Cailin O’Connor
@cailinmeister.bsky.social
Philosopher and applied mathematician at UC Irvine. Author of The Misinformation Age and Origins of Unfairness. Irish dancer. Mother. Mother of Chickens.
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
It’s letter-of-recommendation season again, when universities ask me to rate a 21 year old student’s ability to “see the big picture of life” while I eat leftover pasta in a Tupperware…
a man with a mustache says but why in yellow letters
ALT: a man with a mustache says but why in yellow letters
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
It’s letter-of-recommendation season again, when universities ask me to rate a 21 year old student’s ability to “see the big picture of life” while I eat leftover pasta in a Tupperware…
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
We’ve seen research showing LLM chatbots can reduce belief in conspiracy theories in experimental settings: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=e...
But in the wild, it seems that these tools likely contribute to strengthening belief in conspiracy theories for many.
But in the wild, it seems that these tools likely contribute to strengthening belief in conspiracy theories for many.
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
We’ve seen research showing LLM chatbots can reduce belief in conspiracy theories in experimental settings: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=e...
But in the wild, it seems that these tools likely contribute to strengthening belief in conspiracy theories for many.
But in the wild, it seems that these tools likely contribute to strengthening belief in conspiracy theories for many.
Now is a good time to share that in 2008 while biking in Cambridge i saw Larry Summers and looked at him too long since he looked familiar but I’d never seen him in person. He stopped walking and stared back at me and we made aggressive eye contact until I almost crashed my bike
November 18, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Now is a good time to share that in 2008 while biking in Cambridge i saw Larry Summers and looked at him too long since he looked familiar but I’d never seen him in person. He stopped walking and stared back at me and we made aggressive eye contact until I almost crashed my bike
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
The most horrifying AI slop of ICE raids you can possibly imagine is wildly viral on Facebook, collectively totaling tens of millions of views from a single account. First spotted by @chadloder.bsky.social
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
AI-Generated Videos of ICE Raids Are Wildly Viral on Facebook
An account is spamming horrific, dehumanizing videos of immigration enforcement because the Facebook algorithm is rewarding them for it.
www.404media.co
November 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The most horrifying AI slop of ICE raids you can possibly imagine is wildly viral on Facebook, collectively totaling tens of millions of views from a single account. First spotted by @chadloder.bsky.social
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
www.404media.co/ai-generated...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
Good morning to all those people who wasted the last decade saying, "there's no point tackling climate change in the UK, because China."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Good morning to all those people who wasted the last decade saying, "there's no point tackling climate change in the UK, because China."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
Amazing talk by Sally Haslanger @shaslang.bsky.social on "Social systems & their micro, meso, & macro interactions'' @ucisocsci.bsky.social & dinner afterwards with Ari Koslow, Tori Cotton @wittgencism.bsky.social, Cailin O’Connor @cailinmeister.bsky.social & Kate Ritchie @kateritch.bsky.social !!!
October 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Amazing talk by Sally Haslanger @shaslang.bsky.social on "Social systems & their micro, meso, & macro interactions'' @ucisocsci.bsky.social & dinner afterwards with Ari Koslow, Tori Cotton @wittgencism.bsky.social, Cailin O’Connor @cailinmeister.bsky.social & Kate Ritchie @kateritch.bsky.social !!!
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
This thicc 71-chapter book (academic.oup.com/edited-volum...) arrived just in time to use as the textbook for my new "Cultural Evolution" class I've just started teaching!
Featuring this chapter from @cailinmeister.bsky.social @psmaldino.bsky.social & Jingyi Wu as well as much more including...
Featuring this chapter from @cailinmeister.bsky.social @psmaldino.bsky.social & Jingyi Wu as well as much more including...
October 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
This thicc 71-chapter book (academic.oup.com/edited-volum...) arrived just in time to use as the textbook for my new "Cultural Evolution" class I've just started teaching!
Featuring this chapter from @cailinmeister.bsky.social @psmaldino.bsky.social & Jingyi Wu as well as much more including...
Featuring this chapter from @cailinmeister.bsky.social @psmaldino.bsky.social & Jingyi Wu as well as much more including...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
I couldn't be more on board with this. Focusing on corruption/fraud/misconduct at the level of individual scientist appears to be misguided and counterproductive when systemic forces and selection biases are at play. This appears to be true even beyond the context of industry manipulation.
Science has faced these challenges before. However, many think manipulation happens through corruption of scientists. Instead, we highlighted a broader range of mechanisms:
-Burying Internal research
-Selectively publishing
-Design bias
-Selective funding and access.
-Burying Internal research
-Selectively publishing
-Design bias
-Selective funding and access.
October 24, 2025 at 12:36 AM
I couldn't be more on board with this. Focusing on corruption/fraud/misconduct at the level of individual scientist appears to be misguided and counterproductive when systemic forces and selection biases are at play. This appears to be true even beyond the context of industry manipulation.
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
We should start having this conversation explicitly in criminology. These distortion mechanisms and perverse incentives are absolutely relevant for crime data. inquest.org/our-evidence...
October 24, 2025 at 12:38 AM
We should start having this conversation explicitly in criminology. These distortion mechanisms and perverse incentives are absolutely relevant for crime data. inquest.org/our-evidence...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
Going to go ahead and put this at the top of my reading list.
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
October 24, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Going to go ahead and put this at the top of my reading list.
