Fabio Votta📊🐧
@favstats.eu
Computational Communication Scientist #rstats | Postdoc Researcher | University of Amsterdam | @ascor.bsky.social | @algosoc.org | Blog: favstats.eu | Running on plant-based fuel 🌱 | he/him
Pinned
Fabio Votta📊🐧
@favstats.eu
· Dec 23
⏰Xmas came early this year!🎄 My final dissertation paper officially out in @polcommjournal.bsky.social!
We test the role of algorithms in shaping the cost of reaching voters. We find: who sees political ads & at what price depends NOT just on targeting choices.🧵
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
We test the role of algorithms in shaping the cost of reaching voters. We find: who sees political ads & at what price depends NOT just on targeting choices.🧵
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Ok this was harder than expected
Pokémon or Pill? 💊 I made a silly little game where you guess if a name is a Pokémon or a pharmaceutical drug. Can be harder than you'd think 🙂 Maybe something to challenge your family and friends with over the holidays?
pokepill.net
pokepill.net
January 8, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Ok this was harder than expected
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Das ist die Lage in den kurdischen Vierteln Aleppos. Komplett willkürlicher Beschuss dieser dicht besiedelten Regionen.
January 8, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Das ist die Lage in den kurdischen Vierteln Aleppos. Komplett willkürlicher Beschuss dieser dicht besiedelten Regionen.
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Bis 15 Uhr haben die syrischen jihadistischen Regierungskräfte den Zivilist*innen von Ashrafiya und Sheikh Maqsud Zeit zum evakuieren gegeben. Danach behandeln sie die Gebiete wie militärische Ziele. Ethnische Säuberung mit Ansage.
January 7, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Bis 15 Uhr haben die syrischen jihadistischen Regierungskräfte den Zivilist*innen von Ashrafiya und Sheikh Maqsud Zeit zum evakuieren gegeben. Danach behandeln sie die Gebiete wie militärische Ziele. Ethnische Säuberung mit Ansage.
Full job description here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
Three RAs - Job Description
docs.google.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Full job description here:
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
🚨 New CampAIgn Tracker + Hiring 3 Research Assistants! 🚨
Together w/ @meinungsfuehrer.bsky.social & colleagues at UvA (@claesdevreese.bsky.social @teresaelena.bsky.social, @nickmattis.bsky.social, @philippdarius.bsky.social), we’re launching a project on GenAI in the 2026 Dutch local elections 🇳🇱
Together w/ @meinungsfuehrer.bsky.social & colleagues at UvA (@claesdevreese.bsky.social @teresaelena.bsky.social, @nickmattis.bsky.social, @philippdarius.bsky.social), we’re launching a project on GenAI in the 2026 Dutch local elections 🇳🇱
January 7, 2026 at 4:51 PM
🚨 New CampAIgn Tracker + Hiring 3 Research Assistants! 🚨
Together w/ @meinungsfuehrer.bsky.social & colleagues at UvA (@claesdevreese.bsky.social @teresaelena.bsky.social, @nickmattis.bsky.social, @philippdarius.bsky.social), we’re launching a project on GenAI in the 2026 Dutch local elections 🇳🇱
Together w/ @meinungsfuehrer.bsky.social & colleagues at UvA (@claesdevreese.bsky.social @teresaelena.bsky.social, @nickmattis.bsky.social, @philippdarius.bsky.social), we’re launching a project on GenAI in the 2026 Dutch local elections 🇳🇱
In the new year, political ads on Google and Meta continue to run in the EU despite both platforms having policies that supposedly ban them.
The rules are so badly enforced that official political party accounts (even self-labeled with the category "political party") can run ads without problems.
The rules are so badly enforced that official political party accounts (even self-labeled with the category "political party") can run ads without problems.
January 3, 2026 at 11:22 AM
In the new year, political ads on Google and Meta continue to run in the EU despite both platforms having policies that supposedly ban them.
The rules are so badly enforced that official political party accounts (even self-labeled with the category "political party") can run ads without problems.
The rules are so badly enforced that official political party accounts (even self-labeled with the category "political party") can run ads without problems.
