Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Eric Gilbert

@eegilbert.org

3.3K followers 290 following 87 posts

Professor at Michigan. On sabbatical at the Berkman Klein Center. http://eegilbert.org

Eric Gilbert is an American computer scientist and the John Derby Evans Associate Professor in the University of Michigan School of Information, with a courtesy appointment in CSE. He is known for his work designing and analyzing social media. .. more

Computer science 28%

Engineering 22%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Éric Gilbert

Dannagal Goldthwaite Young @dannagal.bsky.social · 1d

In which Harvard’s Enos & Levitsky call on Harvard to lead the way, coordinating with other universities in fight for academic freedom. Our civil institutions will need to learn that power is harnessed through coordination. Protecting oneself will never be enough.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Harvard Must Take a Stand Against Trump’s Compact | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard, rather than quietly pursuing its own appeasement strategy, should lead the way to preserve academic freedom and democracy.

www.thecrimson.com

18 79

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Jan W. Mueller, Éric Gilbert , and 2 more Kim L. Scheppele, Jan W. Mueller, Éric Gilbert, Juan Cole, Daxton R. Stewart

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 7d

A series of short posts from leading scholars about the constraints the First Amendment imposes on the government's authority to impose conditions on federal funding. Seems relevant! This is a @knightcolumbia.org series from earlier this year. knightcolumbia.org/research/fed...

Federal Funding and the First Amendment

knightcolumbia.org

2 34 50

Eric Gilbert @eegilbert.org · 13d

But this is my feed now

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 13d

Mark Zuckerberg is introducing a feed that's just 100% AI slop. No pesky creativity from real people to get in the way. Eat up little piggies

Introducing Vibes -- a feed of expressive AI-generated videos from artists and creators in the Meta AI app. Create and remix videos with leading models and music for free.

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 2 more Éric Gilbert, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Murakami Wood, Greg Linden

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 13d

Mark Zuckerberg is introducing a feed that's just 100% AI slop. No pesky creativity from real people to get in the way. Eat up little piggies

140 430 2K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Gavin A. Schmidt, Andrew Scott , and 4 more Éric Gilbert, Gavin A. Schmidt, Andrew Scott, Rosemary A. Joyce, Andrew Curry, Andrew Watkins, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 21d

These are precedented times and the precedent is a loud ass warning

www.nytimes.com/1939/02/04/a...

Goebbels Ends Careers of Five 'Aryan' Actors Who Made Witticisms About the Nazi Regime (Published 1939)

www.nytimes.com

34 1.2K 2.9K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

DeathNerd Killer @daphnek.bsky.social · 24d

Major ruling from the Colombian constitutional court requiring fair process, transparency, and appeals for Meta account termination.

h/t @joanbarata.bsky.social and sorry Gustavo Gómez doesn’t have an account here to credit. This is his translated post on X.

3 8

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Ann Bartow

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 24d

From Judith Butler's piece about UC Berkeley's turning over to the Trump admin the names of students and faculty anonymously accused of antisemitism. www.chronicle.com/article/when...

2 16 38

Eric Gilbert @eegilbert.org · 24d

This is the job that brought me to Michigan, and I'm chairing the search, so I'm very happy to answer questions. :)

Eric Gilbert @eegilbert.org · 24d

The School of Information at Michigan is looking for its next John Derby Evans Professor in Information. It's open at the Assistant and Associate levels, and its a broad search: anyone working at the intersection of tech and society can apply. Please share!

www.si.umich.edu/people/facul...

John Derby Evans Professorship in Information (Assistant or Associate Professor) | umsi

The University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position focusing on technology and society.

www.si.umich.edu

1 4 10

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 24d

The free speech activist who built a list of professors he worked to get fired for their speech must be celebrated for his support of free speech, and anyone who quotes his speech accurately in context will be fired and/or face state punishment by the champions of free speech, do I have that right?

