Notices by New_ Public (wearenew_public@mastodon.social)

Billionaires and corporations have taken over our digital social spaces, making the rules for where we work, play, and live our lives.

But Bluesky, not just what it is now, but what it could be — independent, democratic, a scaffolding to build on — has revealed a crack in the prison wall.

Are you going to help dig? Join #FreeOurFeeds and protect our freedom and choice as social media evolves.

https://freeourfeeds.com/

Friend of New_ Public @ntnsndr on why it's so dang hard for digital groups to self-govern, and a checklist of questions for setting your group up for healthy problem-solving.

https://www.colorado.edu/lab/medlab/2024/12/18/how-build-governable-spaces-online-communities

J Wortham goes long on what she sees as "late-stage social media:"

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/14/magazine/bluesky-social-media.html

In the wake of X-odus, we're returning to "Protocols Not Platforms" by @mmasnick

This influential piece from 2019, part of the original inspiration for Bluesky, proposes a fundamental power shift in social media: moving to new, open infrastructure like the protocols powering email and websites.

https://knightcolumbia.org/content/protocols-not-platforms-a-technological-approach-to-free-speech

RESEARCH: Social media now plays a major role in how Americans get their news and stay informed.

New Pew research shows that more than half of U.S. adults (54%) turn to social media for news at least occasionally.

https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/

When it comes to conflict resolution on social media, unclear rules for behavior, mistrust of users, and messy enforcement doesn’t add up to fair treatment or confidence in decisions.

Matt Katsaros from the Social Media Governance Institute at Yale Law:

https://newpublic.org/study/3752/case-studies

Feeling the weight of division this election season? You're not alone! 🗳️

Join the Greater Good Science Center’s 7-Day Campaign for Connection Challenge, starting today, to help you navigate these polarized times with science-backed skills. #2024campaignforconnection

Sign up now: https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/major_initiatives/bridging_differences/7_day_challenge

Want to find out about jobs at New_ Public before anyone else?

Submit your info to our Talent Pool to stay connected for future opportunities — we’ll reach out to you when new roles are posted.

We're looking for passionate and curious people ready to shape the future of digital public spaces and help us drive positive change online!

https://newpublic.org/jobs

Next Tuesday, September 24, hear from New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi at Tech Together. She’ll be sharing our learnings from the critical work of community stewards, the hidden pillars holding up local digital public spaces.

Going to be in NYC? Join leaders in tech, investment, and philanthropy working towards a future where technology truly serves public interest for a day of insightful discussions.

#UNGA2024 #PublicInterestTech

https://www.publicinteresttech.fund/

Why is it so hard to meet your neighbors? It can feel so nerve-wracking and high stakes, but also, too easy to put off forever.

There’s still hope: Founding Steward of Common Agency Deborah Tien shares how they are building hyperlocal online infrastructure to help make lasting connections in communities throughout the US.

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/why-dont-we-know-our-neighbors

How do other countries tackle the spread of viral lies during elections?

Tech Policy Press compares India’s government-heavy approach with Taiwan’s community-driven strategy, highlighting the different roles that governments can play in combating mis- and disinformation.

https://www.techpolicy.press/india-and-taiwans-divergent-paths-to-combat-online-disinformation/

According to a new @mozilla report, public data access programs offered by tech platforms...

- are new and often lack visibility and documentation

- lack a shared definition of “public data" w/ regulators and researchers

- could have higher-quality data

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/new-research-tech-platforms-data-access-initiatives-vary-widely/

Strong local digital spaces actually have the potential to make our offline communities more resilient and prepared for difficulty:

“When hard times arrive — in the form of a natural disaster or a difficult school budget debate — Front Porch Forum members know more of their neighbors and have a history with each other to draw upon.”

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/the-vermont-miracle-how-one-local

🧑🌾 We’ve been forming groups for over fifty years… why are most of them organized worse than your average neighborhood garden club? How do we make them better?

New in the @washingtonpost: research on a homegrown, alternative social media platform finds it to be useful, positive, and very valuable for communities.

They are able to do this by breaking free of a business model that incentivizes unrestricted growth and engagement.

Didn’t think that was possible with social media? 🧵

https://newpublic.org/study/3635/front-porch-forum

RESEARCH: Moderating a WhatsApp group can be a lot like parenting.

Researchers found more benefits in creating different tailored tools that cater to the unique needs of each moderation style than having one universal tool.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2401.08091

UNDER CONSTRUCTION ⚠️👷🚧🏗️

Just like the physical infrastructure in the communities where we live, our digital public spaces require regular care and maintenance from time to time.

What website, app, or digital service on the social internet could use a significant overhaul?

Social media continues to shape culture at a furious pace, sparking trends and rewriting what's cringe.

Cool: Powerpoint night parties
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/07/28/powerpoint-night-parties/

Uncool: Sharing photos of "mainstream" tourism
https://mashable.com/article/social-media-travel-sightseeing-uncool

At TrustCon 2024, @benwhitelaw and @mmasnick’s podcast, Ctrl-Alt-Speech, took on New_ Public’s new focus on local digital spaces, and the surprising power and effectiveness of local community stewards.

https://youtu.be/WLVd4ClvjhQ?feature=shared&t=1341

Many social media platforms rank comments based on engagement, which means the most heated, toxic arguments get the spotlight. This can be an awful incentive structure.

Ravi Iyer from USC's Neely Center on ways how we could "optimize for quality" we could do instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPejVimHJ6s