[Air-L] Will Academic Twitter Exist Under Elon Musk?

Mon Oct 24 13:59:18 PDT 2022

Same here!

On Mon, Oct 24, 2022 at 3:54 PM Fenwick Mckelvey via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> Hi all
> I am very much interested in the Mastadon opportunity. Please count me in
> too.
>
> Be good,
> Fenwick
>
> On Mon, 24 Oct 2022 at 13:52, Robert W Gehl via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
>
> > Count me in on this, Aram. (no surprise there, I imagine!)
> >
> > As far as I'm concerned, there is academic microblogging beyond the Musk
> > site -- it's on the fediverse. I'll be talking about it a bit in my
> > presentation at AOIR.
> >
> > - Rob
> >
> > On 10/24/22 13:21, Aram Sinnreich via Air-L wrote:
> > > I’ve been thinking that AoIR should launch its own Mastodon instance,
> > open to all members. Something like aoir[dot]social.
> > >
> > > Glad to discuss in Dublin.
> > >
> > >> On Oct 23, 2022, at 4:42 PM, Richard Forno via Air-L <
> > air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> External Email: Use caution with links and attachments.
> > >>
> > >> Hi Stu -
> > >>
> > >> Like many, I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst for
> Twitter.
> > >> I find Twitter a fantastic tool for staying in-touch and updated on
> > >> colleagues' research/ideas/musings, sharing ideas of my own and
> perhaps
> > >> soliciting feedback/contributions, following conference hashtags
> (hello
> > >> #AOIR2022!), some current events and socialization...and the odd dog
> or
> > >> nature photo  I'd hate quit it, but I've not ruled it out ... but I
> > >> could live w/o Twitter, even after 13 years.
> > >>
> > >> Without getting too deeply into politics here (which can be hard given
> > >> the broader issues raised) -- as to your last paragraph Stu, I'm with
> > >> you.  Since 2001 I've been increasingly concerned about the future of
> > >> America's lttle-d democracy, view 2016 as a populist
> > >> accident/experiment, saw 2020--1/6 as a test run. feel 2022 will be a
> > >> good indicator of where things are heading having learned from 2020,
> and
> > >> firmly believe that 2024 likely will be *the* pivotal point for our
> > >> country one way or the other.   (Though politically, I think this
> > >> political decline started in the mid-90s when one party decided to
> treat
> > >> the other as the 'enemy' and embraced a scorched-earth brand of
> politics
> > >> that considered compromise akin to treason, which got cranked to 11
> > >> thanks to silo'd cable news and SM platforms in ensuing years.)  And
> > >> that's all I will prognosticate about here politically -- other than
> to
> > >> conclude by saying I'm worried not just about now, but that we will
> not
> > >> be able to fix things and get "back on track for the future" anytime
> > >> soon.  :/.
> > >>
> > >> I do admit that despite being an old-school geek/hacker, in recent
> years
> > >> I've wrestled with the warm-and-fuzzy nostalgic notion from the '90s
> > >> that "information wants to be free". In some ways, it's been great for
> > >> individuals and society -- in other ways, as Borat might say, "not so
> > >> much."  Of course, that change in thinking also could be a function of
> > >> midlife as well as current events.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
> > >>
> > >> But one of the world's dominant modern comms mediums transitioning
> into
> > >> an unaccountable private entity run by a person .... however you view
> > >> Musk .... definitely is concerning on *many* levels.[1]. By contrast,
> at
> > >> least FB is a regulated public company and has the appearance of some
> > >> 'objective' review of controversial things via its Oversight Board.
> > >>
> > >> As for aca-Twitter?  As I said, I'm still in wait-and-see, but it
> > >> wouldn't surprise me to see many tweeps both from academia and
> elsewhere
> > >> posting their final tweets either due to protest or for professional
> > >> reasons / protection by year-end or early next year, depending on what
> > >> 'innovations' are introduced to the platform post-acquisition.
> > >>
> > >> Stay tuned, I guess...
> > >>
> > >> -- rick
> > >>
> > >> [1] WaPo reported Friday that DOD/DOJ 'might' be investigating the
> > >> Twitter deal and SpaceX-DOD contracts due to national security
> concerns
> > >> with Musk's public views and his foreign investors.  Could be
> something
> > >> there, could be a flash of desperation to block the sale ... but
> again,
> > >> the question of accountability comes up.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On 21 Oct 2022, at 7:43, Shulman, Stu via Air-L wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Will academic Twitter exist under Elon Musk? Will there be more or
> > >>> less
> > >>> data? More or less urgent issues to study? Will the "Fail Whale" show
> > >>> up
> > >>> again after 75% of the staff is gone? Who will do content moderation?
> > >>> Is
> > >>> this a FastTrack to the next violent uprising in the US?
> > >>>
> > >>> I am curious what people on this particular list think is about to
> > >>> happen.
> > >>> After 12 years featuring the formal study of Twitter data I am
> > >>> completely
> > >>> burned out. Not on the challenges, nor the art and science of the
> > >>> tasks. I
> > >>> still love talking to students and faculty who have chosen Twitter as
> > >>> the
> > >>> object of their research. The data has never been more widely
