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Patricia Aufderheide

@paufder.bsky.social

580 followers 480 following 92 posts

University Professor, School of Communication, American University; Editor Emerita, In These Times; Author of books about documentary film, Kartemquin Films, the copyright doctrine of fair use and creativity, "political correctness," and more .. more

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Patricia Ann Aufderheide is a scholar and public intellectual on media and social change, and an expert on fair use in media creation and scholarship. She is a University Professor at American University in Washington, D.C., where she has worked since 1989 and directed the Center for Social Media, later the Center for Media & Social Impact, beginning in 2000. She has received multiple awards and honors for her journalism and scholarship, including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 1994, and a Fulbright Research Fellowship in 1995, and a Distinguished Career Award in 2008 from the International Digital Media and Arts Association. .. more

Business 23%

Communication & Media Studies 19%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Robb Willer, Patricia Aufderheide , and 8 more Anne Applebaum, Robb Willer, Patricia Aufderheide, Guy Grossman, Sanford F. Schram, David R. Miller, R. Daniel Kelemen, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Mark Rice

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

redG @redg187.bsky.social · 3d

USA is a macro level Stanford Prison Experiment

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Reposted by Steve Peers, Patricia Aufderheide, Julia Lynch , and 2 more Steve Peers, Patricia Aufderheide, Julia Lynch, Todd Pugatch, Roland Pierik

Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 3d

My Very Dear Ones,

I write to you from near the front lines of war ravaged Portland.

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 5d

From Sara Archambault’s newsletter—takeaways from Camden Film Fest’s recent town hall:
Hope is a duty.
Despair is a crime against imagination.
Action is the antidote to despair.
We are all smart together.

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Endless Screaming @infinitescream.bsky.social · 5d

AAAAAAAAAAHHH

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 5d

uh oh

Bullwark @bullwark.bsky.social · 5d

You can now be banned for "Being disruptive to other users" yeah thats definitely going to be enforced consistently

Part of links suspension email outlining you cant be disruptive to other users

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Bullwark @bullwark.bsky.social · 5d

You can now be banned for "Being disruptive to other users" yeah thats definitely going to be enforced consistently

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Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Patricia Aufderheide, Alan Richardson , and 7 more Michael A. Clemens, Patricia Aufderheide, Alan Richardson, Serge Egelman, Michael D. McDonald, James Goodwin, Brian Keegan, Greg Linden, Aviel Roshwald, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 5d

"The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year... In a way, then, America has become one big bet on AI."

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

NE Ohio Regional Sewer District @neorsd.org · 9d

if we weren’t a 24/7 operation we’d say “see you tomorrow” but

man stands at Progressive Field holding a sign that says Winfrastructure.

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 10d

Looking for an undergrad-friendly comic book on personal digital privacy? Here you go: peasec.de/wp-content/u...

peasec.de

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

The Onion @theonion.com · 17d

Aging Senator Explains That Young People Should Get Involved In Politics Because She's Fucking Out Of Here

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele , and 45 more Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma, Norbert Schwarz, Joe R. Feagin, Will Jennings, Jennifer A. Richeson, Pamela Samuelson, Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Amir Attaran, Eric Goldman, Patricia Aufderheide, Melissa R. Michelson, Juan Cole, Sanford F. Schram, Berk Özler, Charles W. Smith, Melanie C. Green, Janet Murray, Alan Richardson, Silvia Secchi, Julia Lynch, Gerald Friedman, Robert B. Reich, Caroline Fohlin, Stephen Ryan, Samantha Brennan, Michael D. McDonald, Dean Eckles, Daryl Adair, José Antonio Noguera, Mark Rice, Henry Jones, Nils Zurawski, Andrew Novak, Blair Fix, Melanie O’Brien, Nancy M. Wingfield, Aviel Roshwald, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Prakash Kashwan, Farah Mendlesohn, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Colin Woodard, Guy Dewsbury, Dunlap

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 17d

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

www.miamiherald.com

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 18d

It’s always a good sign when the people around your president can reasonably be described as “cronies.”

Sure, Let’s Try Bribes!