590 8.8K 29K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Éric Gilbert, Tom Clark , and 6 more Anne Applebaum, Éric Gilbert, Tom Clark, Rosemary A. Joyce, David Rothschild, Lones Smith, Lisa Diedrich, Kai Gehring, Christina Pagel

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · Sep 8

Exclusive: Jeffrey Epstein’s estate has given Congress a copy of the 2003 birthday book, including the letter with Trump’s signature that he has said doesn’t exist.

Epstein Birthday Letter With Trump’s Signature Revealed

Lawyers for Epstein’s estate have given Congress a copy of the 2003 birthday book.

on.wsj.com

260 2.1K 6.1K

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz, Éric Gilbert , and 11 more Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz, Éric Gilbert, Steve Peers, Mark D. White, Shelly Lundberg, Robert C. Richards, Alan Richardson, Scott A. Imberman, Talia Schaffer, Erin O’Donnell, Manisha Sinha, Colin Woodard, Dunlap

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 6

Know your rights, Illinois.

Stay safe and stay informed.

Know & Exercise Your Rights Flyer provided by the Illinois Immigration Information Hub.

1. Remain Calm. 2. You have the right to deny entry without a valid warrant. 3. You have the right to remain silent. 4. You have the right to speak with an attorney. 5. You have the right to not sign anything.

For more information, head to: https://www.illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/

Know & Exercise Your Rights Flyer provided by the Illinois Immigration Information Hub.

For more information, head to: https://www.illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/

660 12K 28K

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Jennifer A. Richeson, Éric Gilbert , and 4 more Brendan Nyhan, Jennifer A. Richeson, Éric Gilbert, Daniel W. Drezner, Michael Kevane, Andrew Rudalevige, Jr

Jonathan M. Katz @katz.theracket.news · Aug 19

The funny thing about this is that the Smithsonian African American History Museum is built around the exact "Success" narrative Trump claims to want. You climb through the Middle Passage, slave cabin, Jim Crow train, etc, and come out into Oprah's studio and Obama.

www.cnn.com/2025/08/19/p...

Trump escalates attacks against Smithsonian museums, says they focus too much on ‘how bad slavery was’ | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against museums and alleged “WOKE” exhibits on Tuesday, saying “everything” is centered on highlighting negative aspects of American in story, including “...

www.cnn.com

56 270 1.3K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Rudy wants revolution. @rude1.blacksky.team · Aug 12

Said in long form

> In some ways, the AI hype cycle ~has~ to be out of hand. It ~has~ to justify the ferocious level of investment, the uncountable billions of dollars in sunk costs.

> ... keeping the economy afloat and threatening to crash it. There is so, so, so much money at stake.

11 37

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Brian Keegan, Damian Trilling , and 1 more Éric Gilbert, Brian Keegan, Damian Trilling, Anja Bechmann

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Aug 4

Are you a researcher (from HCI, communication, or information science) studying online misinformaiton, disinfromation, hate speech, polarization, or related information toxicity? Apply to attend our CSCW workshop (with both remote and in-person options).

Nina Lutz @ninalutz.bsky.social · Aug 2

Does your work explore mis/disinformation, scams, hate speech, or other forms of harmful information online?

We are convening a CSCW workshop to bring together a global community focused on information disorder. We welcome short submissions, due August 8th.

cscw2025infodisorder.netlify.app

1 24 34

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Nina Lutz @ninalutz.bsky.social · Aug 2

6 12

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Rosemary A. Joyce

dinsdale press @dinsdalepress.bsky.social · Aug 1

Em dashes, like anything, should be used in moderation. Check first with your editor if em dashes are right for you. 😉

#WriteSky #WritingTips

Sure, your work is allowed to have some em dashes.
Okay, wait. That's perhaps a bit too many.
No, seriously, stop!
PUT THAT EM DASH DOWN
THIS INSTANT!

2 10 51

Reposted by Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Jennifer A. Richeson, Éric Gilbert

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · Jul 29

Affiliated departments at UNC are hiring an assistant professor position for the study of AI. Happy to connect folks w/ questions. I would say that there is an emphasis on the “socio-technical”.

unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/303...

(Issued with all sincere sympathies about the job market.)