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
"Within a seminar series, women are interrupted more than men... Interruptions that are negative in tenor or tone, or cutoff the presenter mid-sentence, increase for women presenters"
Forthcoming in the AER: "Gender Differences in Economics Seminars" by Pascaline Dupas, Amy Handlan, Alicia Sasser Modestino, Muriel Niederle, Mateo Seré, Haoyu Sheng, Justin Wolfers, and Seminar Dynamics Collective. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
Gender Differences in Economics Seminars
(Forthcoming Article) - We assess whether men and women are treated differently when presenting their economics research. We collected data across thousands of seminars, job market talks and conferenc...
www.aeaweb.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
"Within a seminar series, women are interrupted more than men... Interruptions that are negative in tenor or tone, or cutoff the presenter mid-sentence, increase for women presenters"
Who today is influencing science a la Big Tobacco or Oil and Gas?
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
October 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Who today is influencing science a la Big Tobacco or Oil and Gas?
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
In our new preprint we show how tech companies like Meta are capturing research on their product, using mechanisms that subtly (or not so subtly) shape what science gets produced
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
I'm excited to finally have a preprint of this paper up, a few years in the making.
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
October 24, 2025 at 12:12 AM
I'm excited to finally have a preprint of this paper up, a few years in the making.
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
In it we argue that industry-driven manipulation of social media research is well underway and that norms and institutions in the field are ill-prepared to resist tech's influence.
arxiv.org/abs/2510.19894
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
October 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
1. We ( @jbakcoleman.bsky.social, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social, and I) have a new preprint up on the arXiv.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
There we explore how social media companies and other online information technology firms are able to manipulate scientific research about the effects of their products.
Thank you google AI
October 16, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Thank you google AI
Congrats to all involved in the production of the massive Oxford Handbook of cultural evolution. You can read our paper The Cultural Evolution Of Science here: cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/u...
October 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Congrats to all involved in the production of the massive Oxford Handbook of cultural evolution. You can read our paper The Cultural Evolution Of Science here: cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
You’re talking to a mover and shaker in the Orange County Irish dance scene. Ask your self if this is an enemy that you want to make, friend.
October 12, 2025 at 9:32 PM
You’re talking to a mover and shaker in the Orange County Irish dance scene. Ask your self if this is an enemy that you want to make, friend.
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
New @ucirvine.bsky.social Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems | Research center is led by @cailinmeister.bsky.social, logic & philosophy of science Chancellor’s Professor, and housed in the School of Social Sciences
New UC Irvine Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems
www.socsci.uci.edu
September 19, 2025 at 6:53 PM
New @ucirvine.bsky.social Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems | Research center is led by @cailinmeister.bsky.social, logic & philosophy of science Chancellor’s Professor, and housed in the School of Social Sciences
Hello! I just started at new center at UCI! Some main foci will be misinformation, metascience, and equity!
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
New UC Irvine Center for Socially Engaged Philosophy aims to address real world problems
www.socsci.uci.edu
September 19, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Hello! I just started at new center at UCI! Some main foci will be misinformation, metascience, and equity!
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/n...
Reposted by Cailin O’Connor
How do false beliefs arise and spread? In the latest episode of IGCC's Talking Policy podcast, @ucirvine.bsky.social philosophy professor Cailin O'Connor (@cailinmeister.bsky.social) joins us to discuss the origins of misinformation and how it might be combated. Listen here: bit.ly/468bSIz
A Philosopher's Take on Truth and Misinformation - IGCC
Misinformation is impacting society at all levels, from politics to health. But what makes us believe untrue things? And why is misinformation on the rise today? In this episode of Talking Policy, hos...
bit.ly
September 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM
How do false beliefs arise and spread? In the latest episode of IGCC's Talking Policy podcast, @ucirvine.bsky.social philosophy professor Cailin O'Connor (@cailinmeister.bsky.social) joins us to discuss the origins of misinformation and how it might be combated. Listen here: bit.ly/468bSIz
Did the @ucigcc.bsky.social podcast about why false beliefs are bad, why we hold them, and how technology contributes. But listen dum dums, I'm getting sick of talking about this, so let's wrap this misinformation thing up
ucigcc.org/podcast/a-ph...
ucigcc.org/podcast/a-ph...
A Philosopher's Take on Truth and Misinformation - IGCC
Misinformation is impacting society at all levels, from politics to health. But what makes us believe untrue things? And why is misinformation on the rise today? In this episode of Talking Policy, hos...
ucigcc.org
September 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Did the @ucigcc.bsky.social podcast about why false beliefs are bad, why we hold them, and how technology contributes. But listen dum dums, I'm getting sick of talking about this, so let's wrap this misinformation thing up
ucigcc.org/podcast/a-ph...
ucigcc.org/podcast/a-ph...
In tenure letters the last few years I've been forcibly struck by how much service the women I'm reviewing are doing compared to the men. (Actual evidence backs this anecdote up - see below.) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Faculty Service Loads and Gender: Are Women Taking Care of the Academic Family? - Research in Higher Education
This paper investigates the amount of academic service performed by female versus male faculty. We use 2014 data from a large national survey of faculty at more than 140 institutions as well as 2012 d...
link.springer.com
September 15, 2025 at 6:33 PM
In tenure letters the last few years I've been forcibly struck by how much service the women I'm reviewing are doing compared to the men. (Actual evidence backs this anecdote up - see below.) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Just discovered this very nice review of my "Modeling Scientific Communities" by Ignacio Ojea Quinana!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
What comes next in modeling scientific communities? - Metascience
Metascience -
link.springer.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Just discovered this very nice review of my "Modeling Scientific Communities" by Ignacio Ojea Quinana!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...