Jeremy Littau
@jeremylittau.com
I'm not like a regular media sociologist. I'm a cool media sociologist. • Associate Prof Journalism & Comm @LehighU • Near-term futurism scholarship on digital media, internet culture, and society • Exvie wanderer • M-I-Z • http://jeremylittau.substack.com
Pinned
Jeremy Littau
@jeremylittau.com
· Dec 12
Teaching the soul of AI
There’s a sentence I’ve been staring at all week in a student’s final paper:
jeremylittau.substack.com
For the AM crowd, I wrote about a human-centered technology course I teach at Lehigh. The class focuses on finding your purpose in a time of automation and AI, and it's probably the most important class I teach nowadays.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
I saw this one making the rounds the other day and had to say, no, pretty sure that’s AI slop (it was). But even I wasn’t 100% sure at first. www.snopes.com/fact-check/i...
Video of ICE agents' supposed 'attack' on Black church choir isn't what it seems
The video circulated as ICE continued immigration enforcement operations across the U.S.
www.snopes.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:38 PM
I saw this one making the rounds the other day and had to say, no, pretty sure that’s AI slop (it was). But even I wasn’t 100% sure at first. www.snopes.com/fact-check/i...
If you’ve studied the effects of “Napalm Girl” photo from 1972 (you can google it but I warn you it’s really disturbing) you can see below the new world we are in. Photojournalism can shock the conscience to action, but what walls do people put up when surrounded by visual AI slop on social media?
"Some readers, having found the image shocking, wrote to the newspaper suggesting that it must have been produced with artificial intelligence, "
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/u...
Pepper-Sprayed While Pinned Down: A Searing Scene Provokes Outrage
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:18 PM
If you’ve studied the effects of “Napalm Girl” photo from 1972 (you can google it but I warn you it’s really disturbing) you can see below the new world we are in. Photojournalism can shock the conscience to action, but what walls do people put up when surrounded by visual AI slop on social media?
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
"They say they're coming to save us from some evil? They're talking about our neighbors who take care of us ... Alex was murdered while he was helping. Mr Rogers said look for the helpers, & right now the helpers have a target on our forehead ... Mr Rogers would be here right now too, so I'm here."
January 24, 2026 at 9:14 PM
"They say they're coming to save us from some evil? They're talking about our neighbors who take care of us ... Alex was murdered while he was helping. Mr Rogers said look for the helpers, & right now the helpers have a target on our forehead ... Mr Rogers would be here right now too, so I'm here."
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
𝟰:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀...
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
3 separate maps today for total snow + sleet, a sleet-only map, and a freezing rain map. Timing, impacts, and a full discussion is included.
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
3 separate maps today for total snow + sleet, a sleet-only map, and a freezing rain map. Timing, impacts, and a full discussion is included.
January 24, 2026 at 9:00 PM
𝟰:𝟬𝟬𝗽𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀...
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
3 separate maps today for total snow + sleet, a sleet-only map, and a freezing rain map. Timing, impacts, and a full discussion is included.
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
3 separate maps today for total snow + sleet, a sleet-only map, and a freezing rain map. Timing, impacts, and a full discussion is included.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
In a totally unexpected development the dhs explanation of why ice murdered this guy doesn’t appear to hold up to the most basic video analysis
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
January 24, 2026 at 8:04 PM
In a totally unexpected development the dhs explanation of why ice murdered this guy doesn’t appear to hold up to the most basic video analysis
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.
January 24, 2026 at 5:58 PM
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
"What stayed with Amundson most, she said, was not the adrenaline of the moment but the realization that came while she was holding the agent’s head in her hands and keeping his airway open.
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.'"
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.'"
Two women trained as first responders were abducted by three ICE agents. One of the agents starts seizing. The other two don’t know what to do. The women jump into action and save the agent’s life, only to be re-handcuffed and processed.
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
www.startribune.com/detained-by-...
Detained by ICE, two women became first responders during agent’s seizure
The women say they guided agents through the emergency, later raising concerns about medical protocols, weapons safety and accountability.
www.startribune.com
January 24, 2026 at 1:36 PM
"What stayed with Amundson most, she said, was not the adrenaline of the moment but the realization that came while she was holding the agent’s head in her hands and keeping his airway open.
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.'"
“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.'"
12-18” …. Everything is awesome
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺...
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
Ranges of snow are defined today with a full synoptic discussion about this system, including timing, impacts, and precipitation-type breakdown
View it here~> epawaweather.com/weather-aler...
Ranges of snow are defined today with a full synoptic discussion about this system, including timing, impacts, and precipitation-type breakdown
January 23, 2026 at 10:04 PM
12-18” …. Everything is awesome
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
Entirely appropriate that anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis are singing a song from the anti-slavery movement in the 1840s.
MSP airport. Clergy risking risking arrest and a huge gathering of protesters. The song is, “Down to the River to Pray.”
January 23, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
January 23, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
Running off to work on a story.
In the meantime:
Religious left: still a thing.
In the meantime:
Religious left: still a thing.
Arrests calmly ongoing.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
This is going to take a while. There are a lot of clergy risking arrest.
January 23, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Running off to work on a story.
In the meantime:
Religious left: still a thing.
In the meantime:
Religious left: still a thing.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
The 2-year-old saw K-Pop Demon Hunters and is obsessed.
REPORT FROM DAYCARE: "He had a good day. He's been rapping a lot though. He needs to work on stopping rapping and listening to the teachers."
REPORT FROM DAYCARE: "He had a good day. He's been rapping a lot though. He needs to work on stopping rapping and listening to the teachers."