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Also with those ads the DHS is heavily racially profiling the Latino community specifically as I wrote about in a blog post last year:
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
January 2, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Also with those ads the DHS is heavily racially profiling the Latino community specifically as I wrote about in a blog post last year:
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
Also with those ads the DHS is heavily racially profiling the Latino community specifically as I wrote about in a blog post last year:
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
January 2, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Also with those ads the DHS is heavily racially profiling the Latino community specifically as I wrote about in a blog post last year:
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
www.favstats.eu/post/dhs/
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Vo "In the Mood for Love" bis "The Subschdance": Hir sind die 30 beschten Film vom 21. Jahrhunderds (bisher) – ausgewähld, bschrieba ond gfeierd vom ZEID-Feiilledo.
Geklaud vo:
Geklaud vo:
Von "In the Mood for Love" bis "The Substance": Hier sind die 30 besten Filme des 21. Jahrhunderts (bisher) – ausgewählt, beschrieben und gefeiert vom ZEIT-Feuilleton.
Kino: Das sind die besten Filme der letzten 25 Jahre
Von "In the Mood for Love" bis "The Substance": Hier sind die 30 besten Filme des 21. Jahrhunderts (bisher) – ausgewählt, beschrieben und gefeiert vom ZEIT-Feuilleton.
www.zeit.de
December 27, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Vo "In the Mood for Love" bis "The Subschdance": Hir sind die 30 beschten Film vom 21. Jahrhunderds (bisher) – ausgewähld, bschrieba ond gfeierd vom ZEID-Feiilledo.
Geklaud vo:
Geklaud vo:
Ich hab in meinem Leben noch nie so viel schein-intellektuellen Bullshit gelesen.
December 27, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Ich hab in meinem Leben noch nie so viel schein-intellektuellen Bullshit gelesen.
Pokémon or Pill? 💊 I made a silly little game where you guess if a name is a Pokémon or a pharmaceutical drug. Can be harder than you'd think 🙂 Maybe something to challenge your family and friends with over the holidays?
pokepill.net
pokepill.net
December 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Pokémon or Pill? 💊 I made a silly little game where you guess if a name is a Pokémon or a pharmaceutical drug. Can be harder than you'd think 🙂 Maybe something to challenge your family and friends with over the holidays?
pokepill.net
pokepill.net
Last year on this day we won a hackathon to uncover the use of AI in political campaigns. Since then we tracked AI content during two elections and more are in planning :)
How can we 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗜-𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 on Social Media? Our CampAIgn Tracker wins at the 1st Politechathon 🏅
After 40 hours of data wrangling, too little pizza & pitch development- our CampAIgn Tracker went online to track AI-generated images & videos by political actors in elections.
After 40 hours of data wrangling, too little pizza & pitch development- our CampAIgn Tracker went online to track AI-generated images & videos by political actors in elections.
December 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Last year on this day we won a hackathon to uncover the use of AI in political campaigns. Since then we tracked AI content during two elections and more are in planning :)
Is this AI slop? Yes. That’s the point!
Half the games are unbeatable. Many are broken in funny ways. It’s not about “good” games. It's about silly nonsensical fun, some frustrations, aand.. sometimes: triumph.
Play it with friends. Compete. Suffer. Win.
Enjoy. And let me know if u end up playing!
Half the games are unbeatable. Many are broken in funny ways. It’s not about “good” games. It's about silly nonsensical fun, some frustrations, aand.. sometimes: triumph.
Play it with friends. Compete. Suffer. Win.
Enjoy. And let me know if u end up playing!
December 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Is this AI slop? Yes. That’s the point!
Half the games are unbeatable. Many are broken in funny ways. It’s not about “good” games. It's about silly nonsensical fun, some frustrations, aand.. sometimes: triumph.
Play it with friends. Compete. Suffer. Win.
Enjoy. And let me know if u end up playing!
Half the games are unbeatable. Many are broken in funny ways. It’s not about “good” games. It's about silly nonsensical fun, some frustrations, aand.. sometimes: triumph.
Play it with friends. Compete. Suffer. Win.
Enjoy. And let me know if u end up playing!
Last summer I was knocked out with Covid and some friends and I cooked up an AI powered online party-game idea and you can now play it too!
🎰 Prompt Roulette 🎰
You copy-paste a prompt into an LLM, it generates a game, and your job is to beat it. Try it out here:
favstats.github.io/prompt_roule...
🎰 Prompt Roulette 🎰
You copy-paste a prompt into an LLM, it generates a game, and your job is to beat it. Try it out here:
favstats.github.io/prompt_roule...
December 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Last summer I was knocked out with Covid and some friends and I cooked up an AI powered online party-game idea and you can now play it too!