> > >>> available and
> > >>> the positive uses of it can be inspiring.
> > >>>
> > >>> It's the voluminous amounts of hate I see in my own research. Also
> the
> > >>> systemic weaponization of Twitter against democratic systems of
> > >>> government
> > >>> globally. As an original Board Member and the Treasurer of a 501
> > >>> (c)(6)
> > >>> called "The Big Boulder Initiative" I was working as a liaison to
> > >>> academia
> > >>> with a group of industry people on the "long term preservation of the
> > >>> social data industry." The industry survived, but the ideals aspired
> > >>> to
> > >>> have not. We offered this 2-minute Lawrence Lessig-inspired vision of
> > >>> the
> > >>> challenges about 7 years ago:
> > >>>
> > >>> "Why Texifter Joined the Big Boulder Initiative"
> > >>>
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://vimeo.com/129423037__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyp2WHk_ow$
> > >>>
> > >>> Lessig was right. On the Internet, architecture is the most powerful
> > >>> regulator. The architecture of Twitter, with corporate ads featured
> on
> > >>> insurrectionist and other problematic timelines, is now a persistent
> > >>> threat
> > >>> to democratic systems of government without a single day of Musk
> > >>> governance. The insurrection January 6, 2021 was planned in the open
> > >>> on
> > >>> Twitter. There were advertisements from familiar brands in every
> > >>> seditious
> > >>> timeline. Evolving tactics using Twitter trains (tagging 30
> > >>> like-minded
> > >>> users), notification-rich replies, the ReTweet functionality,
> > >>> gamification,
> > >>> domestic and foreign meme warfare, the idolatry of influence via
> > >>> misinformation, bots and trolls, as well as paid amplifiers of all
> > >>> manner
> > >>> and variety. The "digital soldiers" we found in the Canadian election
> > >>> of
> > >>> 2019 (fake Americans who hated Trudeau but liked RT, Russia Today and
> > >>> Southfront) were openly planning a QAnon-inspired "storm" which
> > >>> ultimately
> > >>> was the first coup attempt in two centuries of American democracy. I
> > >>> briefed the US/UK Intelligence Community (staff from the Joint
> Chiefs,
> > >>> JSOC, etc.) February 12, 2020 via the Strategic Multilayer Assessment
> > >>> using
> > >>> open source information from Twitter. Things have since gotten much
> > >>> worse,
> > >>> not better, since that briefing. These were the slides in early
> > >>> February
> > >>> 2020:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://tinyurl.com/huntingbotsandtrolls__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyq6oRe2Xw$
> > >>>
> > >>> Looking at the current threat-relevant data, I have a
> > >>> sick-to-my-stomach
> > >>> feeling about the next 60 days in U.S. history. We may be late to
> > >>> notice
> > >>> the end of small "d" democracy is imminent or inevitable because of
> > >>> the
> > >>> Internet effects we cannot fully see, capture, measure, or control.
> > >>>
> > >>> --
> > >>> Dr. Stuart W. Shulman
> > >>> Founder and CEO, Texifter
> > >>> Editor Emeritus, *Journal of Information Technology & Politics*
> > >>> _______________________________________________
> > >>> The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > >>> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aoir.org__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyrSzTcSZw$
> > >>> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> > >>>
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTypTFSAevg$
> > >>>
> > >>> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > >>>
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyoTxrXpEA$
> > >> _______________________________________________
> > >> The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > >> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aoir.org__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyrSzTcSZw$
> > >> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTypTFSAevg$
> > >>
> > >> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > >>
> >
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!IaT_gp1N!0Ghlkf1rWCTGT5MfqPFpLm-cdX_SBpmFHVzAbi7e_nr3KCSBblNWocRhIbpOHQGFDd5ZOBbVTyoTxrXpEA$
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
> > > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
> > >
> > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > > http://www.aoir.org/
> > _______________________________________________
> > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
> > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
> >
> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > http://www.aoir.org/
> >
>
>
> --
> Be good,
> Fen
> _______________________________________________
> The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
>
> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> http://www.aoir.org/
>
-- 
Dr. Will Mari
Assistant Professor of Media Law and Media History
Darlene and Thomas O. Ryder Professorship
Manship School of Mass Communication
Louisiana State University

Corresponding editor, *Journalism History *
Author of: https://upress.missouri.edu/9780826222329/the-american-newsroom/
(2021)
https://www.routledge.com/A-Short-History-of-Disruptive-Journalism-Technologies-1960-1990-1st-Edition/Mari/p/book/9780815367918
(2019)
https://www.routledge.com/Newsrooms-and-the-Disruption-of-the-Internet-Internet-A-Short-History-of/Mari/p/book/9780367342975
 (2022)