Jeremy Foote
@jeremydfoote.com
Computational social scientist; assistant professor @ Purdue; I study how people self-organize in online communities and how we can make them work better.
Pinned
Jeremy Foote
@jeremydfoote.com
· Nov 16
Hi folks!
I'm Jeremy, I study online communities. A bunch of my work has been on new and small communities and recently I've been doing some stuff on how AI agents can help communities work better.
I'm Jeremy, I study online communities. A bunch of my work has been on new and small communities and recently I've been doing some stuff on how AI agents can help communities work better.
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Batteries for E-Bikes from Rad Power Bikes Due to Fire Hazard; Risk of Serious Injury or Death www.cpsc.gov/Warnings/202...
November 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Batteries for E-Bikes from Rad Power Bikes Due to Fire Hazard; Risk of Serious Injury or Death www.cpsc.gov/Warnings/202...
What's the most clichéd academic paper title template?
It has to be "Mind the .* Gap", right?
It has to be "Mind the .* Gap", right?
November 19, 2025 at 6:52 PM
What's the most clichéd academic paper title template?
It has to be "Mind the .* Gap", right?
It has to be "Mind the .* Gap", right?
Another quick thought about LLMs:
In the real world, we should always assume that "exponential" growth curves are actually logistic curves.
That is, anything that connects to the real world will eventually be resource constrained in some way, and growth will slow...
In the real world, we should always assume that "exponential" growth curves are actually logistic curves.
That is, anything that connects to the real world will eventually be resource constrained in some way, and growth will slow...
November 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Another quick thought about LLMs:
In the real world, we should always assume that "exponential" growth curves are actually logistic curves.
That is, anything that connects to the real world will eventually be resource constrained in some way, and growth will slow...
In the real world, we should always assume that "exponential" growth curves are actually logistic curves.
That is, anything that connects to the real world will eventually be resource constrained in some way, and growth will slow...
A hopeful thought about LLMs:
Because they involve sharing information between people, they will always require moderation, servers, etc. These needs lead to some level of centralization (and in practice, corporate ownership).
LLMs are different—very capable models can already be run on a laptop..
Because they involve sharing information between people, they will always require moderation, servers, etc. These needs lead to some level of centralization (and in practice, corporate ownership).
LLMs are different—very capable models can already be run on a laptop..
November 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A hopeful thought about LLMs:
Because they involve sharing information between people, they will always require moderation, servers, etc. These needs lead to some level of centralization (and in practice, corporate ownership).
LLMs are different—very capable models can already be run on a laptop..
Because they involve sharing information between people, they will always require moderation, servers, etc. These needs lead to some level of centralization (and in practice, corporate ownership).
LLMs are different—very capable models can already be run on a laptop..
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 7:16 PM
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
BBC really burying the lede there
November 7, 2025 at 12:07 PM
BBC really burying the lede there
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
Join the CDSC on Nov. 7th for our next Community Dialogue!
Northwestern Student Matt Gaughan and Dr. Igor Steinmacher will discuss how FLOSS projects adapt their work processes to recruit new contributors and build the project communities that they want. Learn more and register:
Northwestern Student Matt Gaughan and Dr. Igor Steinmacher will discuss how FLOSS projects adapt their work processes to recruit new contributors and build the project communities that they want. Learn more and register:
The Impacts of Organizational Interventions in Open Source Software Engineering - CommunityData
Please read the Virtual Event Code of Conduct. We will be recording the event presentations, but not discussions.
wiki.communitydata.science
October 28, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Join the CDSC on Nov. 7th for our next Community Dialogue!
Northwestern Student Matt Gaughan and Dr. Igor Steinmacher will discuss how FLOSS projects adapt their work processes to recruit new contributors and build the project communities that they want. Learn more and register:
Northwestern Student Matt Gaughan and Dr. Igor Steinmacher will discuss how FLOSS projects adapt their work processes to recruit new contributors and build the project communities that they want. Learn more and register:
There once was a man named Oz'mandias,
Who had thought that he was the grandiest.
"Look on me and despair"
But now nobody cares
And nothing remains but the sandy dust.
Who had thought that he was the grandiest.
"Look on me and despair"
But now nobody cares
And nothing remains but the sandy dust.
October 31, 2025 at 3:49 PM
There once was a man named Oz'mandias,
Who had thought that he was the grandiest.
