Tonia Sutherland
@toniasutherland.bsky.social
thinker. writer. lover. scholar of archives, community, & technology @ ucla. island girl. hoper of hopes.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
my wife and her entire team were fired over Zoom from their program manager jobs at a local nonprofit Seattle hospital this Spring because Trump just stopped paying Medicaid reimbursements. and this is a relatively affluent urban center
we're really not prepared for what's coming
we're really not prepared for what's coming
As a direct result of President Trump's Big Ugly Bill, almost 300 jobs will be cut from Providence Swedish's First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard, and Issaquah hospitals and clinics. These are not the only layoffs we've seen in our health care system in Washington state in recent months.
Providence Swedish to eliminate nearly 300 positions
The cuts will affect jobs at Providence Swedish’s First Hill, Cherry Hill, Ballard and Issaquah hospitals and nearby clinics.
www.seattletimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
my wife and her entire team were fired over Zoom from their program manager jobs at a local nonprofit Seattle hospital this Spring because Trump just stopped paying Medicaid reimbursements. and this is a relatively affluent urban center
we're really not prepared for what's coming
we're really not prepared for what's coming
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Sobering thread. LLMs are helping deluded people organize, expand, and spread their delusions.
These are monstrously destructive products that no healthy society should condone, much less enable, subsidize, and partner with.
These are monstrously destructive products that no healthy society should condone, much less enable, subsidize, and partner with.
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Sobering thread. LLMs are helping deluded people organize, expand, and spread their delusions.
These are monstrously destructive products that no healthy society should condone, much less enable, subsidize, and partner with.
These are monstrously destructive products that no healthy society should condone, much less enable, subsidize, and partner with.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
A fascinating insight into a phenomenon I’ve seen myself: my emails from randos with AI delusions are no less delusional these days, but they are now clean, precise, and stylized rather than email versions of Charlie’s pinboard. Chatbots are fueling user madness and then dressing it up as science.
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
A fascinating insight into a phenomenon I’ve seen myself: my emails from randos with AI delusions are no less delusional these days, but they are now clean, precise, and stylized rather than email versions of Charlie’s pinboard. Chatbots are fueling user madness and then dressing it up as science.
Great thread.
“The AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.”
“The AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.”
Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.
November 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Great thread.
“The AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.”
“The AI has inadvertently become part of the referral pathway for people spiralling down a rabbit hole.”
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
I've written about "disordered counterpublics" groups that reinforce shared delusions Here, the LLM becomes a 1 person counterpublic. It mirrors assumptions, absorbs contradictions, & provides the sense of a responsive, confirming audience.
It is the architecture of disordered discourse, automated.
It is the architecture of disordered discourse, automated.
November 19, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I've written about "disordered counterpublics" groups that reinforce shared delusions Here, the LLM becomes a 1 person counterpublic. It mirrors assumptions, absorbs contradictions, & provides the sense of a responsive, confirming audience.
It is the architecture of disordered discourse, automated.
It is the architecture of disordered discourse, automated.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
LLMs give people with delusional belief systems a way to organise those beliefs. The model fills in gaps, supplies connective tissue, and wraps the madness in formal language.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
November 19, 2025 at 2:22 PM
LLMs give people with delusional belief systems a way to organise those beliefs. The model fills in gaps, supplies connective tissue, and wraps the madness in formal language.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
It doesn't make the claims more credible to us, it just tidies them up.
I will note here, for anyone interested, that UMass Amherst has one of the strongest faculty/librarian unions in the country.
TT job here at UMass in 20th cen African American history; application deadline is December 1; more info here: careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Details - Assistant Professor/20th Century African American History | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 19, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I will note here, for anyone interested, that UMass Amherst has one of the strongest faculty/librarian unions in the country.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
TT job here at UMass in 20th cen African American history; application deadline is December 1; more info here: careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Details - Assistant Professor/20th Century African American History | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
TT job here at UMass in 20th cen African American history; application deadline is December 1; more info here: careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u... 🗃️
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
I'm someone who did early decision (I told y'all, I really loved UVA) and I wholeheartedly agree
Highly selective colleges have been leaning into early decision. At more than 70 colleges and universities last year, they enrolled 40%+ of their class through ED. Evan Mandery and I are asking them to reverse course in this @bostonglobe.com op-ed. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/15/o...
