@seriesoftubes.bsky.social
Baby, why am I worried now?
Did someone make a fool of me
Before I could show 'em how it's done?
-Neko Case
Did someone make a fool of me
Before I could show 'em how it's done?
-Neko Case
There’s dozens more concrete, deliberately-selected or contingent (or emergent) attributes of social media technologies whose momentum - at the scale of billion-participant socio-technical systems - produce outsized social and political effects *from their design* (not nec. from designers’ *intent*)
February 9, 2026 at 2:35 PM
There’s dozens more concrete, deliberately-selected or contingent (or emergent) attributes of social media technologies whose momentum - at the scale of billion-participant socio-technical systems - produce outsized social and political effects *from their design* (not nec. from designers’ *intent*)
Social media is also enmeshed in a particular business model of targeted advertising, at scale. Even leaving aside the behavioral impacts of targeted ads, the political and economic effects of rapidly shifting ad spending from traditional media to social media has been *de-institutionalizing*
February 9, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Social media is also enmeshed in a particular business model of targeted advertising, at scale. Even leaving aside the behavioral impacts of targeted ads, the political and economic effects of rapidly shifting ad spending from traditional media to social media has been *de-institutionalizing*
The architecture of social media is political + intentional! It facilitates information -including totally unvetted or known-false information- movement at speed and scale distinct from prior communications media!
Its founders (falsely) called this “democratizing”; but it is de-institutionalizing.
Its founders (falsely) called this “democratizing”; but it is de-institutionalizing.
February 9, 2026 at 2:13 PM
The architecture of social media is political + intentional! It facilitates information -including totally unvetted or known-false information- movement at speed and scale distinct from prior communications media!
Its founders (falsely) called this “democratizing”; but it is de-institutionalizing.
Its founders (falsely) called this “democratizing”; but it is de-institutionalizing.
Media policy (market structure, communication architecture and modality, business incentives, legal obligations) matters.
February 6, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Media policy (market structure, communication architecture and modality, business incentives, legal obligations) matters.
On supply side, I see a lot of LW critiques of liberals’ grasping for high-influence Rogan alternatives, but I’m not sure I see much of a plan from the Left (beyond hope in a fragmented media ecosystem and maybe public media)
W/ a few exceptions, it’s unclear what Left’s wider media policy entails!
W/ a few exceptions, it’s unclear what Left’s wider media policy entails!
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 PM
On supply side, I see a lot of LW critiques of liberals’ grasping for high-influence Rogan alternatives, but I’m not sure I see much of a plan from the Left (beyond hope in a fragmented media ecosystem and maybe public media)
W/ a few exceptions, it’s unclear what Left’s wider media policy entails!
W/ a few exceptions, it’s unclear what Left’s wider media policy entails!
But the backdrop of news disinvestment is also structural and shaped by consumption, not just supply of high quality info.
And while we can try to (re)adjust media consumption behavior towards reading and deep thinking, those are decades-long endeavors (and face their own disinvestment pressures).
And while we can try to (re)adjust media consumption behavior towards reading and deep thinking, those are decades-long endeavors (and face their own disinvestment pressures).
February 5, 2026 at 11:45 PM
But the backdrop of news disinvestment is also structural and shaped by consumption, not just supply of high quality info.
And while we can try to (re)adjust media consumption behavior towards reading and deep thinking, those are decades-long endeavors (and face their own disinvestment pressures).
And while we can try to (re)adjust media consumption behavior towards reading and deep thinking, those are decades-long endeavors (and face their own disinvestment pressures).
As @frankpasquale.bsky.social, @dgolumbia.bsky.social, @ellgood.bsky.social and many others have noted over the years, the techno-libertarian crowd has promoted views w/ deeply anti-democratic implications (and often intentions). Tech anti-institutionalism as guise for reordering political economy.
February 3, 2026 at 2:30 PM
As @frankpasquale.bsky.social, @dgolumbia.bsky.social, @ellgood.bsky.social and many others have noted over the years, the techno-libertarian crowd has promoted views w/ deeply anti-democratic implications (and often intentions). Tech anti-institutionalism as guise for reordering political economy.
Nobody in Britain pays any attention to Australian politics, but One Nation overtaking the Coalition in the polls has distinct parallels with Reform leading the Conservatives. Parties on the radical right are coming for centre right parties across the world...
Poll via AFR / RedBridge Accent.
Poll via AFR / RedBridge Accent.
February 1, 2026 at 11:12 PM