"Look on me and despair"
But now nobody cares
And nothing remains but the sandy dust.
Who had thought that he was the grandiest.
"Look on me and despair"
But now nobody cares
And nothing remains but the sandy dust.
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
This morning, I’m at the CSCW conference in a session on “Activism in a Time if Data.” Most of the papers seem to assume activism for “good,” ending with design recs for supporting activism. As far as I can tell, none of the papers center right wing activism. Seems like we have a massive blind spot.
October 21, 2025 at 9:25 AM
This morning, I’m at the CSCW conference in a session on “Activism in a Time if Data.” Most of the papers seem to assume activism for “good,” ending with design recs for supporting activism. As far as I can tell, none of the papers center right wing activism. Seems like we have a massive blind spot.
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
so sick of the explore-exploit dilemma, how about something new?
October 6, 2025 at 12:58 PM
so sick of the explore-exploit dilemma, how about something new?
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
If you've ever wanted to learn how to make beautiful websites with #QuartoPub and #rstats , check out this workshop I'm giving in a couple weeks! It'll be a blast (and we're covering Quarto's brand new _brand dot yaml system!)
Learn to create and publish a professional, data-focused website in “Create an Online Presence with Quarto Websites” on October 16-17, with @andrew.heiss.phd! Discover how to use #Quarto to build a variety of websites like personal portfolios, research compendiums, and interactive dashboards.
Quarto Websites | Online Seminar | Code Horizons
This online course taught by Andrew Heiss, Ph.D., teaches you how to use Quarto to build a variety of data-focused websites.
codehorizons.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:36 PM
If you've ever wanted to learn how to make beautiful websites with #QuartoPub and #rstats , check out this workshop I'm giving in a couple weeks! It'll be a blast (and we're covering Quarto's brand new _brand dot yaml system!)
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
I'm teaching a proseminar this semester for new PhD students. We're reading @jessicacalarco.com's great book, "A Field Guide to Grad School" & we're talking about academic jargon tomorrow. What's some academic jargon you took a long time to understand? Any weird jargon I should share with students?
September 25, 2025 at 12:28 AM
I'm teaching a proseminar this semester for new PhD students. We're reading @jessicacalarco.com's great book, "A Field Guide to Grad School" & we're talking about academic jargon tomorrow. What's some academic jargon you took a long time to understand? Any weird jargon I should share with students?
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN.
It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.
Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats
It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package.
Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats
ggplot2 4.0.0
A new major version of ggplot2 has been released on CRAN. Find out what is new here.
www.tidyverse.org
September 11, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
Thinking about applying to grad school? Wonder what it’s like to pursue a PhD or MS? Interested in the intersect of technology and society? CDSC is hosting a Q&A session for prospective students on Sept. 26th at 12pm CT. Learn more and register here: blog.communitydata.science/prospective-...
Prospective PhD Student Q&A – September 26th
Thinking about applying to graduate school? Wonder what it’s like to pursue a PhD or M.S.? Interested in understanding relationships between technology and society? Curious about how to do research…
blog.communitydata.science
September 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Thinking about applying to grad school? Wonder what it’s like to pursue a PhD or MS? Interested in the intersect of technology and society? CDSC is hosting a Q&A session for prospective students on Sept. 26th at 12pm CT. Learn more and register here: blog.communitydata.science/prospective-...
I am recruiting PhD students this year!
Our research group is holding an info session in a few weeks - details are at blog.communitydata.science/prospective-... , including a sign-up link.
Our research group is holding an info session in a few weeks - details are at blog.communitydata.science/prospective-... , including a sign-up link.
Prospective PhD Student Q&A – September 26th
Thinking about applying to graduate school? Wonder what it’s like to pursue a PhD or M.S.? Interested in understanding relationships between technology and society? Curious about how to do research…
blog.communitydata.science
September 11, 2025 at 12:54 PM
I am recruiting PhD students this year!
Our research group is holding an info session in a few weeks - details are at blog.communitydata.science/prospective-... , including a sign-up link.
Our research group is holding an info session in a few weeks - details are at blog.communitydata.science/prospective-... , including a sign-up link.
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
🧵 Colleagues, I have a methods question and could do with some help: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘋𝘋 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 '𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴'
I'll give a general overview of the project and design below, so please do follow along and chime in with any advice!