Why top colleges should cut back on early decision admissions - The Boston Globe
Colleges have increasingly relied upon early decision to secure ever-larger portions of their entering classes. But the early decision edge goes largely to students who already have a big leg up on th...
www.bostonglobe.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:09 PM
I'm someone who did early decision (I told y'all, I really loved UVA) and I wholeheartedly agree
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
We should not mandate AP exams.
If high schools and elite colleges are holding students and teachers accountable for AP test results, you have a strong incentive to fix this problem.
November 19, 2025 at 2:37 PM
We should not mandate AP exams.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Were you aware that the construction workers who demolished the East Wing were required to sign NDAs?
www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/p...
Mum’s the word from workers on East Wing demolition, including some who say they’ve signed NDAs | CNN Politics
Construction workers in lime green vests, hoodies and hard hats who have spent the last several days clearing the White House’s East Wing departed through the Treasury grounds on their way out for lun...
www.cnn.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Were you aware that the construction workers who demolished the East Wing were required to sign NDAs?
www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/p...
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Solidarity with the faculty at The New School, one of the most important institutions for humanistic research in the US over the past 75 years.
The New School is now a place where students cannot major in History, Anthropology, Sociology, Global Policy & International Affairs, Global Studies, Urban Studies, or Environmental Studies. And more pauses, closures, and mergers coming down the pike this week. The future is uncertain.
November 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Solidarity with the faculty at The New School, one of the most important institutions for humanistic research in the US over the past 75 years.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Made this, it’s fucking delicious (it’s cranberry, pear, orange). America’s Test Kitchen is doing gift links now!!!
Enjoy this complimentary ATK recipe—no login required—for the next 30 days.
Enjoy this complimentary ATK recipe—no login required—for the next 30 days.
Holiday Jam | America's Test Kitchen
This easy-to-make jam is packed with the classic flavors of the winter holiday season.
www.americastestkitchen.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Made this, it’s fucking delicious (it’s cranberry, pear, orange). America’s Test Kitchen is doing gift links now!!!
Enjoy this complimentary ATK recipe—no login required—for the next 30 days.
Enjoy this complimentary ATK recipe—no login required—for the next 30 days.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
"We have built this issue as a haunted house. Each entry is a room that invites you to commune with a distinct ghost and its manner of haunting. By tracing alternative genealogies and shadow histories, we set out to [unveil] hauntings in the endless churn of generative output."
Limn Issue 13: Ghostwriters is out now online and in print.
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
November 18, 2025 at 10:47 PM
"We have built this issue as a haunted house. Each entry is a room that invites you to commune with a distinct ghost and its manner of haunting. By tracing alternative genealogies and shadow histories, we set out to [unveil] hauntings in the endless churn of generative output."
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Limn Issue 13: Ghostwriters is out now online and in print.
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
November 6, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Limn Issue 13: Ghostwriters is out now online and in print.
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
Become your own ghost anywhere with the link below.
limn.press/issue/ghostw...
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
“I think it’s absolutely a genocide,” the founder of a think tank in Sudan said. “The people who survived the first bout of genocide in Darfur twentysomething years ago tell me that, based on their experiences on the ground, this is far, far worse.” ttps://https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/pwYTZC
How the Conflict in Sudan Became a Humanitarian Catastrophe
After a coup devolved into open warfare, countries across the region have pursued their own policy and commercial interests by backing one side or the other.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
“I think it’s absolutely a genocide,” the founder of a think tank in Sudan said. “The people who survived the first bout of genocide in Darfur twentysomething years ago tell me that, based on their experiences on the ground, this is far, far worse.” ttps://https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/pwYTZC
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
UMass-Amherst is hiring “a specialist in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world” !
