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Mark McCormack

@markmccormack.bsky.social

840 followers 670 following 240 posts

Sociologist. Professor. Deputy Dean Research. Author of 'Discovering Sociology' and 'The Declining Significance of Homophobia'. Posts are in a personal capacity. I volunteer with The Loop, read and play badminton. https://linktr.ee/markmccormack

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · Jun 14

Poppers, the Politics of Exemption and the Characteristics of Poppers Users in the annual English Festival Study, 2014–23: Now in an issue at BJC: academic.oup.com/bjc/article/...

Poppers, the Politics of Exemption and the Characteristics of Poppers Users in the annual English Festival Study, 2014–23

Abstract. This paper explores the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported alkyl nitrite (‘poppers’) use and sexual behaviours

academic.oup.com

Reposted by Mark McCormack

Will Jennings 🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 12h

You'd think there would be more interest from the US media that Trump is simply delusional - at best being fed complete fabrications by his team, at worst in serious cognitive decline and unable to recognise reality.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 13h

This is where I differ from a lot of academics. After I get to 5-6, my view is "if it's important, I'll remember it", and then close the browser.

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 16h

I will never understand the 54%. Ever.

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 16h

How many browsing tabs do you typically have open?*

1: 6%
2-5: 54%
6-10: 14%
11-20: 8%
21-30: 2%
More than 30: 3%

*across all windows, on desktop/laptop

yougov.co.uk/topics/techn...

Reposted by Mark McCormack

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 20h

Something grimly predictable about the way that the conversation about 'ripoff degrees' in the UK is always about degrees that aren't rip-offs, but are instead fairly obvious 'this student has chosen something unlikely to pay off economically' rather than the short tail of crap business degrees:

Everyone needs educating in the fight over university degrees

Political confusion over the purpose of these institutions means the obvious fixes are being neglected

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Dr Ian McCormick @wokestudies.bsky.social · 1d

UK Tory Party Conference: Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch declares war on English degrees.
#literature #language #English #HigherEd #University

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 1d

Am wondering if all of those suddenly deciding they’re against communities living “parallel lives” might reconsider their support of religious schools? Or indeed private ones?

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 1d

So to summarise, this is a white politician blaming a black journalist for the racism he is now actively helping to promote, after receiving the full endorsement of his own party leader

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 2d

Wow. Robert Jenrick doubles down by branding a black journalist's questions "ridiculous" and saying that the problem is not his comments, but "journalists like you who pop up and try to knock me down", adding that "this is the reason why terrorist attacks happen". ~AA

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 2d

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 2d

It's what I've felt with the debates about authorship and AI. Rather suggests the presence of an author - and we don't credit computers in writing with high-level stats etc etc.

Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 2d

“The notion of AI personhood is a marketing exercise and a legal maneuver that I don’t think we should buy into,” says D&S researcher @cariatida.bsky.social. “Tilly is not an actress any more than, like, Sid the sloth from the ‘Ice Age’ movies is an actor.” www.huffpost.com/entry/ai-act...

Experts Warn This Real-World Effect Is The Most Unsettling Thing About 'AI Actor' Tilly

This Hollywood newcomer has a long list of haters already.

www.huffpost.com

Reposted by Mark McCormack

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 3d

Hard agree - there are very vivid examples of why the disappearance of a functioning centre right option in a system which props up the two largest parties every single day, when the news reports on the Trump administration.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 3d

It's fascinating how there are still replies on this, and indeed on every post about the decline of the Tories, with people on the left and centre-left people going 'good'. Honestly, I don't know how big of a warning sign you need that the death of the Tory party is bad for your politics!

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 3d

Removing her will be an act of mercy at this point. It's getting unbearable to watch her flail around.

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 4d

This is why they want all human rights restraints removed. #ECHR

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 4d

Tories to pledge to create immigration taskforce modelled on Trump’s Ice

Proposed ‘removals force’ will be tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year in bid to tackle illegal immigration The Conservatives will pledge to create a new immigration taskforce modelled on Donald Trump’s controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency, the Guardian understands. The party’s leader, Kemi Badenoch, is expected to announce the policy on Sunday as it heads into its annual conference following a year of historic low poll ratings. The proposed “removals force” will be tasked with deporting 150,000 people a year in a bid to tackle illegal immigration. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 4d

Faster than I expected, the first data breach where personal information used to verify age has been leaked.

