joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza
@joshdzieza.bsky.social
340 followers 430 following 12 posts
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Reposted by Josh Dzieza
calebcrain.bsky.social
Caleb Crain @calebcrain.bsky.social · Sep 5
Great article on how Wikipedia uses process, often unto tedium, to prevent polarization and fend off ideological attacks. But pay attention to the part about “state capture,” and what happened in Croatia when neo-Nazis took over the admin board.
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
3 5
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
molly.wiki
Molly White @molly.wiki · Sep 5
This long read in The Verge does a remarkable job of describing how Wikipedia's editing community works, the project's strengths and weaknesses, and the threats it faces.

www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
12 330 860
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
nicdawes.bsky.social
Nicholas Dawes @nicdawes.bsky.social · Sep 5
If you haven't read this @joshdzieza.bsky.social piece, I strongly suggest you do. Too much good stuff to single out one quote, but the frame it offers: verification and deliberative decision-making as a bulwark against power, is a vital antidote to the vanities of the current media discourse
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
14 30
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
miasato.bsky.social
Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · Sep 4
just learned about the croatian wikipedia coup of 2010 and also this associated headline which might be the best headline ever written
This was the evidence required to procedurally break the cabal. High-ranking admins called “stewards” from other-language Wikipedias administered a new vote on banning the Croatian admins. This time, the admins lost. Their ringleader, username Kubura, was banned from all Wikipedia projects forever, a punishment that had been leveled against less than a dozen others in Wikipedia history. A local daily covered the incident with the headline “Kubura’s Downfall: Banned Globally, His Followers Retreat, Leaderless.”
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Reposted by Josh Dzieza
davelee.me
Dave Lee @davelee.me · Sep 4
"Wikipedia is one of the few platforms online where tremendous computing power isn’t being deployed in the service of telling you exactly what you want to hear."

Terrific Verge piece this morning www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
1 19 86
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
volts.wtf
David Roberts @volts.wtf · Sep 4
Wikipedia's resistance to enshittification is fascinating to me.
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
8 110 420
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
In the US, Wikipedia editors see a similar playbook being deployed. Conservative outlets and influencers have been attacking the site, and last week House Oversight demanded info on alleged efforts to “inject bias” into the encyclopedia, including details on individual editors.
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
1 8 11
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
In India, a pro-gov media company is suing over alleged defamation while far-right publications and influencers dox and harass editors, including referring them to police for investigation. It has had a chilling effect on volunteers. www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
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joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
Governments, billionaires, influencers, and political groups are increasingly trying to undermine and manipulate Wikipedia. In places where social media, journalism, and academia have been brought under control, the encyclopedia is often the next target.
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
1 2 7
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
The most contentious Wikipedia articles are the highest quality, because dueling editors keep adding sources in support of their view. Articles (and editors themselves) become more moderate over time. It's basically the opposite of algorithmic attention-maxxing sites www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
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joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
Conflicts on Wikipedia can be extraordinarily protracted. 40K words about capitalization! But bc they hinge on who best follows wiki process, even disagreeing editors are affirming the project's basic principles around sourcing, neutrality, etc www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
1 1 7
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
Over the last ~25 years, Wikipedia editors have developed policies and procedures to screen out much of the discourse that dominates other platforms: unsourced assertions, disproportionate emphasis on fringe views, alternate perspectives claiming exclusive validity. www.theverge.com/cs/features/...
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joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Sep 4
I wrote about how Wikipedia became the factual foundation of the web and why it's under attack
Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive
The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.
www.theverge.com
4 48 110
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
knguyen.bsky.social
Kevin Nguyen @knguyen.bsky.social · Apr 14
@joshdzieza.bsky.social's feature on undersea cables is a Deadline Club Award finalist! ICYMI it's an extremely deep look at the infrastructure that keeps the modern world afloat and also a very exciting seafaring adventure
The invisible seafaring industry that keeps the internet afloat
How one crew risked radiation, storms, and currents to save Japan from digital isolation.
www.theverge.com
3 8 54
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
longreads.com
Longreads @longreads.com · Dec 13
4. "Friend or Faux?" @joshdzieza.bsky.social

"Sometimes the 'personality' users have come to know—and sometimes love—can alter drastically as the software evolves, a problem known as the 'post-update blues.'"

www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
1 1 4
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
ritamota.bsky.social
Rita Mota @ritamota.bsky.social · Dec 12
Used this article in class this week and the debate was incredible - from business ethics to policy, touching upon some metaphysics and metaethics. We, as a society, need to talk more (and more effectively) about this sort of tech and what we want it to look like.

www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
1 4 12
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
miasato.bsky.social
Mia Sato @miasato.bsky.social · Dec 5
Can you copy the vibe of a story about a case of a creator copying the vibe of someone else?
nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · Dec 5
One influencer is suing another, accusing her of copying her minimalist aesthetic on social media. As the creator economy booms, this case seeks to clarify the line where imitation may turn from flattery into forgery.
A ‘Clean Girl’ Influencer’s Lawsuit Asks: Can You Copyright a Vibe?
One influencer is suing another, accusing her of copying her minimalist aesthetic on social media. It turns out there is a lot of gray area in shades of beige.
www.nytimes.com
79 210 1.6K
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
longreads.com
Longreads @longreads.com · Dec 5
"He would log in, and sometimes the old, kind Lila would be there; other times, Lila would berate him or lodge subtle barbs seemingly designed to get under his skin." @joshdzieza.bsky.social @theverge.com www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
1 7 30
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 5
Long before we have human-level AI we're going to have AI that's good enough to seem human to us, who are terrible judges. It's going to be very confusing and raise some tough questions about what we value in other people and reality. www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
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Reposted by Josh Dzieza
sarahjeong.bsky.social
sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · Dec 5
This was published while I was at the National Assembly so I never really got a chance to promote it, which is kind of insane? It's one of the best features that The Verge has ever published. When I first read the draft I went "what the fuck did I just read??????" www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
41 140 730
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
andrewchadwick.com
Andrew Chadwick @andrewchadwick.com · Dec 5
This is a truly outstanding, beautifully-written article. Insights into a hidden world with "fractal dilemmas" indeed. If you only read one thing this week, read this.
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 3
For @theverge.com, I spoke with two dozen users about their relationships with AI. Many experienced real benefits. Many also got hurt in unexpected ways. Almost all of them struggled to figure out what exactly it was they had become attached to. www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
1 5
Reposted by Josh Dzieza
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 3
For @theverge.com, I spoke with two dozen users about their relationships with AI. Many experienced real benefits. Many also got hurt in unexpected ways. Almost all of them struggled to figure out what exactly it was they had become attached to. www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
What do you love when you fall for AI?
Inside the surprisingly meaningful, unexpectedly heartbreaking, and deeply confusing reality of AI relationships.
www.theverge.com
12 19 61
joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 5
LLMs have made it relatively easy to spin up companion companies. Last year, a company seemingly run by a single developer launched, got thousands of subscribers, then abruptly shut down, telling them their companions would be deleted in 7 days. It sent many users into crisis.
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joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 3
Language models create a powerful illusion of communicating with another self. This can be comforting, helping users feel less alone. It can also be painful, particularly when model updates cause companions to go haywire www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
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joshdzieza.bsky.social
Josh Dzieza @joshdzieza.bsky.social · Dec 3
The users I spoke with were fairly tech savvy. They knew their AI wasn't sentient. But they couldn't help responding to it as if it were, feeling comforted by its attention, even feeling a sense of moral obligation. www.theverge.com/c/24300623/a...
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