I'll give a general overview of the project and design below, so please do follow along and chime in with any advice!
September 8, 2025 at 11:36 AM
🧵 Colleagues, I have a methods question and could do with some help: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘋𝘋 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 '𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴'
I'll give a general overview of the project and design below, so please do follow along and chime in with any advice!
I'll give a general overview of the project and design below, so please do follow along and chime in with any advice!
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Technology, Society, and Power at UMSI. Apps due Nov 1.
www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...
www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Technology, Society, and Power | umsi
The University of Michigan School of Information invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Technology, Society, and Power.
www.si.umich.edu
August 27, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Technology, Society, and Power at UMSI. Apps due Nov 1.
www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...
www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
Illustrating the first point: the talk is by Korean man who works at a British university, he's presenting ideas based on previous work by American thinkers, speaking at a Dutch university, to an audience from around the world. The casual cosmopolitanism of academia is striking to me in these times.
Academic conference about to begin and it's a nice vibe. Internationalist in spirit, lotta nerds into our niche thing (Hasok Chang is giving a talk on the concept of truth and pragmatism in the sciences!), lots of pleasant conversation, and wonderful work by staff and organisers to make it happen.
August 27, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Illustrating the first point: the talk is by Korean man who works at a British university, he's presenting ideas based on previous work by American thinkers, speaking at a Dutch university, to an audience from around the world. The casual cosmopolitanism of academia is striking to me in these times.
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
I'm thinking a lot about the debate around whether LMs can "understand." Enter a new thought experiment I call "the lean Chinese room." IMO, it shows how the pressure of compression and speed blurs the line between symbol-shuffling and understanding.
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/the-lean-c...
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/the-lean-c...
August 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I'm thinking a lot about the debate around whether LMs can "understand." Enter a new thought experiment I call "the lean Chinese room." IMO, it shows how the pressure of compression and speed blurs the line between symbol-shuffling and understanding.
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/the-lean-c...
doomscrollingbabel.manoel.xyz/p/the-lean-c...
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
I'm co-organizing #CSCW NE, an in-person regional gathering for people in Northeast America, alongside some folks from Stevens, Rutgers, and Princeton. If you want to come hang out (especially if you can't make it out to the full conference in Bergen this year), RSVP at cscw-ne.hci.social!
August 12, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I'm co-organizing #CSCW NE, an in-person regional gathering for people in Northeast America, alongside some folks from Stevens, Rutgers, and Princeton. If you want to come hang out (especially if you can't make it out to the full conference in Bergen this year), RSVP at cscw-ne.hci.social!
Perfect weather for freshman move in day 😐
August 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Perfect weather for freshman move in day 😐
Reposted by Jeremy Foote
Just read this incredible paper by @s0hw.bsky.social & @jeremydfoote.com: Why Do People Participate in Small Online Communities? The authors question the assumption that growth is always good, and instead show many benefits of small online communities. Highly recommended!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Why do People Participate in Small Online Communities? | Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
Many benefits of online communities---such as obtaining new information, opportunities,
and social connections---increase with size. Thus, a "successful'' online community
often evokes an image of hun...
dl.acm.org
August 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Just read this incredible paper by @s0hw.bsky.social & @jeremydfoote.com: Why Do People Participate in Small Online Communities? The authors question the assumption that growth is always good, and instead show many benefits of small online communities. Highly recommended!
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/...
Last day of summer for the kids. Quick trip to Indiana Dunes.
August 12, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Last day of summer for the kids. Quick trip to Indiana Dunes.
I am fascinated with how people come to such different beliefs about the world.
In our new paper, led by Tiwalade Adekunle, we used @lauraknelson.bsky.social's computational grounded theory to compare how a pro-masking subreddit and an anti-masking subreddit talked about risks during COVID.
1/
In our new paper, led by Tiwalade Adekunle, we used @lauraknelson.bsky.social's computational grounded theory to compare how a pro-masking subreddit and an anti-masking subreddit talked about risks during COVID.
1/
Exploring Conceptualizations of COVID-19 Risk in Ideologically Distinct Online Communities: A Computational Grounded Theory Analysis
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on societies and economies around the globe, and experts warn about the potential for similar crises in the future. Risk communication theor...
doi.org
July 1, 2025 at 4:46 AM