🎰 Prompt Roulette 🎰
You copy-paste a prompt into an LLM, it generates a game, and your job is to beat it. Try it out here:
favstats.github.io/prompt_roule...
🎰 Prompt Roulette 🎰
You copy-paste a prompt into an LLM, it generates a game, and your job is to beat it. Try it out here:
favstats.github.io/prompt_roule...
I am quoted in @euobserver.com about the self-imposed Meta political ad ban and why ads are not gone despite the “ban”.
Politics ads still appearing on Meta platforms, despite ban
Politics ads still appearing on Meta platforms, despite ban
Meta stopped its political advertising business altogether in the EU, in response to new regulations — but experts point out that political ads are still finding their way into users feeds.
euobserver.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM
I am quoted in @euobserver.com about the self-imposed Meta political ad ban and why ads are not gone despite the “ban”.
December 12, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
I posted it here before, but @favstats.eu and I wrote an entry about LLMs in the encyclopedia below 👇
Final version is out now at www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
Or read the preprint: doi.org/10.31219/osf...
Final version is out now at www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
Or read the preprint: doi.org/10.31219/osf...
December 11, 2025 at 6:42 AM
I posted it here before, but @favstats.eu and I wrote an entry about LLMs in the encyclopedia below 👇
Final version is out now at www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
Or read the preprint: doi.org/10.31219/osf...
Final version is out now at www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
Or read the preprint: doi.org/10.31219/osf...
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
Here is the chapter by @favstats.eu and me 😃 www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
www.elgaronline.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Here is the chapter by @favstats.eu and me 😃 www.elgaronline.com/display/book...
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
After 3 years and 5,322 emails (and counting) our Encyclopedia of Political Communication is finally out at @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
December 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
After 3 years and 5,322 emails (and counting) our Encyclopedia of Political Communication is finally out at @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
📚 Three volumes
⭐ 431 entries
🎓 581 wonderful authors from across the world
A very short 🧵
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
The persuasive impact of AI chatbots on voters.
The effects found are large but likely also an effect of the design.
Regardless, AI is part of election campaigns now.
My comments include reference to recent @algosoc.org data
@ernesto-deleon.com @favstats.eu
www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
The effects found are large but likely also an effect of the design.
Regardless, AI is part of election campaigns now.
My comments include reference to recent @algosoc.org data
@ernesto-deleon.com @favstats.eu
www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
AI can influence voters' minds. What does that mean for democracy?
Voters change their opinions after interacting with an AI chatbot – but it seems that AIs rely on facts to influence people
www.newscientist.com
December 4, 2025 at 7:13 PM
The persuasive impact of AI chatbots on voters.
The effects found are large but likely also an effect of the design.
Regardless, AI is part of election campaigns now.
My comments include reference to recent @algosoc.org data
@ernesto-deleon.com @favstats.eu
www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
The effects found are large but likely also an effect of the design.
Regardless, AI is part of election campaigns now.
My comments include reference to recent @algosoc.org data
@ernesto-deleon.com @favstats.eu
www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
A critique of our (w/ @bertous.bsky.social) paper “Instrumentally inclusive” has just been published.
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
November 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
A critique of our (w/ @bertous.bsky.social) paper “Instrumentally inclusive” has just been published.
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Our response is under review (see below on process) but we feel obliged to share our draft for balance since the comment has been released without the response.
osf.io/rn6h3/files/...
Reposted by Fabio Votta📊🐧
We’ve assembled a stellar line-up of scholars to discuss how digital trace data donations can help us study elections across a wide variety of platforms and contexts! @claesdevreese.bsky.social @favstats.eu @algosoc.org
Register here and join: lnkd.in/eUZZDCk4
Register here and join: lnkd.in/eUZZDCk4
November 26, 2025 at 8:37 AM
We’ve assembled a stellar line-up of scholars to discuss how digital trace data donations can help us study elections across a wide variety of platforms and contexts! @claesdevreese.bsky.social @favstats.eu @algosoc.org
Register here and join: lnkd.in/eUZZDCk4
Register here and join: lnkd.in/eUZZDCk4
I suppose the idea is, they are using non-linked accounts as organic content ("circumventing" the ad ban that way) not by actually buying ads ("breaking" the rules). That is probably where my confusion comes from.
November 26, 2025 at 8:04 AM
I suppose the idea is, they are using non-linked accounts as organic content ("circumventing" the ad ban that way) not by actually buying ads ("breaking" the rules). That is probably where my confusion comes from.