Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
@lorenzspreen.bsky.social
Heading the Computational Social Science group within SynoSys & ScaDS.AI at TU Dresden, where we study how online information environments impact public discourse and develop alternatives that benefit democracy.
CSS-Group: https://css-synosys.github.io/
CSS-Group: https://css-synosys.github.io/
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
A tiny minority of highly active users produce the majority of online political content, while most users consume content passively and remain largely silent.
Toxic comments are more likely to be expressed, even though most people disagree with them, creating false norms.
osf.io/preprints/so...
Toxic comments are more likely to be expressed, even though most people disagree with them, creating false norms.
osf.io/preprints/so...
November 23, 2025 at 7:15 PM
A tiny minority of highly active users produce the majority of online political content, while most users consume content passively and remain largely silent.
Toxic comments are more likely to be expressed, even though most people disagree with them, creating false norms.
osf.io/preprints/so...
Toxic comments are more likely to be expressed, even though most people disagree with them, creating false norms.
osf.io/preprints/so...
We haven’t really tried alternative Social Media. Just little bits of transparency about from where and how information is reaching us, is used by people immediately. If chosen well, such cues could empower users and reward quality. Some suggestions from some time ago: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 23, 2025 at 7:28 PM
We haven’t really tried alternative Social Media. Just little bits of transparency about from where and how information is reaching us, is used by people immediately. If chosen well, such cues could empower users and reward quality. Some suggestions from some time ago: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Social media could work differently. We teach digital literacy, but ppl often can’t apply those lessons w/in systems that obscure where info comes from & how it gets to them. What might social media look like if users had better signals of information provenance? www.rawstory.com/maga-foreign...
Internet erupts as MAGA influencers exposed for being based in other countries
A large number of MAGA social media influencers were exposed over the weekend as being being based in other countries.Podcaster Matt Binder posted screenshots showing that Charlie’s Voice Rising, a po...
www.rawstory.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Social media could work differently. We teach digital literacy, but ppl often can’t apply those lessons w/in systems that obscure where info comes from & how it gets to them. What might social media look like if users had better signals of information provenance? www.rawstory.com/maga-foreign...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Interesting preprint from @lorenzspreen.bsky.social's team using LLMs to classify misleading social media posts of German politicians by platform and party belonging.
Link here: osf.io/preprints/so...
Link here: osf.io/preprints/so...
November 21, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Interesting preprint from @lorenzspreen.bsky.social's team using LLMs to classify misleading social media posts of German politicians by platform and party belonging.
Link here: osf.io/preprints/so...
Link here: osf.io/preprints/so...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
The official CDC website on autism and vaccines is now a screed of cherry-picked data and conspiratorial thinking claiming that actually vaccines *might* cause autism.
This is where we’re at folks…
This is where we’re at folks…
November 20, 2025 at 11:35 AM
The official CDC website on autism and vaccines is now a screed of cherry-picked data and conspiratorial thinking claiming that actually vaccines *might* cause autism.
This is where we’re at folks…
This is where we’re at folks…
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
🔥 NEW PUBLICATION: What is the state of generative AI and disinformation? Aqsa Farooq and I edited an #openaccess, special issue section of the International Journal of Communication, including a scene-setting Introduction article ⬇️
🧵[1/3]
ijoc.org/index.php/ij...
🧵[1/3]
ijoc.org/index.php/ij...
Generative AI and Disinformation| (Generative) AI and Disinformation—Introduction
| International Journal of Communication
ijoc.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:41 AM
🔥 NEW PUBLICATION: What is the state of generative AI and disinformation? Aqsa Farooq and I edited an #openaccess, special issue section of the International Journal of Communication, including a scene-setting Introduction article ⬇️
🧵[1/3]
ijoc.org/index.php/ij...
🧵[1/3]
ijoc.org/index.php/ij...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Heute läuft der deutsch-französische #EUSummit25. In der aktuellen geopolitischen Lage braucht es klare Akzente, doch digitale #Souveränität ist weit mehr als Cloud & KI. Im @grimmeinstitut.bsky.social Interview erkläre ich, warum wir digitale #Souveränität und Demokratie zusammendenken müssen:
Dr. Jonas Fegert zum Verhältnis von digitaler Souveränität & Demokratie – Grimme Lab
www.grimme-lab.de
November 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Heute läuft der deutsch-französische #EUSummit25. In der aktuellen geopolitischen Lage braucht es klare Akzente, doch digitale #Souveränität ist weit mehr als Cloud & KI. Im @grimmeinstitut.bsky.social Interview erkläre ich, warum wir digitale #Souveränität und Demokratie zusammendenken müssen:
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Great perspective from #CDSM2025: causal inference is 'what-if' analysis. You don’t have to get everything perfect—or how dare you use the c-word. What matters is laying out your assumptions transparently and showing us what happens when they're violated.