Hughster @hughster.bsky.social · 4d

Age Verification proponents: "this is the one thing we didn't want to happen"

The Verge @theverge.com · 5d

Discord customer service data breach leaks user info and scanned photo IDs

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Hughster @hughster.bsky.social · 4d

Age Verification proponents: "this is the one thing we didn't want to happen"

The Verge @theverge.com · 5d

Discord customer service data breach leaks user info and scanned photo IDs

An “unauthorized party” may have accessed the names of users, the last four digits of credit card numbers, and more.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 5d

so today we've had @hignfy.bsky.social casually repeating a false conspiracy theory about Euan Blair's company and ID cards, and the Independent posting some absolute garbage from Facebook claiming it was something Patricia Routledge wrote and honestly, I'm ashamed of journalism today.

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 5d

Sick and tired of people wanting to defend “western civilisation” especially when they are also attacking arts and humanities in the universities.

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

doctor eek [free link arc] (alt decorative gourd season) @absolutely-not.bsky.social · 6d

i looked at the methodology for this and it is
a. sex addiction counseling group in texas did a surveymonkey and extrapolated the results to the entire us population which is the sort of research design that earns you an ff on an intro methods class (the extra f is for extra effort), and
b. p-hacked

The Independent @the-independent.com · 6d

Nearly a third of Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says

1 in 3 Americans have had a ‘romantic relationship’ with an AI bot, new survey says

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Ugly Mugs Ireland @uglymugsie.bsky.social · 7d

Loathed to link to the Daily Mail, but this article confirms Police Scotland are seeking more money to enforce sex purchase law they are backing. www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Plans to outlaw buying sex would cost at least five times more than...

Plans to outlaw buying sex would cost at least five times more than initial estimates, leaving Police Scotland needing a government bailout to enforce the legislation, senior officers have...

www.dailymail.co.uk

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 7d

I’ve been lucky to work with great colleagues, co-authors and advocates, but its also a challenge we need to recognize as a reality of being a sociologist writing about sex and sexuality. I’m excited and hopeful this special issue is an important component of addressing these issues.

Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 7d

I was also taken by @aminghaziani.bsky.social's argument about how sexuality research is still stigmatized and dismissed in the academy in "patterned ways, from homophobia thinly veiled as a critique of the work to passive aggressive portrayals of it...rather than serious and scholarly.”

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 7d

Delighted to be part of this special issue. My thanks to @aminghaziani.bsky.social for all his work in making it happen, and his considered and insightful editorial comments and advice. Not only is queer nightlife “having a moment”, it is “an intellectual movement that is impossible to ignore”.

Amin Ghaziani @aminghaziani.bsky.social · 7d

My special issue of The Sociological Quarterly on queer nightlife is out! A real passion project, attempting to articulate what unique contributions sociologists can make to a vibrant interdisciplinary conversation. It’s all open access for 6 months. www.tandfonline.com/toc/utsq20/6... #sociology

The Sociological Quarterly

Queer Nightlife. Volume 66, Issue 4 of The Sociological Quarterly

www.tandfonline.com

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Mark McCormack @markmccormack.bsky.social · 13d

Its always "too soon" to judge effectiveness right until its too embedded to change.

Patrick Dunleavy @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social · 13d

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

Criticism of the Online Safety Act is premature - British Politics and Policy at LSE

The Online Safety Act has faced criticism with questions over its effectiveness and potential violation of privacy. But many of the criticisms are misguided.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 14d

More and more such incidents happening daily
www.bbc.com/news/article...

'Kids racially abused me and the adults' reaction broke me'

Sophia Choudry says she is "shaken" and "heartbroken" after being racially abused on the Elizabeth line.

www.bbc.com

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

LBC @lbc.co.uk · 15d

"They're eating the carp. They're eating the swans."

Nigel Farage doubles down on his bet that immigrants were eating cats and dogs in America.

He now suggests there's a 'similar story' in Britain.

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

SpinningHugo @spinninghugo.bsky.social · 16d

For an English audience. This is paracetemol.

Totally and completely nuts.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16d

Trump wraps up his batshit news conference by again insisting "DON'T TAKE TYLENOL!"

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

🎃🪦 BLOODSUGARSETHMASKET 🪦🎃 @smotus.bsky.social · 16d

There's a wrong way and a right way to report this

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Reposted by Mark McCormack

michael veale @michae.lv · 17d

Will Oxford disclose how much it paid (or did not pay) for this?

Surely a sweetheart deal (has research money thrown in!) so OpenAI can plaster Oxford over its marketing and raid other unis’ fees, library budgets to throw into the sector’s massive inference funding chasm.

University of Oxford @ox.ac.uk · 19d

NEW: Oxford will be the first UK university to give all staff and students free ChatGPT Edu access, from this academic year.

ChatGPT Edu is built for education, with enhanced privacy and security.

Graphic from the University of Oxford, featuring an image of a glowing, digital brain with the text: 'Generative AI at Oxford'. Highlights that ChatGPT Edu is now available to all staff and students. Includes a link for more information: ox.ac.uk/gen-ai

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