Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Vulture @vulture.com · 1d

Zohran Mamdani says the ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ producers pitched a ‘thumbs-up or thumbs-down’ segment with prompts like ‘Thumbs-up or thumbs-down: a Palestinian state.’ ‘I just couldn’t believe what was happening,’ Mamdani recalled.

The Late Show Pitched Zohran Mamdani a ‘Game’ About Palestine

Zohran Mamdani says the ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ producers pitched a ‘thumbs-up or thumbs-down’ segment with prompts like ‘Thumbs-up or thumbs-down: a Palestinian state.’ ‘I just couldn’t believe what was happening,’ Mamdani recalled.

www.vulture.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · 18d

Great primer on generative AI-enhanced scams and prevention by @lanaschwartz.bsky.social @alicetiara.bsky.social & Kate Larson at @datasociety.bsky.social datasociety.net/library/scam...

ScamGPT: GenAI and the Automation of Fraud

This collaboration between Lana Swartz, Alice E. Marwick, and Kate Larson maps generative AI's role in scams, the communities most at risk, and the broader economic and cultural shifts at play.

datasociety.net

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · 19d

Did Amazon Trick Customers Into Prime? A Jury Will Decide. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/t...

Did Amazon Trick Customers Into Prime? A Jury Will Decide.

www.nytimes.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · 24d

We need this information.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US justice department removes study finding far-right extremists commit ‘far more’ violence

Report finding rightwing extremists have killed more Americans than other domestic terrorist groups vanished from DoJ website

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · Sep 10

Deeply shocked to read that Charlie Kirk has been killed while speaking at a campus event, & worried about what it forebodes. Universities shouldn't be places where people settle things with guns; they're places to settle disagreements with words & ideas.

apnews.com/article/char...

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot and killed at Utah college event

Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, has died after being shot Wednesday at a Utah college event, President Donald Trump says.

apnews.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Sep 10

It's true. apnews.com/live/utah-va...

Live updates: Charlie Kirk has died after being shot at an event in Utah, President Trump says

Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot at an event at a Utah college, Turning Point said.

apnews.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Sep 8

For your holiday anti-wishlists courtesy of @wired.com @boone.bsky.social @kylierobison.com

I Hate My Friend

The chatbot-enabled Friend necklace eavesdrops on your life and provides a running commentary that’s snarky and unhelpful. Worse, it can also make the people around you uneasy.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Clive Thompson @clivethompson.bsky.social · Sep 3

mixing a cocktail, didn't have a jigger handy; wondered what the ratio was of a quarter-cup to a jigger shot

I googled it and the "AI overview" answer went utterly off the rails

"a jigger shot equals six quarter cups"

man this Old Fashioned is gonna be STRONG but it's what the AI says so *cheers*

A screenshot reading:

"Here's the breakdown:

Standard Jigger Volume: A standard jigger holds 1.5 fluid ounces (fl oz).
Quarter Cup Volume: A quarter cup is equal to 2 fluid ounces.
Calculating: To find how many quarter cups are in a jigger shot, divide the volume of a jigger by the volume of a quarter cup:
1.5 fl oz / 2 fl oz = 0.75 of a quarter cup.
Total Quarter Cups: Therefore, a jigger is 0.75 quarter cups, and you would need to divide it by 0.75 (meaning 6) to get the grand total of 6 quarter cups in one jigger."

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Asher Wolf @asherwolf.bsky.social · Sep 3

A Victorian solicitor has been stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after being caught using AI-generated false citations in court case - he has acknowledged he did not verify the case list www.theguardian.com/law/2025/sep...

Lawyer caught using AI-generated false citations in court case penalised in Australian first

Victorian solicitor stripped of his ability to practise as a principal lawyer after acknowledging he did not verify case list

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Marcus Bösch @boesch.bsky.social · Aug 19

“A lot of [young people] felt they were cringy. They were forced attempts at humour. And speaking to media and comms people at political parties, many of them didn’t feel necessarily comfortable in producing that kind of content.”

