networking
The push for a “PBS for the internet”
The concept of a new media ecosystem that’s non-profit, publicly funded and tech-infused is drawing interest in policy circles as a way to shift the power dynamics in today’s information wars. Why it matters: Revamping the structure and role of public media could be part of the solution to shoring up local media, decentralizing the distribution of quality news, and constraining Big Tech platforms’ amplification of harmful or false information.
Charles Bukowski: poet, Twitter punch line—and internet visionary
Before he’d become a posthumous social media symbol of Reddit-ish male angst, Bukowski wrestled with the pros and cons of a digital world. Social media users are again debating the merits of Charles Bukowski, the late Los Angeles-based writer known for his poetry describing a coarse, often boorish version of American masculinity replete with drinking, gambling, and not-always-successful womanizing.
Source: Charles Bukowski: poet, Twitter punch line—and internet visionary
The Metaverse Has Always Been a Dystopian Idea
Silicon Valley CEOs keep hailing its imminent arrival as they hawk digital goods, but the metaverse was a dystopian idea from its inception.
The slow collapse of Amazon’s drone delivery dream
Well over 100 employees at Amazon Prime Air have lost their jobs and dozens of other roles are moving to other projects abroad as the company shutters part of its operation in the UK. Insiders claim the future of the UK operation, which launched in 2016 to help pioneer Amazon’s global drone delivery efforts, is now uncertain.
Why Twitter wants ethical hackers to fix its algorithmic biases
Twitter is applying the bug bounty model to machine learning. The micro-blogging site has launched the industry’s first algorithmic bias bounty competition. The challenge was created to identify potential harms in Twitter’s notorious image cropping algorithm, which was largely abandoned after exhibiting gender- and race-based biases.
Source: Why Twitter wants ethical hackers to fix its algorithmic biases
How France tamed Google
France has hit Google with fines totalling €720 million this year. The money is meaningless – but the changes could be profound
Source: How France tamed Google
Here’s how police can get your data — even if you aren’t suspected of a crime
If you’ve ever read a privacy policy, you may have noticed a section that says something about how your data will be shared with law enforcement, which means if the police demand it and have the necessary paperwork, they’ll likely get it.
Source: Here’s how police can get your data — even if you aren’t suspected of a crime
You Are Already Having Sex With Robots
The real robo-sexual revolution will be, and already is, more software than hardware, and it’s the version of this story fewer people are talking about.
Banned Chinese Facial Recognition Technology Was Used to Search for Minneapolis Protesters
One night in the Twin Cities, shortly after the killing of George Floyd, someone set a fire in a Goodwill. That led to an international search for the culprits — and it exposed a growing system of global surveillance.
Source: Banned Chinese Facial Recognition Technology Was Used to Search for Minneapolis Protesters
Gawker Is Back From the Dead: Site Relaunches Under Bustle Digital Group
Gawker, after lying dormant for almost five years, has risen from the ashes. The news and gossip site was relaunched Wednesday under the auspices of Bustle Digital Group, whose founder and CEO Bryan Goldberg bought the assets of Gawker for $1.35 million in a bankruptcy auction in 2018.
Source: Gawker Is Back From the Dead: Site Relaunches Under Bustle Digital Group
Why Bored Ape Avatars Are Taking Over Twitter
Bored Ape Yacht Club, which launched in April, is a strange combination of gated online community, stock-shareholding group, and art-appreciation society.
A People’s History of Black Twitter, Part III
By the end of the Obama era, Black Twitter seemed like a fully realized world, with its own codes and customs. As it reached new levels of visibility and influence, though, deep-rooted problems began to reassert themselves. Users were hardly surprised.
The teen tycoons of Depop
Young people can make real money selling vintage clothes online — if they can stay on the right side of the algorithm
Source: The teen tycoons of Depop
College athletes have long been influencers. Now they’re getting paid like them.
When America’s college athletes could begin profiting off their personal brand for the first time this summer, Lauren Burke was ready. The 22-year-old rising senior on the University of Texas softball team had made a name for herself on the field and off.
During the pandemic year’s shortened 2020 softball season, Burke racked up a monstrous .453 batting average, ranking second in the Big 12 conference. But it’s likely that most of her fans know her from TikTok. Burke, who mainly posts about softball and fitness, has 400,000 followers on TikTok and nearly 100,000 on Instagram.
Source: College athletes have long been influencers. Now they’re getting paid like them.
How a teen punk led a movement for disabled people online
From Tumblr to TikTok, young disabled people are deciding how to represent themselves
Source: How a teen punk led a movement for disabled people online
BuzzFeed Is Going Public. Now What for Vox Media, Group Nine and Vice?
The digital media companies that once seemed to have a lock on the future are making plans to get bigger and pay back their investors.
Source: BuzzFeed Is Going Public. Now What for Vox Media, Group Nine and Vice?
How Wattpad changed the way we think about writing
Founded in 2006, Wattpad has grown far beyond the scale of my local library. The platform currently boasts 94 million users and more than a billion uploaded stories, ranging from historical tales to outright fanfiction. In its 15 years of existence, Wattpad stories have gained a reputation in the online literary community — a landfill of self-insert fanfiction to some, and a treasure trove of hidden gems to others.
QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow.
Fueled by a desire for touchless transactions, QR codes popped up everywhere in the pandemic. Businesses don’t want to give them up.
Source: QR Codes Are Here to Stay. So Is the Tracking They Allow.
The Jessica Simulation: Love and loss in the age of A.I.
He couldn’t get over his fiancee’s death. So he brought her back as an A.I. chatbot
Source: He couldn’t get over his fiancee’s death. So he brought her back as an A.I. chatbot
Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Being Carjacked at Alarming Rates
The Markup confirmed 124 carjackings and attempted carjackings of ride-hail drivers across the country. Drivers say the companies are doing little to help
Source: Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Being Carjacked at Alarming Rates