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maxzehring.bsky.social
Max Zehring
@maxzehring.bsky.social
200 followers 240 following 7 posts
PhD Student @ TU Ilmenau 🌲
Computational Communication Science 🦑
Researching far-right and conspiracy networks 🕸️
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maxzehring.bsky.social
Max Zehring @maxzehring.bsky.social · Aug 15
✨ New open-access paper ✨

We explored language similarity between Querdenken (Telegram) and German politicians (Twitter). In short: AfD’s communication most similar, but parts of FDP and CDU/CSU also find common ground through discrediting left-wing politics.

Full paper:

🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1369...
The language similarity between corona protest mobilizers on Telegram and German politicians on Twitter
Protest movements against COVID-19 containment measures, like Germany’s Querdenken, aim to put their position on the political agenda. The German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) acted...
doi.org
Reposted by Max Zehring
asheinze.bsky.social
🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 22, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
ralfmichaels.bsky.social
„The Targeting of the Palestinian Academy“ sollte eine wissenschaftliche Konferenz an der @lmumuenchen.bsky.social heissen. Die Universität hat beschlossen, dieses Targeting selbst aktiv zu unterstützen. Ein Skandal. 1/
November 17, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
kunkakom.bsky.social
The billions of research funds channeled into the pockets of Elsevier and other commercial publisher in return for very little actual value is one of academia's big inefficiencies that will eventually be replaced by more attractive Community-run alternatives
November 14, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
casmudde.bsky.social
Genocidal rhetoric leads to genocidal behavior
Israeli soldiers speak out on killings of Gaza civilians
IDF soldiers tell documentary of opening fire unprovoked and arbitrary designations of who was an enemy
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
pettertornberg.com
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text

But... can they? We don’t actually know.

In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.

And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
dprex.bsky.social
🥳Excited to share our first social media data doi.org/10.4232/1.14... of Telegram COVID-19 protest mobilization 2020–2022 in Germany, covering 5.6M messages from 900+ public channels & groups, conducted by @hdschulze.bsky.social @buehling.bsky.social @maxzehring.bsky.social
DP-R|EX Data publication
Telegram COVID-19 Protest Dataset 2020–2022 (TGCPD) How did the movement against COVID-19 containment measures take shape? The newly released Telegram COVID-19 Protest Dataset (TGCPD) provides a uniqu...
dprex.hypotheses.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
benwritesthings.bsky.social
Nine million euros in federal research funding for a project led by a culture warrior which "assumes that anti-Semitic attitudes are 'a given' in a 'Muslim culture'." Meanwhile the critical humanities wither and die.
hahauenstein.bsky.social Hanno Hauenstein @hahauenstein.bsky.social · 27d
„Die formulierten Thesen würden auf der Vorannahme basieren, dass in einem ‚muslimischen Kulturkreis‘ antisemitische Einstellungen ‚per se gegeben‘ seien.“ — Dafür gibt’s dann halt knapp neun Mil. Euro Förderung vom Forschungsministerium an Ahmad Mansour @correctiv.org
correctiv.org/aktuelles/in...
Trotz Kritik: Forschungsministerium fördert umstrittenes Projekt gegen Antisemitismus
Forschungsministerium fördert Antisemitismus-Projekt unter Ahmad Mansour – internen Zweifel an Wissenschaftlichkeit zu Trotz.
correctiv.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
tabouchadi.bsky.social
To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?
October 21, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
freieuniversitaet.bsky.social
❓𝗪𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝘂̈𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝘇𝗮?
Forschende der #FUBerlin @interactfu.bsky.social, @zfk-mr.bsky.social und @dezim-institut.de legen erstmals repräsentative Daten zur Zusammensetzung und Motivation der Teilnehmenden der Pro-Palästina-Demonstration am 27. September vor:
🔗 www.fu-berlin.de/presse/infor...
Foto einer Demonstration, die Siegessäule in Berlin bei Sonnenuntergang. Text: Reflektiert, nicht radikal Neue Umfrage analysiert große Pro-Palästina-Demonstration
October 21, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
ralfmichaels.bsky.social
Goebbels, Tagebücher, zit. nach Martin Broszat, Hitler und die Genesis der 'Endlösung", Vierteljahreshefte für Zeitgeschichte Bd. 25 (1977) 739, 750
www.ifz-muenchen.de/heftarchiv/1...
October 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
robin-c.bsky.social
wir sollten wirklich im Blick behalten, dass das von konservativen & ‚liberalen‘ Angriffen auf postkoloniale Theorie, Gender Studies, rassismuskritische Forschung sowie Wissenschaftsfreiheit & Hochschulautonomie vorbereitet und flankiert wird - auch aus den Medien und Unis heraus
taz.de taz @taz.de · Oct 14
Die AfD Sachsen-Anhalt fragt gezielt nach Listen postkolonialer Seminare und Lehrstühle. Wie die Universitäten beginnen, sich gegen die Angriffe zu wappnen.
AfD hetzt gegen Hochschulen: Angriff auf die Freiheit der Wissenschaft
Die AfD Sachsen-Anhalt fragt gezielt nach Listen postkolonialer Seminare und Lehrstühle. Wie die Universitäten beginnen, sich gegen die Angriffe zu wappnen.
taz.de
October 15, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
strippel.bsky.social
„In einer Gesellschaft, die immer weiter nach rechts rückt, scheint es der HHU wichtiger zu sein, mit dem MKW auf einer Linie zu sein, als unabhängige und kritische Entscheidungen zu treffen. Ein sauberes Image und Sicherheit und Ordnung werden über die akademische und Meinungsfreiheit gestellt…“
Die Universität Düsseldorf bringt Palästinasolidarität zum Schweigen
„Wissenschaft braucht Demokratie. Demokratie braucht Wissenschaft“ – mit diesem Leitsatz wirbt die Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (HHU). Der Umgang des Rektorats mit dem Thema Palästina zeigt, ...
www.disorient.de
October 15, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
onurerdur.bsky.social
Wir sind mittlerweile an einem Punkt angelangt, an dem der Bundeskanzler einfach so - ohne Konsequenzen zu befürchten - von sich geben darf, dass es zu viele störende Ausländer im Stadtbild gebe und es deswegen noch mehr Rückführungen brauche. Was kommt als Nächstes? Was haben wir noch zu erwarten?
bobbybaerchen.bsky.social Waveybobson @bobbybaerchen.bsky.social · Oct 14
Niemand hat die Absicht von Säuberungen zu sprechen
October 14, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
marisakabas.bsky.social
SCOOP: The State Department's new reorganization plan includes the opening of an "Office for Remigration," a term popularized by far right extremists and neo-Nazis in Europe. The office will coordinate directly with DHS "to advance the President’s immigration agenda."

