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

Tue Oct 25 14:28:42 PDT 2022

Several people have asked how to get a Twitter archive. It's super easy,
here you go:

Twitter > Settings > Your account > Download an archive of your data
*_________________*
*Derek E. Baird, M.A.*
he/him/his

On Mon, Oct 24, 2022 at 3:47 PM Derek Baird <debaird at gmail.com> wrote:

> Reminder to get a Twitter archive asap. can take a few days (it includes
> DMs.)
>
> DB
> *_________________*
> *Derek E. Baird, M.A.*
> he/him/his
> English, German, Vietnamese, Ukrainian and Chinese editions of my book, *The
> Gen Z Frequency*, are now available  <http://amzn.to/2IKyToi>on Amazon
> and Blinkist <https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/the-gen-z-frequency-en>!
>
>
> On Mon, Oct 24, 2022 at 3:40 PM sally--- via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I'm on Mastadon already, but would prefer to be on an AOIR sponsored
>> server...
>> ________________________________
>> From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Fenwick
>> Mckelvey via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
>> Sent: Monday, October 24, 2022 1:45 PM
>> To: Robert W Gehl <lists at robertwgehl.org>
>> Cc: air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
>> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Will Academic Twitter Exist Under Elon Musk?
>>
>> 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
>> >
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>> > >>> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
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>> >
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>> > >>>
>> > >>> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
>> > >>>
>> >
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>> > >> _______________________________________________
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>> > >>
>> > >> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
>> > >>
>> >
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>> > > _______________________________________________
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>>
>> --
>> Be good,
>> Fen
>> _______________________________________________
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