Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 16h

Bit of a disturbing trend, I really hope it's not a canary in the coal mine for other countries, God help the world if so - was kind of hoping the younger generation would be the ones to save us from the rise of the far right #politics

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

In Spain, what once seemed impossible is now widespread: the young are turning to the far right | María Ramírez

Migration is barely mentioned – instead, failed policies on housing, wages and employment are driving young voters into the arms of Vox, says María Ramírez, deputy managing editor of elDiario.es

www.theguardian.com

1 3 3

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 2d

Ah that sucks, I’m sorry to hear that

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 2d

I’ve found Evri pretty reliable and good for tracking too. What issues are you experiencing with them?

1 1 1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 7d

Not a huge surprise that Snapchat is going to start charging for storage.

I wonder if users are aware they do have an option to request copies of their data under #gdpr if they don’t want to pay?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Snapchat to start charging users for Memories storage

It has not said how much the storage plans will cost UK users, only that they were part of a

www.bbc.co.uk

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 13d

Inspiring words from James Felton Keith at #mydata2025

Employers (and the public should start fighting for the fact that) personal data is labour, it is work that deserves recompense. People understand that companies owe them something for proving their data but can’t receive it.

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 13d

Fascinating workshop on death and digital legacy by @cubicgarden.com at #mydata2025.. letters of wishes can be machine readable and even automated according to #mydata principles - but you have to keep a human in the process as an approver.

1 1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

A call to arms from Malik Lakoubay at @radxchange.bsky.social - independent news media are at existential risk from AI. Trusted data intermediaries such as Syft offer a solution.

#mydata2025

(2/2)

2

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

A call to arms from Malik Lakoubay at @radxchange.bsky.social - independent news media are at existential risk from AI. Trusted data intermediaries such as Syft offer a solution.

#mydata2025

(1/2)

1 2

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

A couple of great insights from ex-MP, ex-chair DCMS select committee Damian Collins at #mydata2025

“Powered by data shouldn’t mean working in the interests of the platform against the interests of the individual citizen or gig worker”

“AI must not become a scapegoat to remove company liabilities”

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

Excellent overview of the opportunity and risk of personal agents by Jogi Poikola at #mydata2025

Great set of principles too, drawn from the history of #mydata and #VRM thinking

#personalagents #ai

(2/2)

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

Excellent overview of the opportunity and risk of personal agents by Jogi Poikola at #mydata2025

Great set of principles too, drawn from the history of #mydata and #VRM thinking

#personalagents #ai

(1/2)

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

#mydata2025 founder Jogi reminding us of 1999 prediction by John Hagel III & Marc Singer

“Buyers are losing patience, and you’re losing their trust. It’s only a matter of time before they hire agents to represent them in many of their commercial transactions.”

That time is now.
#personalagents

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 14d

Eric Pol opening the #mydata2025 conference at Aalto University in Finland:

“We are not here to tweak the status quo, we are here to leap past it and shape the human-centric future”

#mydata

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 15d

Just arrived in Helsinki for the international #MyData2025 conference - about 14 hours later than planned due to flight delays ✈️

Looking forward to 3.5 days of discussions with cool people on the future of human-centric data!

conference.mydata.org
@mydataorg.bsky.social

MyData 2025 conference

The world's premier conference on people and data.

conference.mydata.org

1

Reposted by Dr Alex Bowyer

Adam Sharp @adamcsharp.bsky.social · 16d

What the seeker shouts at the start of hide & seek in five languages...

*Ready or not, here I come (English)
*I’m searching (Polish)
*Whoever didn't hide is a donkey (Croatian)
*Who’s ready, good, who isn’t, I don't care (Italian)
*The one who isn't ready, I will take him with the shovel (Romanian)

13 9 98

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 22d

Yeah absolutely! Funnily enough the original business owners are apparently keeping the WHSmith brands for airports and train stations which are the most profitable!

1 1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · 22d

Does anyone else feel a disproportionate pang of sadness at the WHSmith name disappearing from UK high streets?

(I think it’s because I have many fond memories of browsing for magazines and CD singles here and Woolworths as a young teen)

1 1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 8

How does a designer make a mistake like this? I'm thinking they must have used AI...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle

Medals given to participants use an image of Sunderland, which has no connection to the event.

www.bbc.co.uk

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 5

Nice to see some practical advice on how businesses can break down silos... princetheba.com/breaking-dow...

Breaking Down Silos: The Importance of Cross-Functional Analysis - Prince the BA

"Discover the power of cross-functional analysis in breaking down silos & fostering collaboration within your organization. Don't miss this must-read blog post!"

princetheba.com

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 5

Speaking of #enshittification (last repost) am I right in understanding that the new #Spotify T&Cs forbid you from using the service while travelling or holidaying overseas?!?!?

Reposted by Dr Alex Bowyer

Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · Sep 4

Slang & Trending:
'Enshittification' - When a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits www.merriam-webster.com/slang/enshit...

enshittification

Enshittification is an informal word used to criticize the degradation in the quality and experience of online platforms over time, due to an increase in advertisements, costs, or features. It can als...

www.merriam-webster.com

9 36

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 4

Thought provoking quote from Louise Ankers and Tom de Bruin at #bbcdevelop2025

“Feelings are data. Surface them early.”

Can be applied to lots of things - staff morale, user satisfaction, web science…

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 4

Funny and memorable talk by Rose Mullan of @northcoders.com using the power of cinema storytelling (Labyrinth, Star Wars, Face/Off, Space Jam) to explain programming concepts.

“There’s nothing you can’t explain to someone if you are prepared to meet them on the level they are at.”

#bbcdevelop2025

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 4

(OP was from talk by Heather Lowrie, founder at Resilionix)

1

Dr Alex Bowyer @alexbfree.bsky.social · Sep 4

And relatedly, from one of the other talks (by Mariam Hussein) - some thoughts on the dangers of over reliance on AI, and how we need to avoid using it for things that make us uniquely human #bbcdevelop2025