My report:
State Department set to launch ‘Office of Remigration’
The concept of remigration has explicitly neo-Nazi roots and has been popularized in Europe.
www.thehandbasket.co
May 29, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Machado is trying to leverage her Nobel Peace Prize with an appeal for the military invasion of Venezuela by Trump. I wonder whether the Nobel Committee reckoned with conduct like this when they gave her the award.
October 10, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
bohrn-mena.at
Maria Corina #Machado wurde also der #Friedensnobelpreis verliehen. Und viele jubeln jetzt: Ein "Zeichen gegen Trump" sei das, eine Hoffnung für die Welt. Das Gegenteil ist der Fall. Bitte informiert Euch. Als Nachkomme chilenischer Faschismusopfer ist mir das wirklich wichtig. Ein Thread: (1)
October 10, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
hendrikmeyer.bsky.social
Excited to share our new #OpenAccess article in Information, Communication & Society:
“Beyond anti-elitism and out-group attacks: How concerns shape the AfD’s #populist representation on German #TikTok during the 2024 #EU #elections”
/w @julialenz.bsky.social, L. Rodeck & @drfell.bsky.social
(⬇️ 🧵)
October 7, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
jacksapoch.bsky.social
NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war
October 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
tiggi.bsky.social
schade dass man die vegane wurst direkt verboten hat anstatt sie inhaltlich zu stellen und wieder klein zu regieren
October 9, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
jacobinmagazin.bsky.social
»Die Frauen sprechen von ihrer Lebensreise, die im Sozialismus begann und in die heutige Zeit führt, da der Kapitalismus sich im Osten längst konsolidiert hat«, schreibt die Filmjournalistin Angelika Nguyen in ihrer Rezension des neuen Dokumentarfilms »Stolz und Eigensinn«.
Wie DDR-Arbeiterinnen sich in der BRD behaupteten
Im neuen Dokumentarfilm »Stolz und Eigensinn« treffen Arbeiterinnen aus dem Osten auf ihre jüngeren Ichs aus den 90ern. Damals wehrten sie sich dagegen, an den Herd zurückgeschickt zu werden. Dreißig Jahre später finden sie, dass sie im Recht waren.
jacobin.de
October 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
baklavabaddie.bsky.social
wisst ihr noch im t-shirt rausgehen
September 24, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
dgpuk-meth.bsky.social
Die Mittelbauveranstaltung ~Pizza & Perspektiven~ der DGPuK Fachgruppen Methoden und Medienökonomie, moderiert von @buehling.bsky.social und Miriam Bernhard war ein voller Erfolg!
September 18, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
hahauenstein.bsky.social
Germany knew - every step of the way.
September 16, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Max Zehring
maxschindler.bsky.social
Morgenstund hat die 18. Folge Juckt?! im Mund: vm.tiktok.com/ZNdg9YeA4/

Heute geht’s um Migration und inwiefern PolitikerInnen der “Mitte” zur Stimmungsmache beitragen.
TikTok - Make Your Day
vm.tiktok.com
September 16, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by Max Zehring
olivia.science
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
Abstract: Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in the 21st with social media. For these collective blunders, we now regret our involvement or apathy as scientists, and society struggles to put the genie back in the bottle. Currently, we are similarly entangled with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, software updates are rolled out seamlessly and non-consensually, Microsoft Office is bundled with chatbots, and we, our students, and our employers have had no say, as it is not considered a valid position to reject AI technologies in our teaching and research. This is why in June 2025, we co-authored an Open Letter calling on our employers to reverse and rethink their stance on uncritically adopting AI technologies. In this position piece, we expound on why universities must take their role seriously toa) counter the technology industry’s marketing, hype, and harm; and to b) safeguard higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, and scientific integrity. We include pointers to relevant work to further inform our colleagues. Figure 1. A cartoon set theoretic view on various terms (see Table 1) used when discussing the superset AI (black outline, hatched background): LLMs are in orange; ANNs are in magenta; generative models are in blue; and finally, chatbots are in green. Where these intersect, the colours reflect that, e.g. generative adversarial network (GAN) and Boltzmann machine (BM) models are in the purple subset because they are both generative and ANNs. In the case of proprietary closed source models, e.g. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Apple’s Siri, we cannot verify their implementation and so academics can only make educated guesses (cf. Dingemanse 2025). Undefined terms used above: BERT (Devlin et al. 2019); AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al. 2017); A.L.I.C.E. (Wallace 2009); ELIZA (Weizenbaum 1966); Jabberwacky (Twist 2003); linear discriminant analysis (LDA); quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA). Table 1. Below some of the typical terminological disarray is untangled. Importantly, none of these terms are orthogonal nor do they exclusively pick out the types of products we may wish to critique or proscribe. Protecting the Ecosystem of Human Knowledge: Five Principles
September 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM