Jacob Montgomery
@jacobmontgomery.bsky.social
Political (Data) Scientist at Washington University in St. Louis. Data science, social media, American politics, and grumpy Bayesian. All opinions my own.
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
November 28, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
This article provides more data showing how easy it is to manipulate humans on social media.
These researchers rerouted the algorithm on Twitter to push some users toward “antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity”.
It only took 1 week to elicit changes that used to take 3 years.
These researchers rerouted the algorithm on Twitter to push some users toward “antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity”.
It only took 1 week to elicit changes that used to take 3 years.
Reranking partisan animosity in algorithmic social media feeds alters affective polarization
Today, social media platforms hold the sole power to study the effects of feed-ranking algorithms. We developed a platform-independent method that reranks participants’ feeds in real time and used thi...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 2:42 PM
This article provides more data showing how easy it is to manipulate humans on social media.
These researchers rerouted the algorithm on Twitter to push some users toward “antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity”.
It only took 1 week to elicit changes that used to take 3 years.
These researchers rerouted the algorithm on Twitter to push some users toward “antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity”.
It only took 1 week to elicit changes that used to take 3 years.
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well:
The entire business model of R1 public universities rests on 4 revenue sources:
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
1. Federal grants
2. Private gifts/endowments
3. Tuition (esp. from foreign students)
4. State $
For decades, 📈 in 1-3 offset a secular 📉 in 4. Now, 1 & 3 are being decimated & 4 ain't coming back. The math is clear.
November 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Again, there is no plan for running our universities without federal funding, or foreign students, at scale. But the public has no idea about this because no. one. is. telling. them. this. They expect their kids are still going to be able to do all the things at college in the next 4 years, & well:
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
People on BlueSky: AI is useless! A stochastic parrot!
Mathematicians/biologists/physicists: It is already helping us do frontier technical research and in some cases solve open problems arxiv.org/pdf/2511.16072
(There are of course, as always, many caveats, but the paper is genuinely remarkable)
Mathematicians/biologists/physicists: It is already helping us do frontier technical research and in some cases solve open problems arxiv.org/pdf/2511.16072
(There are of course, as always, many caveats, but the paper is genuinely remarkable)
arxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:51 PM
People on BlueSky: AI is useless! A stochastic parrot!
Mathematicians/biologists/physicists: It is already helping us do frontier technical research and in some cases solve open problems arxiv.org/pdf/2511.16072
(There are of course, as always, many caveats, but the paper is genuinely remarkable)
Mathematicians/biologists/physicists: It is already helping us do frontier technical research and in some cases solve open problems arxiv.org/pdf/2511.16072
(There are of course, as always, many caveats, but the paper is genuinely remarkable)
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
WTF
ICE DETAINED MARILYN. Fuck these people. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:22 PM
WTF
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
This is what our secretary of defense is spending time worrying about.
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 AM
This is what our secretary of defense is spending time worrying about.
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
Kirkification www.gq.com/story/charli...
The Shocking Online Afterlife of Charlie Kirk
A wave of AI-assisted “Kirkslop” has twisted the right-wing personality’s carefully molded legacy beyond recognition.
www.gq.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Kirkification www.gq.com/story/charli...
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
The thing is, this shouldn't even be a discussion in a free country. If any member of the public says the government's orders are illegal and should be refused, that is clearly protected speech. The speech of members of congress is even more protected than that of the general public.
November 25, 2025 at 10:42 PM
The thing is, this shouldn't even be a discussion in a free country. If any member of the public says the government's orders are illegal and should be refused, that is clearly protected speech. The speech of members of congress is even more protected than that of the general public.
My only platform will be to release Northern Exposure from IP jail for streaming.
If you were a despotic president, what movie would you force Hollywood to make? I want to see Quentin's Star Trek movie or maybe Kill Bill Vol 3.
November 25, 2025 at 8:52 PM
My only platform will be to release Northern Exposure from IP jail for streaming.
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
What if the best AI safety system is just tort law?
“Nobody knows who’s liable if things go wrong.” www.ft.com/content/abfe...
November 25, 2025 at 6:41 PM
What if the best AI safety system is just tort law?
Our shard reality continues to fray at the edges ….
When (and how) should AI be used in creative settings — and when is it a betrayal of your audience? My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Is it ever ok to use AI in a creative setting?
A poker-world fiasco with real-world creative implications
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Our shard reality continues to fray at the edges ….
