italian Conference on Computational Social Science, CS2Italy, 19-21 May 2026!
Abstract submission deadline: January 15, 2026
cs2italy.org
Abstract submission deadline: January 15, 2026
cs2italy.org
CS2Italy
The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cl...
cs2italy.org
November 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Join us in Torino for the second Italian Conference on Computational Social Science, CS2Italy, 19-21 May 2026!
Abstract submission deadline: January 15, 2026
cs2italy.org
Abstract submission deadline: January 15, 2026
cs2italy.org
I'll be probably missing EHBEA, CES, and HBES because my teaching is concentrated March to May. Not cool.
November 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
I'll be probably missing EHBEA, CES, and HBES because my teaching is concentrated March to May. Not cool.
As I am working on this alone, I need you to cheer me up!
November 15, 2025 at 10:01 AM
As I am working on this alone, I need you to cheer me up!
I link della settimana (#117)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#117)
(i) Un esponente della generazione ansiosa dice che la sua generazione non è ansiosa.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:58 AM
I link della settimana (#117)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
Advertisement from Facebook. A special gift for your anthropologist friend.
November 15, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Advertisement from Facebook. A special gift for your anthropologist friend.
"not only misinformation but also its coverage contribute to epistemic uncertainty by eroding confidence in credible sources of knowledge, and warrant further inquiry into the potential harms of news media’s attention to misinformation."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
(Media Attention to) Misinformation Can Undermine Trust in Scientists - Political Behavior
Could news coverage of misinformation be harmful? Across two studies on U.S. citizens, we examine whether news coverage of misinformation generates misperceptions and decreases levels of trust in info...
link.springer.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"not only misinformation but also its coverage contribute to epistemic uncertainty by eroding confidence in credible sources of knowledge, and warrant further inquiry into the potential harms of news media’s attention to misinformation."
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"This curriculum is designed to remind you what the internet used to be—and still is. I’ve built it to help you get your digital spark back. After this course, you won’t complain to the algorithm gods anymore, praying for a better feed."
offlinecrush.substack.com/p/how-to-use...
offlinecrush.substack.com/p/how-to-use...
how to use the internet again: a curriculum
a five-unit crash course in wandering, breaking, and building online
offlinecrush.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
"This curriculum is designed to remind you what the internet used to be—and still is. I’ve built it to help you get your digital spark back. After this course, you won’t complain to the algorithm gods anymore, praying for a better feed."
offlinecrush.substack.com/p/how-to-use...
offlinecrush.substack.com/p/how-to-use...
As kids learn to do maths operation by hand and only after use a calculator, maybe there is a need for a "barbell strategy". On one side, fully embrace all the AI options, and on the other stick to fundamentals. University may need to focus on the latter. inexactscience.substack.com/p/university...
University education as we know it is over
Take-home assignments are dead, "one prompt away" is one prompt too far, and what we should do next
inexactscience.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:09 PM
As kids learn to do maths operation by hand and only after use a calculator, maybe there is a need for a "barbell strategy". On one side, fully embrace all the AI options, and on the other stick to fundamentals. University may need to focus on the latter. inexactscience.substack.com/p/university...
I link della settimana (#116)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#116)
(i) Uno speciale di Wired sull’IA.
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:55 AM
I link della settimana (#116)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#115)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#115)
(i) Giornalisti e accademici sono perennemente preoccupati dell’overload informazionale, ma pensate che strano se alle persone piacesse avere accesso a più informazioni!
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:11 AM
I link della settimana (#115)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
While academics and journalists mostly complain about overload, maybe the rest of people just enjoy having access to more information?
What if people appreciate having an abundance of content and communication, more than they feel overloaded by it?
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
@annisch.bsky.social et al decided to have a look. Their results? "We found that appreciation for abundance was about twice as common as overload".
Paper: journalqd.org/article/view...
October 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM
While academics and journalists mostly complain about overload, maybe the rest of people just enjoy having access to more information?