November 15, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Great perspective from #CDSM2025: causal inference is 'what-if' analysis. You don’t have to get everything perfect—or how dare you use the c-word. What matters is laying out your assumptions transparently and showing us what happens when they're violated.
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Unser #DatensatzdesMonats: Einblicke in die Querdenken-Szene 2021: Einstellungen, Motive und politische Orientierung von Marvin Stein (Socium Universität Bremen).
#Facts: standardisierte, quantitative Online-Befragung auf Telegram im August 2021 mit 5.543 Interviews:
doi.org/10.4232/1.14540
#Facts: standardisierte, quantitative Online-Befragung auf Telegram im August 2021 mit 5.543 Interviews:
doi.org/10.4232/1.14540
November 12, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Unser #DatensatzdesMonats: Einblicke in die Querdenken-Szene 2021: Einstellungen, Motive und politische Orientierung von Marvin Stein (Socium Universität Bremen).
#Facts: standardisierte, quantitative Online-Befragung auf Telegram im August 2021 mit 5.543 Interviews:
doi.org/10.4232/1.14540
#Facts: standardisierte, quantitative Online-Befragung auf Telegram im August 2021 mit 5.543 Interviews:
doi.org/10.4232/1.14540
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
New paper!
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 12, 2025 at 11:56 AM
New paper!
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Behavioral data can be very detailed but are usually aggregated and normalized in ways that smother the dynamics. Ben wrote a continuous-time Markov model to improve on this, and also wrote simulations for exploring and validating pipelines. All the code is here: github.com/BenKawam/ASN...
New paper!
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 12, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Behavioral data can be very detailed but are usually aggregated and normalized in ways that smother the dynamics. Ben wrote a continuous-time Markov model to improve on this, and also wrote simulations for exploring and validating pipelines. All the code is here: github.com/BenKawam/ASN...
Debate or talking past each other?
In a new preprint, we quantify the arguments that German politicians put forward for and against wealth taxation. Led by @saminenno.bsky.social, with more information in his thread below 👇
In a new preprint, we quantify the arguments that German politicians put forward for and against wealth taxation. Led by @saminenno.bsky.social, with more information in his thread below 👇
How do German MPs debate wealth taxation on social media?
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
November 12, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Debate or talking past each other?
In a new preprint, we quantify the arguments that German politicians put forward for and against wealth taxation. Led by @saminenno.bsky.social, with more information in his thread below 👇
In a new preprint, we quantify the arguments that German politicians put forward for and against wealth taxation. Led by @saminenno.bsky.social, with more information in his thread below 👇
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
How do German MPs debate wealth taxation on social media?
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
November 12, 2025 at 9:08 AM
How do German MPs debate wealth taxation on social media?
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
We’re hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher to help lead my interdisciplinary team at FZI!
Work with us on the automated analysis and countering of #disinformation — at the intersection of AI, computational social science, and #democracy.
👉 Please apply and share! karriere.fzi.de/Vacancies/11...
Work with us on the automated analysis and countering of #disinformation — at the intersection of AI, computational social science, and #democracy.
👉 Please apply and share! karriere.fzi.de/Vacancies/11...
November 10, 2025 at 11:32 AM
We’re hiring a Postdoctoral Researcher to help lead my interdisciplinary team at FZI!
Work with us on the automated analysis and countering of #disinformation — at the intersection of AI, computational social science, and #democracy.
👉 Please apply and share! karriere.fzi.de/Vacancies/11...
Work with us on the automated analysis and countering of #disinformation — at the intersection of AI, computational social science, and #democracy.
👉 Please apply and share! karriere.fzi.de/Vacancies/11...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Check out "Berlin ATProto Meetup" smokesignal.events/did:plc:oals...
Berlin ATProto Meetup
We invite you to our inaugural Berlin ATProto community day / Nov 18th - the day before Eurosky in Berlin.
Time: 10am - 4pm CET
Venue: is now confirmed to be EDGE Grand Central, Invalidenstraße 65, ...
smokesignal.events
November 8, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Check out "Berlin ATProto Meetup" smokesignal.events/did:plc:oals...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
⏰ Last chance to register for #CDSM2025!
Don't miss your chance to join us Nov 12–13 for two days of talks & debates at the intersection of causality, data science & AI.
💻 Online | 🎟️ Free
👉 causalscience.org
Don't miss your chance to join us Nov 12–13 for two days of talks & debates at the intersection of causality, data science & AI.
💻 Online | 🎟️ Free
👉 causalscience.org
November 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
⏰ Last chance to register for #CDSM2025!
