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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

9/ The non-typeset version of the article is available here (no paywall): emilbakke.github.io/files/moment...

emilbakke.github.io

Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

8/ We hope our quali-quant based framework, using computational methods combined with actor-network theory, can inspire future research on how momentary symbol construction processes occur in digital collectives.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

7/ There is a remarkable visual orientation in momentary symbols to grab attention in the digital realm 🎇

For example, the mask ban imposed in Hong Kong turned masks into a visual symbol that protesters and audiences shared with the international audience on Twitter to gain sympathy.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

6/ Momentary symbols are volatile and can both spur and vanish in a matter of days as new events unfold💥

For example, lasers were practical tools to counter surveillance from authorities, until they became categorized as "weapons" after which they were used to visualize collective presence.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

5/ Symbol construction is temporally contingent on concurrent evens (e.g., bans and arrests) ⏳

The figure shows spikes in mentions of the three selected objects over the span of the protest period - which often coincide with on-the-ground events in Hong Kong.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

4/ We find that the Anti-ELAB 2019 protests highlight the empirical relevance of momentary symbols: objects with practical relevance experienced sudden spikes in symbolic-visual translations, but quickly returned to become practical tools once new symbols surfaced. Thus, we find that:

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

3/ Using a quali-quant inspired design, we construct actor-network inspired “translation snapshots” based on 1.6M tweets and object detection in ~670k images from the 2019 Anti-ELAB protests in Hong Kong to trace how umbrellas, lasers, and masks oscillate between symbolic and practical roles.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

2/ We introduce the notion of "momentary symbols" to capture how objects briefly become dominant symbols for a collective, but just as quickly fade again. This stands in contrast to how the literature usually perceives symbols in collectives: as enduring visual elements over time.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · 9d

Out now in @actasociologica.bsky.social: “Momentary symbols: Tracing the visual expressions of collectives”

with @nicolemilmandoerr.bsky.social & @mathiaswullum.bsky.social

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

A🧵 on our approach and findings:

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thank you! I am also very much looking forward to the journey we have ahead of us after tomorrow ✌️

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Aug 29

I’m defending my PhD on Sept 9 at @sdu.dk 🎓

The defense is open to the public (in Odense from 10-12, followed by a reception).
If you want to join, please sign up here:
www.tilmeld.dk/phddefencere...

Excited to share the last 3.5 years of work - hope yo see you there!

@ddc-sdu.bsky.social

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · Aug 22

What a blast. Our @ddc-sdu.bsky.social team completed the DHL Relay 🏃🏼 with hundreds of SDU colleagues.

Awesome team with Anne, @emilbakke.bsky.social, @nielsmede.bsky.social, and led by team captain Lars.

Thanks to all organizers and volunteers.

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · Aug 21

We are thrilled to announce that Josephine (“Jo”) Lukito will join the DDC as Professor in Digital Communication and DIAS Chair!
@jolukito.bsky.social is a leading expert in the fields of political communication & computational methods, & will join us starting Feb 1, 2026.
Velkommen til DCC Jo! 🤗🎉

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Philipp Lorenz-Spreen @lorenzspreen.bsky.social · Jul 3

Data access under the DSA is such a crucial step to solve the chicken-egg situation (trying to show harms/risks for holding platforms accountable/demand transparency). Let’s work together on this, to finally get the transparency that is appropriate for the role those platforms play in our societies!

DSA40 Data Access Collaboratory @dsa40collaboratory.bsky.social · Jul 2

📢 Big news for platform researchers across Europe and beyond:

Today, the @ec.europa.eu adopted the Delegated Act for Article 40 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) – a long-anticipated milestone enabling researchers to request access to non-public platform data under Article 40.4.

dark blue background. on it, there is text saying "The Delegated Act on 40.4 DATA ACCESS is here", "Delegated Act on 40.4 DATA ACCESS" is yellow, the other text is white.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Apr 30

Thanks Fabian!

Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Apr 30

Thanks Frithjof!

Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Apr 30

Thanks Curd!

Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Apr 30

PhD Thesis submitted!
"Complex Dynamics in Digital News Ecosystems: Collaboration and Imitation in the Age of AI"

Grateful. Relieved. Maybe even a little bit proud.

#complexity #AI #news #platforms
@ddc-sdu.bsky.social

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · Apr 2

Building and directing a Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social has never felt more important.

Democracy is under pressure, digital technologies changing.

In all of this, working with kind, talented young scholars on this mission is a privilege.

Spending 24 hrs in each other’s company ☀️ ❤️

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · Apr 1

It's research retreat time at the DDC!
We've travelled to Nyborg by the sea to talk about research programs and spend time with our fellows and invited guests.
Follow this thread for more impressions.

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Reposted by Emil Bakkensen Johansen

Digital Democracy Centre @ddc-sdu.bsky.social · Mar 27

𝟴 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗗𝗖!
At just over 3 years young, the Digital Democracy Centre is a newly established research hub.
What gives it its current shape are the people who work here.
We are therefore delighted to have been able to hire 5 new Postdoctoral Researchers coming in this Summer.
...

Left to right: Patricia Bianca Lyk
Lynge Asbjørn Møller
André Rodarte
Hannah Decker
Emil Bakkensen Johansen
Sofie Filstrup
Rasmus W. Schmøkel
Hannes Cools

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Mar 24

For more analysis and nuance, read our preprint here: arxiv.org/abs/2503.16021

Any comments and feedback are most welcome! Please reach out💬

Autonomous AI imitators increase diversity in homogeneous information ecosystems

Recent breakthroughs in large language models (LLMs) have facilitated autonomous AI agents capable of imitating human-generated content. This technological advancement raises fundamental questions abo...

arxiv.org

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Mar 24

We also find the AI-generated articles are distinct from the human-written ones – yet are rather similar to each other.

We therefore envision LLMs as “gravity wells" that can, dependening on the initial structure of information, both compress and disperse articles in similarity space.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Mar 24

Furthermore, the effect of AI-driven imitation on news diversity is influenced by both the imitation strategy the agents use and their prevalence in the world.

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Emil Bakkensen Johansen @emilbakke.bsky.social · Mar 24

We find:
• When content is originally homogeneous, AI-driven imitation increases diversity.

• But in heterogeneous settings, it might reduce diversity.

So, the impact of these "AI imitators" really depends on the baseline structure of the information environment in which they operate.

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