Mike Ananny
@mikeananny.bsky.social
ananny.org
- Media technologies & production cultures
- How sociotechnical systems enact theories of press freedom & “the public”
- GenAI as a public problem
Associate Professor of Communication & Journalism, USC Annenberg
Always 🇨🇦
- Media technologies & production cultures
- How sociotechnical systems enact theories of press freedom & “the public”
- GenAI as a public problem
Associate Professor of Communication & Journalism, USC Annenberg
Always 🇨🇦
Pinned
Mike Ananny
@mikeananny.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Home
[Nuuksio National Park, Finland]
ananny.org
Hiya, just arrived.
I research, teach, & write about how people make communication technologies. In doing so, they often reveal what they think “expression”, “journalism”, & “the public” mean.
I crave media systems that fight climate collapse, technocratic power, & fascism.
Writing @ ananny.org 👋
I research, teach, & write about how people make communication technologies. In doing so, they often reveal what they think “expression”, “journalism”, & “the public” mean.
I crave media systems that fight climate collapse, technocratic power, & fascism.
Writing @ ananny.org 👋
“‘But the deeper problem is the cultural break; the idea that Canadians don't think of Americans as their friends and neighbours, but as adversaries.’” — US Senator Angus King
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
'Cultural break': U.S. senators say relations with Canadian neighbours are suffering | CBC News
The tariffs imposed on Canada by U.S. President Donald Trump have clearly caused economic pain for Canada, but a U.S. senator from Maine says he's more worried about how Canadians are reacting on a pe...
www.cbc.ca
November 24, 2025 at 4:52 AM
“‘But the deeper problem is the cultural break; the idea that Canadians don't think of Americans as their friends and neighbours, but as adversaries.’” — US Senator Angus King
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
“The smart need money; the rich want to seem smart; the staid seek adjacency to what Mr. Summers called ‘life among the lucrative & louche’& Mr. Epstein needed to wash his name using blue-chip people who could be forgiving about infractions against the less powerful” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:52 PM
“The smart need money; the rich want to seem smart; the staid seek adjacency to what Mr. Summers called ‘life among the lucrative & louche’& Mr. Epstein needed to wash his name using blue-chip people who could be forgiving about infractions against the less powerful” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/o...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
Ah, the Generativjugend…
(But mostly upset at how this preys not just on younger students, but the under-resourced teachers who are working their a**es off trying to do right by their kids, and have been conned into thinking that this is the future.)
(But mostly upset at how this preys not just on younger students, but the under-resourced teachers who are working their a**es off trying to do right by their kids, and have been conned into thinking that this is the future.)
November 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Ah, the Generativjugend…
(But mostly upset at how this preys not just on younger students, but the under-resourced teachers who are working their a**es off trying to do right by their kids, and have been conned into thinking that this is the future.)
(But mostly upset at how this preys not just on younger students, but the under-resourced teachers who are working their a**es off trying to do right by their kids, and have been conned into thinking that this is the future.)
Ugh, tech company certifications for kids.
The credentials economy is particularly insidious corporate takeover of learning & knowing.
This bounds tech as “just neutral tools”, builds brand loyalties at young ages, & dampens critical thinking about, eg, the politics & environmental harms of tech.
The credentials economy is particularly insidious corporate takeover of learning & knowing.
This bounds tech as “just neutral tools”, builds brand loyalties at young ages, & dampens critical thinking about, eg, the politics & environmental harms of tech.
Feeling queasy now I've learned that Google is not only now offering Gemini ambassador certificates to teachers but also awarding students and *children* to be corporate AI mascots. Coercive normalization of commercialized digital education. blog.google/outreach-ini...
November 22, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Ugh, tech company certifications for kids.
The credentials economy is particularly insidious corporate takeover of learning & knowing.
This bounds tech as “just neutral tools”, builds brand loyalties at young ages, & dampens critical thinking about, eg, the politics & environmental harms of tech.
The credentials economy is particularly insidious corporate takeover of learning & knowing.