Goffman in the digital age
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Attention on social media depends more on how you express yourself than on who you are - Nature Human Behaviour
This study shows that how you express yourself is more influential than who you are in attracting attention on social media. Attention is easier to acquire than to sustain.
www.nature.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Goffman in the digital age
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I link della settimana (#114)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#114)
(i) Questa settimana è stato lanciato (per Mac) il nuovo browser di OpenAI, che integra ChatGPT con ricerca online.
open.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 6:20 AM
I link della settimana (#114)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
In a - very interesting - documentary about the founding and early years of the Faculty of Sociology in Trento, Renato Curcio (who would later go on to found the Brigate Rosse), then a student, recounts how one of the first student occupations was...
October 24, 2025 at 2:35 PM
In a - very interesting - documentary about the founding and early years of the Faculty of Sociology in Trento, Renato Curcio (who would later go on to found the Brigate Rosse), then a student, recounts how one of the first student occupations was...
Reposted by Alberto Acerbi
Fully-funded 4-year #PhD in Cultural Evolution! Join my @erc.europa.eu project exploring how compression & compositionality drive cultural innovation: hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur...
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
ERC funded PhD position on Cultural Evolution
ERC funded PhD position on Cultural Evolution
posted on October 16, 2025
We are currently seeking a highly motivated individual for a ful...
hmc-lab.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Fully-funded 4-year #PhD in Cultural Evolution! Join my @erc.europa.eu project exploring how compression & compositionality drive cultural innovation: hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur...
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
Apply by Nov 12!
Maybe of interest to folks from #COSMOS2025 or @eslr.bsky.social? Please feel free to share! 🙏
I link della settimana (#113)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#113)
(i) Se avete letto le cose linkate qui dall’inizio dei tempi sulla disinformazione online, niente di tutto questo dovrebbe risultarvi nuovo, ma questo report è un bel sommario.
open.substack.com
October 18, 2025 at 7:06 AM
I link della settimana (#113)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
More null results in relationship between smartphone usage and mood (US adults)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Smartphone use in a large US adult population: Temporal associations between objective measures of usage and mental well-being | PNAS
Smartphones are essential tools in daily life yet concerns persist about their potential
effects on mental health and well-being. Research on these...
www.pnas.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:51 AM
More null results in relationship between smartphone usage and mood (US adults)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
I am completely impartial, for a treatment of Dunbar's number and social media you should read the first chapter of "Cultural Evolution in the Digital Age".
October 14, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I am completely impartial, for a treatment of Dunbar's number and social media you should read the first chapter of "Cultural Evolution in the Digital Age".
Humans are humans on TikTok too.
Negativity drives engagement on political TikTok
Negativity drives engagement on political TikTok
TikTok users are more likely to interact with political videos that target out-groups, express negative emotion, or call for action. Engagement patterns differ by political leaning, but conflict-driven and emotionally charged content consistently performs better across the ideological spectrum.
www.psypost.org
October 14, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Humans are humans on TikTok too.
Call me *associate* professor Acerbi!
October 14, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Call me *associate* professor Acerbi!
Tomorrow I will be in Padova for "Methods and Misconceptions: Refining Methods and Narratives in the Behavioral Sciences" together with Marco Del Giudice.
October 14, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Tomorrow I will be in Padova for "Methods and Misconceptions: Refining Methods and Narratives in the Behavioral Sciences" together with Marco Del Giudice.
I link della settimana (#112)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
I link della settimana (#112)
(i) Dan Williams (sempre lui) argomenta che il problema dei social media è che ci danno troppa democrazia e non troppo poca. Naturalmente sono d’accordo, ma come bonus link vi metto anche una risposta...
open.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM
I link della settimana (#112)
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
open.substack.com/pub/albertoa...
Reposted by Alberto Acerbi
🚨𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026
Overview | EHBEA2026
www.ehbea2026.com
October 10, 2025 at 10:27 AM
🚨𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026