January 23, 2026 at 7:17 PM
The 2-year-old saw K-Pop Demon Hunters and is obsessed.
REPORT FROM DAYCARE: "He had a good day. He's been rapping a lot though. He needs to work on stopping rapping and listening to the teachers."
REPORT FROM DAYCARE: "He had a good day. He's been rapping a lot though. He needs to work on stopping rapping and listening to the teachers."
It's the Year Of Our Lord 2026 and my institution is telling students they have to have a Facebook or Instagram account if they want updated dining information during this weekend's snow emergency. Every year I have a greater % of students who say they aren't on Insta. And they were NEVER on FB.
January 23, 2026 at 7:10 PM
It's the Year Of Our Lord 2026 and my institution is telling students they have to have a Facebook or Instagram account if they want updated dining information during this weekend's snow emergency. Every year I have a greater % of students who say they aren't on Insta. And they were NEVER on FB.
Honest to god unsure if PBS News knows what peace is.
The president's first year back in office has been a year of breaking norms, snatching and bombing adversaries, pushing peace and threatening allies. https://to.pbs.org/4sCEQtg
Trump's worldview and a rapidly changing global order - Compass Points
Donald Trump, the disruptor. The president's first year back in office has been a year of breaking norms, snatching and bombing adversaries, pushing peace and threatening allies. Compass Points modera...
to.pbs.org
January 23, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Honest to god unsure if PBS News knows what peace is.
Slow clap for all the progressives and centrists who got caught up in a moral panic about TikTok and showed no imagination for how the so-called remedy would play out in the hands of the world's worst people.
Trump's buddies now control TikTok in the U.S. www.cnn.com/2026/01/22/t...
The deal to secure TikTok’s future in the US has finally closed | CNN Business
The joint venture acquiring TikTok’s US assets has been formally established and has announced its leadership team, according to the company, one day before the deadline set by President Donald Trump ...
www.cnn.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Slow clap for all the progressives and centrists who got caught up in a moral panic about TikTok and showed no imagination for how the so-called remedy would play out in the hands of the world's worst people.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
I urge leaders of democracies worldwide to step forward and stand with Americans fighting on the ground.
January 23, 2026 at 3:56 PM
I urge leaders of democracies worldwide to step forward and stand with Americans fighting on the ground.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
This must be weird news to see if you’re one of the literally hundreds or even thousands of university administrators who preemptively censored faculty, scrubbed websites, changed the names of centers, etc.
Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges. This leaves in place a federal judge's ruling that the anti-DEI effort violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules. (Via AP) apnews.com/article/dei-... #ncpol #nced
Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges
The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colle...
apnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:45 PM
This must be weird news to see if you’re one of the literally hundreds or even thousands of university administrators who preemptively censored faculty, scrubbed websites, changed the names of centers, etc.
Jack has been all over the story about the prominent clergy response to the ICE operations in Minneapolis. Worth your follow (his religious left book is good too).
Shoutout to the now double-digit number of Minnesotans who have looked at me this morning before I left to go out into the cold and said, with grave seriousness, “please be careful out there.”
January 23, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Jack has been all over the story about the prominent clergy response to the ICE operations in Minneapolis. Worth your follow (his religious left book is good too).
@bmoritz99.bsky.social Don’t let anyone tell you America has lost its ability to innovate.
January 23, 2026 at 2:50 PM
@bmoritz99.bsky.social Don’t let anyone tell you America has lost its ability to innovate.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
I will just keep repeating. I have never never never seen anything like this. 30 years of reporting.
Have a larger story on this coming, but I’ve been embedded with this group, and this story from yesterday is part of what they’ve been doing in the city: religionnews.com/2026/01/22/h...
January 23, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I will just keep repeating. I have never never never seen anything like this. 30 years of reporting.
A tradition unlike any other: the pre-storm grocery panic.
January 23, 2026 at 2:43 PM
A tradition unlike any other: the pre-storm grocery panic.
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
January 22, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
NEW: Earlier today, DHS Sec Kristi Noem posted a photo of federal agents arresting civil rights attorney and ICE protestor Nekima Levy Armstrong.
The White House then posted the same arrest image -- but digitally altered Levy Armstrong's face to depict her sobbing.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
The White House then posted the same arrest image -- but digitally altered Levy Armstrong's face to depict her sobbing.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
White House Uses AI to Alter Protester's Face So That She's Sobbing, Instead of Looking Brave, During Arrest
The White House published an image on X featuring an AI-altered image of an ICE protester crying during her arrest.
futurism.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:34 PM
NEW: Earlier today, DHS Sec Kristi Noem posted a photo of federal agents arresting civil rights attorney and ICE protestor Nekima Levy Armstrong.
The White House then posted the same arrest image -- but digitally altered Levy Armstrong's face to depict her sobbing.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
The White House then posted the same arrest image -- but digitally altered Levy Armstrong's face to depict her sobbing.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
I am not good at remembering my history. What happened to the Titanic again?
Vance on the economy:
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
"You don't turn the Titanic around overnight"
January 22, 2026 at 6:00 PM
I am not good at remembering my history. What happened to the Titanic again?
Reposted by Jeremy Littau
Three AI executives admitting everyone hates their product this week.
OpenAI chair Bret Taylor says AI is 'probably' a bubble, expects correction in coming years
OpenAI chair Bret Taylor says AI is 'probably' a bubble, expects correction in coming years
Taylor said the free market will ultimately determine where the value is and which AI players have the best products.
cnb.cx
January 22, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Three AI executives admitting everyone hates their product this week.