This bounds tech as “just neutral tools”, builds brand loyalties at young ages, & dampens critical thinking about, eg, the politics & environmental harms of tech.
“I can't expect Canadians to change their minds if they aren't getting anything in return—not even a gesture. Trump hasn't done anything to suggest that he gets he's gone too far with Canada”
Across travel, trade, shopping, & media, Canada’s pullback from the US deepens.
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Across travel, trade, shopping, & media, Canada’s pullback from the US deepens.
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Canadians are taking a big step back from the U.S. — and here's the data to prove it | CBC News
In the weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with his punishing tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s "old relationship" with the U.S. would be "over" soon — and now ...
www.cbc.ca
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
“I can't expect Canadians to change their minds if they aren't getting anything in return—not even a gesture. Trump hasn't done anything to suggest that he gets he's gone too far with Canada”
Across travel, trade, shopping, & media, Canada’s pullback from the US deepens.
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Across travel, trade, shopping, & media, Canada’s pullback from the US deepens.
www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
I have been feeling depressed and discouraged that this man has the power and influence he does at my school and in my profession
And I am a tenured professor at Harvard! How much more protected can I be?
Imagine how STUDENTS feel. Junior faculty. This quote nails it
And I am a tenured professor at Harvard! How much more protected can I be?
Imagine how STUDENTS feel. Junior faculty. This quote nails it
November 19, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I have been feeling depressed and discouraged that this man has the power and influence he does at my school and in my profession
And I am a tenured professor at Harvard! How much more protected can I be?
Imagine how STUDENTS feel. Junior faculty. This quote nails it
And I am a tenured professor at Harvard! How much more protected can I be?
Imagine how STUDENTS feel. Junior faculty. This quote nails it
Reposted by Mike Ananny
ICE is building a 24/7 social media monitoring program that would scan Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and dozens of other platforms. Private contractors would turn public posts into enforcement leads fed directly into government databases.
buff.ly/qJjcqIx
buff.ly/qJjcqIx
Always watching: How ICE’s plan to monitor social media 24/7 threatens privacy and civic participation
ICE’s dragnet is expanding across social media, putting everyone’s digital lives into the realm of border and immigration enforcement.
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
ICE is building a 24/7 social media monitoring program that would scan Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and dozens of other platforms. Private contractors would turn public posts into enforcement leads fed directly into government databases.
buff.ly/qJjcqIx
buff.ly/qJjcqIx
I recently reviewed journal submissions that I’m sure were AI-made.
I started reviews in good faith, tried to see author’s POV, phrased feedback to be critical, constructive, encouraging.
Realizing it was AI slop left me angry, disappointed.
We need to talk more abt this feeling of being duped.
I started reviews in good faith, tried to see author’s POV, phrased feedback to be critical, constructive, encouraging.
Realizing it was AI slop left me angry, disappointed.
We need to talk more abt this feeling of being duped.
Hey folks. I have spent *days* reading and meticulously drafting comments on a very lengthy manuscript. Which I have just found includes an AI-faked quote. Attributed to ME.
Here is a thread of my feelings
Here is a thread of my feelings
a man in a blue shirt says " i am untethered and my rage knows no bounds ! "
ALT: a man in a blue shirt says " i am untethered and my rage knows no bounds ! "
media.tenor.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I recently reviewed journal submissions that I’m sure were AI-made.
I started reviews in good faith, tried to see author’s POV, phrased feedback to be critical, constructive, encouraging.
Realizing it was AI slop left me angry, disappointed.
We need to talk more abt this feeling of being duped.
I started reviews in good faith, tried to see author’s POV, phrased feedback to be critical, constructive, encouraging.
Realizing it was AI slop left me angry, disappointed.
We need to talk more abt this feeling of being duped.
Instead of reading that NYT oped ( www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o... ) with a headline that promises a deeper analysis than the article delivers (another NYT tech coverage misfire), read Fred Turner’s new @thebaffler.com piece “The Texan Ideology”: thebaffler.com/salvos/the-t... . It’s smart.
Opinion | I Worked All Over Silicon Valley. This Is How It Lost Its Spine.
