Virality vs popularity, and the demise of reliable stats
From the Garbage Day newsletter, some reflections on the connection between virality and popularity (highlights mine): The conclusion I’ve come to this summer — one I’m still not…
Tag: platforms
Refractive Fragmentation — where did social media go?
“An X never, ever marks the spot,” Indiana Jones once famously stated. Only in this one particular case, it totally does: When Twitter became X, it very much…
Are social platforms a bit like fossil energy after all?
I never subscribed to narrative that Data is the New Oil — i.e. it’s highly valuable and a tradable commodity. Nor that it’s like oil in that it…
The state of election disinformation as we head into 2024
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) recently released this report (“Seismic Shifts“, PDF) about the state of counter election disinformation initiatives in the US, and the trust…
Big Tech spending in Brussels is insane…
..and by insane, I mean insanely small compared to its impact. LobbyControl and Corporate Europe Observatory just published a great new report on Big Tech lobby spending. And…
Platform Politics
Platforms — the big tech, social media type of platforms — have come to be a central battleground for how we work out public opinion. Which also means:…
Working with Civitates
A quick transparency update: I’m happy to share that I’ve recently started working with Civitates, a philanthropic initiative for democracy and solidarity in Europe. In Civitates’ own words:…