Assistant Professor

The School of Information and Library Science (SILS) and Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invite applications for a tenure...

unc.peopleadmin.com

19 35

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · Jul 24

I wrote this about the press, but I believe the argument applies with equal force to law firms, museums, and universities. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/o...

Opinion | This Is Not a Moment to Settle With Trump

www.nytimes.com

7 24

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Amy Bruckman @asbruckman.bsky.social · Nov 16

Does anyone understand the BlueSky long-term business model? ELI5

3 1 5

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Nov 20

A lot of folks are giving up in advance. Capitulating before a single skirmish.

Well, not this old warrior. I’ve seen much worse from the U.S. government in my day. I’m concerned for our country, but not a bit scared of these miscreants. I’m ready to do my part.

Who’s with me?

6.3K 12K 99K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Jonathan Lyons @heartwoodandsteel.bsky.social · Dec 25

Just read the response from Costco to shareholders requesting it back down from DEI. It was glorious. It begins "Our Board has considered this proposal and believes … an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary." and gets better. A happy investor #diversityandinclusion

290 3K 13K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert, Jutta Haider

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · Jan 21

The last few weeks have really highlighted just how fragile corporate social media is, and just how beholden to political power it is. To build any sort of ground-up power we must continue to invest in decentralized alternatives that are resistant to intervention

www.404media.co/decentralize...

Decentralized Social Media Is the Only Alternative to the Tech Oligarchy

The TikTok ban and Donald Trump's rise to power show how fragile our social media accounts are. We must normalize and invest in decentralized social media.

www.404media.co

14 260 950

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Sarita @saritas.bsky.social · Mar 3

my grant w/ @eegilbert.org on non-consensual intimate content, which disproportionately impacts women, is in the Ted Cruz database. The irony? Ted Cruz himself introduced a bill into Congress last year on this exact same topic and he went live on TV saying it impacts women.

Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · Feb 28

Ted Cruz said he’d found $2 billion in “woke” science grants, but his team used keyword searches that flagged things out of context, like a grant to develop a device to treat severe bleeding that mentioned “victims” and “trauma.”

www.propublica.org/article/ted-...

A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls “Woke.”

The senator flagged thousands of National Science Foundation grants for using words like “female” and “diversify.” A ProPublica analysis found numerous examples of projects caught up in his crude meth...

www.propublica.org

1 3 16

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · Mar 11

Wired doing the journalism others are too afraid/complicit to do themselves.

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · Mar 11

MUSK: A sophisticated cyberattack from Ukraine took out Twitter's servers

REALITY: Twitter's servers were not secured properly and were publicly visible

Great explainer here from @lhn.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/x-ddos...

What Really Happened With the DDoS Attacks That Took Down X

Elon Musk said a “massive cyberattack” disrupted X on Monday and pointed to “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” as the source of the attack. Security experts say that's not how it works.

www.wired.com

1 32 83

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Jul 21

When I was little, the U.S. military came to our home at gunpoint and took me and my family away. We were imprisoned for years in barbed wire camps simply because we were Japanese American. I have spent my life telling that story, hoping it would never be repeated.

1.6K 21K 69K

Reposted by Éric Gilbert

Rose 🌹 @rose.bsky.team · Jul 15

Bluesky is hiring 👉 bsky.social/about/join

Roles include:
- data scientist
- feed algo eng
- data engineer
+ others (click the link!)

Jobs - Bluesky

View open positions at Bluesky

bsky.social

48 340 740

Reposted by Mona Eltahawy, Danah Boyd, Jennifer Bussell , and 10 more Mona Eltahawy, Danah Boyd, Jennifer Bussell, Kimberly A. Prather, Alan M. MacEachren, Éric Gilbert, Mattias Hallquist, Márk E. Hauber, Joshua S. Weitz, John Horgan, Rafael H. M. Pereira, Terry Gaasterland, Kimberly A. Clausing

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Jul 8

BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.

1.1K 11K 41K

Eric Gilbert @eegilbert.org · Jul 8

congrats!!!