Notices by New_ Public (wearenew_public@mastodon.social)

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

Although there have only been a few AI-generated, viral lies about the upcoming presidential election, and they have been quickly debunked, there's far less information available on AI's role in state and local elections.

@csmap_nyu 's recently launched AI Political Archive aims to track the use of generative AI across all races in the 2024 US general election and better understand its impact on voting.

https://csmapnyu.org/impact/news/launching-the-ai-political-archive

Imagine if an online discussion is more like a town hall meeting — every participant has equal opportunity to respond and the loudest or most aggressive voices can’t commandeer the room.

This is just one example of what Public Spaces Incubator is working on for public media broadcasters.

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/how-were-building-with-international

It may be broken, but we’re not giving up on public conversation online!

New_ Public Lead Designer Victoria Sgarro and Senior Product Director Min Li Chan take a deep dive into product design for Public Spaces Incubator.

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/how-were-building-with-international

If you have ever been in an online group, you are well aware that its convenience comes with many limitations, including admins who have definitive control over everybody else.

These aren’t just annoyances — @ntnsndr 's newest piece discusses the “implicit feudalism” of digital groups and why we need more democratic communities online.

https://theconversation.com/why-the-future-of-democracy-could-depend-on-your-group-chats-229597

Does your town have a local forum or group? Some of these spaces are really useful, and surprisingly healthy and fun! Others are not. But we see the seeds for potential greatness.

New_ Public Co-Director @elipariser (MoveOn, UpWorthy, The Filter Bubble) on why we’re getting serious about these local digital spaces:

https://newpublic.substack.com/p/your-towns-online-group-matters-more