Don't miss your chance to join us Nov 12–13 for two days of talks & debates at the intersection of causality, data science & AI.
💻 Online | 🎟️ Free
👉 causalscience.org
Don't miss your chance to join us Nov 12–13 for two days of talks & debates at the intersection of causality, data science & AI.
💻 Online | 🎟️ Free
👉 causalscience.org
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
NEW: In a recent Oxford-led study by @mmosleh.bsky.social, researchers analysed millions of social media posts containing links to news stories, across seven different social platforms.
Read the full research paper here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Read the full research paper here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
October 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM
NEW: In a recent Oxford-led study by @mmosleh.bsky.social, researchers analysed millions of social media posts containing links to news stories, across seven different social platforms.
Read the full research paper here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Read the full research paper here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Thank you @techpolicypress.bsky.social and @ramshajahangir.bsky.social for giving me the space to rant about the “end” of political advertising on social media in the EU!
Meta and Google’s decision to ban political ads in the EU isn’t just a regulatory adjustment, it’s a setback for accountability and election integrity, writes Fabio Votta. Drawing on 5 years of tracking political ads, he explores the ban's impact on transparency.
buff.ly/BRbLgUw
buff.ly/BRbLgUw
What Data Reveals About Meta and Google’s Political Ad Ban in the EU | TechPolicy.Press
The ad ban is a complete failure of platform responsibility that will make elections less transparent and more vulnerable to algorithms, writes Fabio Votta.
www.techpolicy.press
November 3, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Thank you @techpolicypress.bsky.social and @ramshajahangir.bsky.social for giving me the space to rant about the “end” of political advertising on social media in the EU!
How prevalent is misinformation really? Many detection methods rely on URL/Source-level, but they miss a big part of posts that don't include links.
In a new preprint from the group, led by @saminenno.bsky.social, we analyze 10x more posts from German politicians on four platforms.
thread below👇
In a new preprint from the group, led by @saminenno.bsky.social, we analyze 10x more posts from German politicians on four platforms.
thread below👇
November 3, 2025 at 5:06 PM
How prevalent is misinformation really? Many detection methods rely on URL/Source-level, but they miss a big part of posts that don't include links.
In a new preprint from the group, led by @saminenno.bsky.social, we analyze 10x more posts from German politicians on four platforms.
thread below👇
In a new preprint from the group, led by @saminenno.bsky.social, we analyze 10x more posts from German politicians on four platforms.
thread below👇
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Happy to share our new preprint “Content-based detection of misinformation expands its scope across politicians and platforms.” We analyzed misinformation at the text level in posts by German politicians on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
osf.io/preprints/so... 🧵1/8
osf.io/preprints/so... 🧵1/8
OSF
osf.io
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Happy to share our new preprint “Content-based detection of misinformation expands its scope across politicians and platforms.” We analyzed misinformation at the text level in posts by German politicians on Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok.
osf.io/preprints/so... 🧵1/8
osf.io/preprints/so... 🧵1/8
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
It is happening 👇
📊 The #DSA data access portal is live, and VLOPs/VLOSEs have begun publishing their data catalogues.
Trying to collect the links again: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Trying to collect the links again: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
October 29, 2025 at 5:03 PM
It is happening 👇
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Selective Causal Focus: Research produced and funded by tech companies often either frames problems as user-driven, or solutions as the obligation of users (E.g. community notes). Distracting us from their design, business model, interface, and other causes steering us away from their profit model
October 24, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Selective Causal Focus: Research produced and funded by tech companies often either frames problems as user-driven, or solutions as the obligation of users (E.g. community notes). Distracting us from their design, business model, interface, and other causes steering us away from their profit model
Had a great time @css-lmu.bsky.social in Munich, leaving with many ideas and connections. Thanks for having me!
This week, we have @lorenzspreen.bsky.social visiting our lab. He presented his work on disinformation classification and toxicity in group discussions on Reddit. He also has a new CSS group, check it out: css-synosys.github.io
October 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Had a great time @css-lmu.bsky.social in Munich, leaving with many ideas and connections. Thanks for having me!
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Across social media sites, political posting is tightly linked to affective #polarization - the most partisan users post the most
As casual users disengage & polarized partisans remain vocal, the online public sphere grows smaller, sharper, and more ideologically extreme
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
As casual users disengage & polarized partisans remain vocal, the online public sphere grows smaller, sharper, and more ideologically extreme
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
October 30, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Across social media sites, political posting is tightly linked to affective #polarization - the most partisan users post the most
As casual users disengage & polarized partisans remain vocal, the online public sphere grows smaller, sharper, and more ideologically extreme
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
As casual users disengage & polarized partisans remain vocal, the online public sphere grows smaller, sharper, and more ideologically extreme
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417