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Instead of reading that NYT oped ( www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/o... ) with a headline that promises a deeper analysis than the article delivers (another NYT tech coverage misfire), read Fred Turner’s new @thebaffler.com piece “The Texan Ideology”: thebaffler.com/salvos/the-t... . It’s smart.
Reposted by Mike Ananny
A US citizen filmed federal agents smashing his car window, as authorities begin a surge of immigration enforcement operations in North Carolina.
The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go.
The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go.
November 16, 2025 at 9:14 AM
A US citizen filmed federal agents smashing his car window, as authorities begin a surge of immigration enforcement operations in North Carolina.
The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go.
The Honduran-born Charlotte resident filed a police report after the officers let him go.
I was in a meeting last week where someone said that they’re “incentivizing democratized ecosystems” — 3/3 on ick words.
What, exactly, does this string of words mean? Why does everyone who stands to profit from selling "AI" love to repeat it? And what's the value of slogans that masquerade as history?
sonjadrimmer.com/blog-1/2025/...
sonjadrimmer.com/blog-1/2025/...
"The Printing Press Democratized Knowledge": When Slogans Masquerade as History — Sonja Drimmer
The phrase is said so frequently it seems, like the mechanism it celebrates, to mechanically replicate itself. It's become a favorite catchphrase among tech boosters of any sort (see my post on...
sonjadrimmer.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:35 PM
I was in a meeting last week where someone said that they’re “incentivizing democratized ecosystems” — 3/3 on ick words.
Reposted by Mike Ananny
“I’m Hispanic and I’m dark (skinned), so that’s why they picked me up,” Diaz, a U.S. citizen, said. “It feels scary because I’m wearing a target — you know, pick me up because I’m this color. It shouldn’t be like that.”
Latino US citizens racially profiled by federal immigration agents in Chicago: ‘I felt like a piece of trash’
The Tribune spoke to U.S. citizens and green card holders who have either been questioned or detained during Trump’s Operation Midway Blitz.
www.chicagotribune.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
“I’m Hispanic and I’m dark (skinned), so that’s why they picked me up,” Diaz, a U.S. citizen, said. “It feels scary because I’m wearing a target — you know, pick me up because I’m this color. It shouldn’t be like that.”
Reposted by Mike Ananny
While some elements of AI are genuinely new, the harms it enables are evolutions of those we have seen before, writes Sarah Barrington. It is time to recognize the myth of the “unprecedented” and hold tech accountable, she says.
Generative AI is Neither Too Unprecedented Nor Too New to Regulate | TechPolicy.Press
It is time to recognize the myth of the “unprecedented” and hold tech accountable, writes Sarah Barrington.
buff.ly
November 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
While some elements of AI are genuinely new, the harms it enables are evolutions of those we have seen before, writes Sarah Barrington. It is time to recognize the myth of the “unprecedented” and hold tech accountable, she says.
Reposted by Mike Ananny
“Many of the women say that they were pressured to have unwanted or unnecessary gynecological procedures while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”
"They tried to shut me up by deporting me."
www.npr.org/2020/12/22/9...
www.npr.org/2020/12/22/9...
Dozens Of Women Allege Unwanted Surgeries And Medical Abuse In ICE Custody
More women are coming forward to say they were pressured to have reproductive surgeries they did not want or understand, offering a glimpse into alleged medical abuses at an ICE detention center.
www.npr.org
November 15, 2025 at 3:11 AM
“Many of the women say that they were pressured to have unwanted or unnecessary gynecological procedures while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”
Reposted by Mike Ananny
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
November 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
MAGA’s ongoing war on academic freedom, reflected in headlines from the last 24 hours.
Just today, more signs of authoritarianism & US universities lacking backbones:
Texas A&M: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana University: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Texas A&M: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana University: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana Professor Removed From Class Over White Supremacy Lesson
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Just today, more signs of authoritarianism & US universities lacking backbones:
Texas A&M: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana University: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Texas A&M: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana University: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
This Veterans Day, Americans may like to know a wide coalition of Dutch political parties in Limburg are fighting back against the removal of 2 panels commemorating black veterans at Margraten US WOII cemetery ↘️ www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/call...