If taxpayers want to influence policy, maybe this is our only option.

www.theatlantic.com

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 19d

I know this is hopeless but I can’t help myself

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 19d

if you're about to use an apostrophe to pluralize a word, don't

#copyediting

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 19d

if you're about to use an apostrophe to pluralize a word, don't

#copyediting

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 19d

Well, this might actually make me watch Andor. deadline.com/2025/09/ando...

‘Andor’ Writer Dan Gilroy On Disney Suspending Jimmy Kimmel & Hollywood Facing “Venomous Evil”: “This Isn’t A Skirmish. It’s A Siege” – Guest Column

'Andor' Writer Dan Gilroy On Trump's Jimmy Kimmel Pressure Campaign: "Artists Are Censored First Because They Fear Us Most" -- Guest Column

deadline.com

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 19d

He tried to read an elementary economics text; it bored him past endurance, it was like listening to somebody interminably recounting a long and stupid dream.

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Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Brigitte Nerlich, Tom Shakespeare , and 1 more Shannon Vallor, Brigitte Nerlich, Tom Shakespeare, Patricia Aufderheide

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 19d

You’re much closer to becoming disabled or homeless than you are to becoming rich and wealthy.

It’s not a moral failing. It’s not something you can “try harder” your way out of.

We need robust social supports & safety nets to ensure everyone is properly cared for.

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 25d

Beauty

NPR @npr.org · 25d

Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.

On 9/16/25, celebrate a date of mathematical beauty

Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.

n.pr

Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide, Zen Faulkes, Simon Lester

NPR @npr.org · 25d

Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.

On 9/16/25, celebrate a date of mathematical beauty

Pythagorean Triple Square Day, as one man affectionately calls 9/16/25, is a day like no other this century.

n.pr

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide, David R. Miller, Blair Fix , and 4 more Patricia Aufderheide, David R. Miller, Blair Fix, Daxton R. Stewart, David S. Tanenhaus, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Richard Moorhead

The Onion @theonion.com · 25d

Pulitzer Feeling Increasingly Out Of Place In Washington Post Office

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · 26d

read the whole thread

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 26d

Pay attention. Something dark might be coming.

The murder of Charlie Kirk could have united Americans to confront political violence. Instead, Trump and his anti-democratic radicals look to be readying a campaign to destroy dissent.

1/ Here's what's happening.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 28d

Stephen Miller: "The last message that Charlie Kirk gave to me before he joined his creator in heaven was he said that we have to dismantle and take on the radical left organizations in this country that are fomenting violence. That was the last message that he sent me ... we are gonna do that."

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Jason Mittell, Steve Peers , and 4 more Jonathan Portes, Jason Mittell, Steve Peers, Leo Lucassen, Patricia Aufderheide, Dana R. Fisher, Kate Starbird

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 26d

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 28d

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Martin McKee, Ben H. Ansell , and 33 more Anne Applebaum, Martin McKee, Ben H. Ansell, Nandita Sharma, Richard S.J. Tol, David M. Farrell, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, Bryan D. Jones, Christopher McCabe, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, American Library Association, Patricia Aufderheide, Philip Nel, Paul Goldstein, Iikka Korhonen, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green, David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Graham Webster, W Grant, Erin O’Donnell, David Murakami Wood, Christina Ho, Colm O’Cinneíde, Simon Lester, Christina Pagel, Rebecca Zorach, Manisha Sinha, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 26d

korean reporting is nightmarish on the conditions Korean workers were contained in

Their waists and hands were tied together, forcing them to bend down and lick water to drink. The unscreened bathrooms contained only a single sheet to cover their lower bodies. Sunlight barely penetrated through a fist-sized hole, and they were only allowed access to the small yard for two hours. Detained by US immigration authorities for eight days, the workers and their families expressed shock, describing human rights violations and absurdities they could not have imagined as ordinary Koreans living in 2025.

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

Just a Pumpkin @pumpkintorch.bsky.social · 29d

I love Tumblr, always have. The culture and humor is like nowhere else on the internet

www.tumblr.com/canvoid/7847...

Tumblr post from user microsoff, may 22

The sigil was drawn in salt and ash, the candles lit at the pentagram points, the incantation declaimed.

There was a shimmer - a demon appeared.

"Curious. What ritual is this?"

"I got it from ChatGPT. I included all protections in my prompt!"

"I see," the demon said and stepped out of the sigil.

Continuing the thread, a reply from user canvoid, May 27

"I-- I don't understand! I followed everything it said --"

"Your first mistake was entrusting your work to the hallucination machine." It reached down to pinch the mixture, give it a sniff. "Potassium chloride? What ash is this?"

"Um." The disciple nudged a bucket with their boot.

"Tastes like ... maple. And potatoes. Blech." It wiped its fingertips clean on their robes. It paused, rubbing its tongues against the roof of its mouth. "Damnation, what did you anoint the candles with? Is that ... PAM?"

The disciple whimpered. "It wasn't specified."

"Pfft. Of course not." It sighed, and extended its tri-fingered hand. "Let me see that incantation." Shakily, the parchment was extended, and snatched with irritation. " 'Bene! Ecce incantatio initiorum ...' What the seven hells is this? You didn't even trim the auto response."

"Well, I don't speak Latin..."

Part 2

The demon snorted. The parchment sailed over its shoulder to a candle and hovered there, alight, then disappeared in a puff of ash and smoke. "Right. Legally I could take at least a limb for this, but hey, you like your limbs, right? Pretty attached to them, you'd say?" The disciple desperately nodded. "Great. So here's what we're gonna do: you're going to write me an essay --"

"What?!" The disciple gasped, paled. "Wait, no, maybe an arm would be okay..."

"-- shut up. You're going to hand-write a 2,000 word essay -- listen, no -- and you're going to write it on the perils of sourcing research from generative AI. You are going to source this in MLA format -- yes the fuck you are --" tired of the protestations, the demon's hand loosely threatened the human's throat, and quickly made its point, "and you will do this and turn it in in two weeks' time, with a proper summoning ritual. And -- and this part is very important, mind you -- you are going to tell all your little demon-summoner buddies that if this ever happens again I will simply eat your fucking souls and be done with it. Do you understand me?"

The disciple nodded again, with wetter pants.

Part 3

"Good. Fine." The demon roughly patted the student on the head and retreated back to the ruined glyph where it stood expectant, hands on what must have been its hips. "Alright. Banish me and call me up properly in two weeks. Don't make me come looking for you."

"I -- uh -- well, that is to say, I don't... um."

The demon's shoulders dropped. "You don't know how to banish."

"I don't know how to banish, no."

The demon let loose a series of deep, frustrated grumbles that had some resemblance to speech, enunciated with emphatic gestures, and gave the vague impression of a dinner getting cold. "Get a pen."

"What? Oh, I --"

"GET A PEN" (In the corruption type font, indicating both irritation and magic)

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · Sep 9

What Trump’s perverted birthday card says about Democrats.

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide, Brandon Whitcher, David Darmofal

The Onion @theonion.com · Sep 9

Trump Claims He Can’t Be Expected To Remember Every Birthday Card He Sends To Child Molesters https://theonion.com/trump-claims-he-cant-be-expected-to-remember-every-birthday-card-he-sends-to-child-molesters/

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 7

Authoritarians thrive on your silence — be loud — for America.

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Reposted by Patricia Aufderheide, Greg Linden

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · Sep 4

this failure to reach even the minimum definition of broadband (100 Mbps) is why you don't want to prioritize taxpayer subsidies for Elon musk's expensive, congested satellite network

Study Shows Musk’s Starlink Too Congested To Tackle U.S. Broadband Woes Despite Billions In New Subsidies

A new study from researchers at X-Lab shows that Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband service lacks the capacity to put a serious dent in U.S. broadband. Despite recent efforts by the Tru…

www.techdirt.com

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Patricia Aufderheide @paufder.bsky.social · Sep 2

@petridishes.bsky.social does it again: crisp summary of our national realities, plus social media critique and h/t to Cory Doctorow: www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Apologies: You Have Reached the End of Your Free-Trial Period of America!

Want rule of law? That’s premium.