The Great Depression
I figure Ken Burns has one, maybe two big documentary series in him before he fully retires. What do you think they should be? My votes include Football, Hip-Hop, World War 1, Reconstruction (though Skip Gates did this one well), Iraq/Afghanistan, 19th Century Expansionism.
November 25, 2025 at 1:03 AM
The Great Depression
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
Ultimate Kinsley gaffe
Trump didn’t read before posting:
“OUR AMERICAN CODE OF MILITARY OBEDIENCE REQUIRES THAT, SHOULD ORDERS AND THE LAW EVER CONFLICT, OUR OFFICERS MUST OBEY THE LAW.”
“OUR AMERICAN CODE OF MILITARY OBEDIENCE REQUIRES THAT, SHOULD ORDERS AND THE LAW EVER CONFLICT, OUR OFFICERS MUST OBEY THE LAW.”
November 24, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Ultimate Kinsley gaffe
I actually had a startup idea to bioengineer a star phage that would grow across the surface of the sun and reduce luminescence. Please send money!
A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat.
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
Read more: politi.co/4iaojIc
November 24, 2025 at 9:37 PM
I actually had a startup idea to bioengineer a star phage that would grow across the surface of the sun and reduce luminescence. Please send money!
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
A big trend in higher ed and I absolutely hate it
Handing the keys of governance to unqualified billionaires and allowing them to far exceed the proper role of the Executive Branch in dictating to other agencies (i.e. Musk/DOGE) or institutions of civil society (as with Rowan/ Compact) sure does not seem "populist."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
Wealthy People Have Always Shaped Universities. This Time Is Different.
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:25 PM
A big trend in higher ed and I absolutely hate it
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
My @nytimes.com op-ed: The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o... (gift link)
The key point: "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning."
The key point: "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning."
Opinion | The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z?
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:37 PM
My @nytimes.com op-ed: The Boomers Are Protesting Trump. Where Is Gen Z? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o... (gift link)
The key point: "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning."
The key point: "The absence of young people from conventional protests is both a problem and a warning."
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
"The more persuasive explanation... is that they are demobilized & demoralized. But it would be a mistake to blame them for this attitude. Older generations should instead recognize that the world we have created does not seem to offer a viable path to making change"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
November 24, 2025 at 2:02 PM
"The more persuasive explanation... is that they are demobilized & demoralized. But it would be a mistake to blame them for this attitude. Older generations should instead recognize that the world we have created does not seem to offer a viable path to making change"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/o...
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
After more than 10 years of “the Danish Model”, nativism is hegemonic in the country, the far right polls near level highs again, and the Social Democrats lost Copenhagen and poll at historic low.
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:59 PM
After more than 10 years of “the Danish Model”, nativism is hegemonic in the country, the far right polls near level highs again, and the Social Democrats lost Copenhagen and poll at historic low.
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!
Me in @theguardian.com
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 23, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
decades of writing near future dystopias and yet so few "some rich dipshits will be stupid enough to read our near future dystopias and try to make them happen" stories
November 23, 2025 at 1:10 PM
decades of writing near future dystopias and yet so few "some rich dipshits will be stupid enough to read our near future dystopias and try to make them happen" stories
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
and I really am old enough to remember those far-off days before 2011 or so when most people *didn’t* assume that big tech was the Face of Creeping Evil - tech fucked up bad! by means of actually being evil all the time!
November 23, 2025 at 8:33 AM
and I really am old enough to remember those far-off days before 2011 or so when most people *didn’t* assume that big tech was the Face of Creeping Evil - tech fucked up bad! by means of actually being evil all the time!
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
This says a lot to me about the people programming it.
November 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
This says a lot to me about the people programming it.
Weird how making deals with autocrats doesn’t seem to help….
November 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Weird how making deals with autocrats doesn’t seem to help….
Reposted by Jacob Montgomery
Unlike Elon Musk here, I don't think we should repeal a substantial portion of our Constitution. Our Constitution is good.
Here's another Musk post worth examining.
OP is talking about an Iowa superintendent detained by ICE.
"The Kitty Man" replies and not only compares the superintendent to a Somali pirate but also bashes the 14th-19th Amendments to the Constitution.
Musk replies with the "tears of joy" emoji.
OP is talking about an Iowa superintendent detained by ICE.
"The Kitty Man" replies and not only compares the superintendent to a Somali pirate but also bashes the 14th-19th Amendments to the Constitution.
Musk replies with the "tears of joy" emoji.
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Unlike Elon Musk here, I don't think we should repeal a substantial portion of our Constitution. Our Constitution is good.