I've only read July's article; this might be addressed elsewhere.
In one experiment some user's feed was chronological:
"[Using a chronological feed] led to people seeing more untrustworthy content (because Meta’s algorithm downranks sources who repeatedly share misinformation) [...]"
❓ Does the fact that they are seeing "more untrustworthy content" absent Meta intervention indicate the well has become so poisoned it is beyond fixing (or sufficiently testing)?
It seems like Mastodon is losing its mindshare to #Bluesky among many academics.
I can't help but think this has to do with the self-imposed limitations of Mastdon — lack of quotes, ordered timeline, etc. Makes it less interesting to use, for no real advantage.
Sad, because the underlying decentralization is much more robust.
⭐ What I have said is that some people absolutely do not want them. And I said I think we should request for their consent before forcing them to use them.
🎓 Don't believe everything you read.
🎮 On a related topic: later this month the NGO I work with is publishing the first of a series of free video games that teach and encourage the use of critical thinking.
Life is nuance & compromise. We do not have to adhere to an "everything or nothing" worldview.
The pragmatic solution for quote tweets is to offer it as opt-in.
Looking at this pragmatically allows us to avoid the thorny social / cultural issues. There is no downside to offering the feature as an option rather than making it mandatory.
We are unlikely to make any headway if we shift to laws and social norms.
The work I do involves the impact of social norms on public health and designing solutions to overcome / change those that are unhealthy. It also involves issues around law, technology, privacy rights, public policy, and consent.
Philosophical conversations about these will be frustrating.
Similarly, I should not be presenting you with data structure arguments based on my business school courses. We aren't starting from the same baseline.
I will get so much wrong you won't know how best to respond.
🤯 Law firm Morgan & Morgan convinces USPTO to revive '#LAW' trademark bid
"[Morgan & Morgan] said that the relevant public perceives #LAW as 'both a mnemonic / vanity telephone number ... and as the source of legal services and legal referral services provided by Morgan & Morgan.'"
⭐ This last article includes a quote from Chris Messina, the originator of hashtags for social media:
"... trademarks don’t belong on hashtags. Hashtags are a kind of conversational commons, and should be owned by no one but the crowd.”
"As chatter and images about guns and violence slip into the social media feeds of more teens, viral messages fueled by “likes” can lead to real-world conflict and loss.
This illustrated report has been adapted from a KFF Health News article, "All We Want Is Revenge’: How Social Media Fuels Gun Violence Among Teens,” by Liz Szabo."
The bad news: our main campus library just announced it's cutting hours because of budget cuts and reduced student demand.
The good news! Our brand new 3,000 square foot E-sports center with 55 new MSI Trident gaming computers, 3 65" and 3 86" screens for livecasting games is now open!
(Genuinely) not to be pedantic but it's helpful to explicitly distinguish between various interpretations of "gaming center."
The original article refers to E-Sports. I would place E-Sports in the same general category as tennis courts (i.e. student recreation).
However, it's important to not inadvertently lump those in with various university game labs / centers focusing on non-entertainment games (e.g. games for physical rehabilitation or public health).
Advancing our knowledge and use of digital games for prosocial purposes is, among other things, intended to encourage future generations to value media literacy and critical thinking.
⭐ Some design decisions we've made around our prosocial games are intended to make it easier for students to access them in libraries.