Ben O'Loughlin @benoloughlin.bsky.social · Aug 19

Why politicians and journalists are getting it wrong on TikTok efforts to reach young voters, with good points by @jameswilldennis.bsky.social here:
www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

Is the TikTokification of politics really a good thing?

With a lower voting age on the cards, Yvette Cooper’s social media push highlights the challenge of connecting with young voters online.

www.bigissue.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Aug 21

Go Jumbos!

NPR @npr.org · Aug 21

Guster always finds new ways to weave sonic landscapes, tell meaningful stories and deeply engage with its fan base.

Guster: Tiny Desk Concert

Guster always finds new ways to weave sonic landscapes, tell meaningful stories and deeply engage with its fan base.

n.pr

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · Aug 21

I’ll tell you this. A favorite campus dining spot closed last semester, with almost no notice. It’s been replaced by a fully automated kiosk. The kids are pissed. Asking all the right questions about labor and human contact and sociality.

Some of the kids are alright.

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Aug 11

Hey sociologists -- help your far flung colleagues out -- more #ASA2025 #ASA25 posts!

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Aug 11

Twins!

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 30

Dream team of folks to work with (@nancybaym.bsky.social, @marylgray.bsky.social, Tarleton Gillespie) Principal Researcher position for a social scientist doing critical analysis of tech and society: jobs.careers.microsoft.com/global/en/jo...

Search Jobs | Microsoft Careers

jobs.careers.microsoft.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 25

👏👏👏

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 25

Remember this? Matt Stone and Trey Parker aren't attacking Trump, they are *using* him. They'll keep going until he slaps Paramount with one of his patented defamation lawsuits, then reminisce abt their brutal licensing negotiations amidst and explosion of free publicity (cue maniacal laughter).

South Park keeps getting delayed over wacky business deals

With streaming deals expiring, South Park Season 27 has been delayed, and without a new agreement, the series could soon be without a platform.

www.polygon.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 25

Nothing to see here. @onthemedia.bsky.social

F.C.C. Approves Skydance’s $8 Billion Merger With Paramount

www.nytimes.com

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 17

“After a few weeks or months, you give up asking,’’ the women told me. I tried many times, and many times I gave up too. We felt horrified, invisible, helpless, and dehumanized.

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jul 17

Grateful for Rümeysa Öztürk's bravery and insights. www.vanityfair.com/news/story/r...

“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison

Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up about her 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility—and the generous and compassionate women she met.

www.vanityfair.com

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · Jul 17

"In the nearly six months of his second term, he has used [the word "evil"] 11 times to describe Democrats or journalists."

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Jul 16

NYT: “.. It is not enough anymore to dislike a journalistic inquiry or disagree with an opposing philosophy. Anyone viewed as critical of the president or insufficiently deferential is wicked.”

@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/u...

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · Jul 3

Most popular podcasts on YouTube, says YouTube. charts.youtube.com/podcasts

1. Joe Rogan Experience
2. MeidasTouch
10. Tucker Carlson Show
13. Pat McAfee Show
26. Black Conservative Perspective
32. Bulwark Takes
34. 60 Minutes
47. Democracy Now
60. PBS News Hour
64. Call Her Daddy
74. Roland Martin

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Reposted by Sarah Sobieraj

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society @signsjournal.org · Jun 25

New Ask a Feminist with @ninajankowicz.com, @moyazb.bsky.social, and @sobieraj.bsky.social! They analyze the harassment and abuse that women—esp. women in politics—face online and how it impedes women’s equal political participation. Check it out FREE on our website or your favorite podcasting app!

Online Abuse and US Politics, a Conversation with Moya Bailey and Nina Jankowicz

signsjournal.org

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jun 25

Delighted to facilitate this conversation about the way intersectional inequality, technology, and politics intersect with @moyazb.bsky.social and @ninajankowicz.com for @signsjournal.org. Critically important for all of us.

Online Abuse and US Politics, a Conversation with Moya Bailey and Nina Jankowicz

signsjournal.org

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Sarah Sobieraj @sobieraj.bsky.social · Jun 24

Friendly note for the email marketers out there... there is almost certainly no such thing as a "can't miss webinar."

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