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Details - Assistant Professor - History of Art & Architecture | Human Resources | UMass Amherst
careers.umass.edu
November 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
UMass-Amherst is hiring “a specialist in the visual arts, architecture, and/or material culture of the Islamic world” !
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-u...
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Guess who was ready to feed a starving infant?
The mosque. They just wanted to know what brand and where to bring it. A Black church. A Buddhist Temple. A little family church run by a great-grandpa in the Appalachians. Multiple Catholic Churches.
The mosque. They just wanted to know what brand and where to bring it. A Black church. A Buddhist Temple. A little family church run by a great-grandpa in the Appalachians. Multiple Catholic Churches.
November 18, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Guess who was ready to feed a starving infant?
The mosque. They just wanted to know what brand and where to bring it. A Black church. A Buddhist Temple. A little family church run by a great-grandpa in the Appalachians. Multiple Catholic Churches.
The mosque. They just wanted to know what brand and where to bring it. A Black church. A Buddhist Temple. A little family church run by a great-grandpa in the Appalachians. Multiple Catholic Churches.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Pretty sure a librarian comes to my rescue about once a week but today three librarians collectively saved my life and I am very grateful. Good luck figuring out what the page numbers of things 100 years old and only held in special collections are while on a copyediting deadline without them.
November 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Pretty sure a librarian comes to my rescue about once a week but today three librarians collectively saved my life and I am very grateful. Good luck figuring out what the page numbers of things 100 years old and only held in special collections are while on a copyediting deadline without them.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Had a great time consulting with the “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” team over the past couple months, and they kindly gave my book a shoutout during the episode.
November 17, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Had a great time consulting with the “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” team over the past couple months, and they kindly gave my book a shoutout during the episode.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Jamaica more or less out of the news entirely just a few weeks after Melissa hit. It shouldn't be.
"Hurricane Melissa changed the life of every Jamaican in less than 24 hours."
"Hurricane Melissa changed the life of every Jamaican in less than 24 hours."
‘This is survival’: Jamaica leads calls from vulnerable nations at Cop30
Countries including Mauritius and Cuba reiterate life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Jamaica more or less out of the news entirely just a few weeks after Melissa hit. It shouldn't be.
"Hurricane Melissa changed the life of every Jamaican in less than 24 hours."
"Hurricane Melissa changed the life of every Jamaican in less than 24 hours."
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
Control of your own devices is temporary, but surveillance is forever.
Google stopped letting owners of early Nest themostats remotely control their devices last month. But it's still remotely collecting extensive surveillance data from them: https://www.theverge.com/news/820600/google-nest-learning-thermostat-downgraded-data-collection #privacy
Google is collecting troves of data from downgraded Nest thermostats
The thermostats may no longer connect to Google’s app, but they still transmit your data.
www.theverge.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Control of your own devices is temporary, but surveillance is forever.
Reposted by Tonia Sutherland
A shout out to all academic workers and students - from the UC to my comrade colleagues at The New School - fighting destruction of higher education against Trumpian fascism and craven administrators. theintercept.com/2025/11/17/u... @theintercept.com
Judge Rules Trump Can’t Cut UC Funding — but UC Leaders Are Still Negotiating a Settlement
While faculty and students won a federal ruling that Trump can’t cut UC funding, UC leaders are still negotiating a settlement.
theintercept.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM
A shout out to all academic workers and students - from the UC to my comrade colleagues at The New School - fighting destruction of higher education against Trumpian fascism and craven administrators. theintercept.com/2025/11/17/u... @theintercept.com
Two boycotts, one easy location.
Beginning Monday, a Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate drink will be available exclusively at Starbucks cafés inside Target stores.
The chains are hoping the drink can drum up excitement from customers this holiday season.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yrshv45s
The chains are hoping the drink can drum up excitement from customers this holiday season.
🔗https://tinyurl.com/yrshv45s
November 17, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Two boycotts, one easy location.