Let’s ditch quantitative data for social media (for now)
There Used To Be A Time (TM) where discussions on social media, especially on Twitter, were indicative of relevance — at least of relevance within certain communities: If things…
Tag: social media
We don’t need a Social Media ban, we need a ban on behavioral tracking
Germany is debating a social media ban for young people. However, the debate is woefully under-informed. Recently, German chancellor Friedrich Merz proclaimed (translated): “If kids today at the…
GenAI, polyester & slop galore
David Marx (of Ametora fame), draws parallels between the role of polyester in textile manufacturing and its cultural implications and today’s rise of generative AI. When polyester first…
The link not clicked
Have you ever not clicked a link because you didn’t want to send a signal to an algorithm or the entity behind it? To avoid being targeted with…
A healthy public infosphere is the missing building block in the fight for democracy right now
As we see democracy under pressure from populists and other malign hustlers around the globe, one essential issue has become painfully clear: We do not currently have a…
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…
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…