Calls for permanent memorial in Limburg to black US liberators - DutchNews.nl
Provincial councillors in Limburg have called for a permanent memorial to black American servicemen to be erected next to the US war cemetery in Margraten after it emerged that panels commemorating th...
www.dutchnews.nl
November 11, 2025 at 2:14 PM
This Veterans Day, Americans may like to know a wide coalition of Dutch political parties in Limburg are fighting back against the removal of 2 panels commemorating black veterans at Margraten US WOII cemetery ↘️ www.dutchnews.nl/2025/11/call...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
November 13, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.
“‘Behind the scenes, we were desperately hoping that USC and OpenAI could come to an institutional level agreement about the use of AI on campus, and we did that.’”
Sigh, desperate indeed.
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/11/12/u...
Sigh, desperate indeed.
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/11/12/u...
USC is joining forces with OpenAI
Free ChatGPT for all students, faculty and staff.
www.uscannenbergmedia.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:21 AM
“‘Behind the scenes, we were desperately hoping that USC and OpenAI could come to an institutional level agreement about the use of AI on campus, and we did that.’”
Sigh, desperate indeed.
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/11/12/u...
Sigh, desperate indeed.
www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/11/12/u...
CBC:
- quickly concludes emails “appear to reveal nothing new or substantive connecting Epstein” to T;
- foregrounds “AI-assisted search” tool “that converts image files into searchable documents” (?)
How exactly does “AI” support “nothing new” finding?
Kinda muddled.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/t...
- quickly concludes emails “appear to reveal nothing new or substantive connecting Epstein” to T;
- foregrounds “AI-assisted search” tool “that converts image files into searchable documents” (?)
How exactly does “AI” support “nothing new” finding?
Kinda muddled.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/t...
Trump is named 1,500 times in the Epstein document dump. Here's why that number doesn't matter | CBC News
Donald Trump's name appears at least 1,500 times in documents from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein made public Wednesday by Republicans in the U.S. Congress, according to an AI-assisted search of the ma...
www.cbc.ca
November 13, 2025 at 4:37 AM
CBC:
- quickly concludes emails “appear to reveal nothing new or substantive connecting Epstein” to T;
- foregrounds “AI-assisted search” tool “that converts image files into searchable documents” (?)
How exactly does “AI” support “nothing new” finding?
Kinda muddled.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/t...
- quickly concludes emails “appear to reveal nothing new or substantive connecting Epstein” to T;
- foregrounds “AI-assisted search” tool “that converts image files into searchable documents” (?)
How exactly does “AI” support “nothing new” finding?
Kinda muddled.
www.cbc.ca/news/world/t...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
Major new @knightcolumbia.org initiative will address the role of the legal profession in the defense of democratic values and institutions. Excited to have the chance to work with Prof Madhav Khosla on this. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...
New Knight Institute Initiative Will Explore the Role of the Legal Profession in an Age of Authoritarianism
knightcolumbia.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Major new @knightcolumbia.org initiative will address the role of the legal profession in the defense of democratic values and institutions. Excited to have the chance to work with Prof Madhav Khosla on this. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
These pardons are not backward looking, but forward, telling the next group of election conspirators that they will be pardoned too www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump pardons Giuliani, Meadows and others over plot to steal 2020 election
Federal clemency towards president’s close allies largely symbolic as some still face legal exposure at state level
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
These pardons are not backward looking, but forward, telling the next group of election conspirators that they will be pardoned too www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Mike Ananny
“This was a very very bad vote”
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 AM
“This was a very very bad vote”
Reposted by Mike Ananny
Every single Dem that caved and agreed to this deal needs to be primaried and voted out. They are cowards who wasted the last month for a half baked promise vote a month from now.
November 10, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Every single Dem that caved and agreed to this deal needs to be primaried and voted out. They are cowards who wasted the last month for a half baked promise vote a month from now.