Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 5h

The obsession with making the next “everything app” is taking us some weird places.

As @stokel.bsky.social says, “Most attempts to ride the zeitgeist are shallow grabs at relevance. The best features, in the best apps, are developed with deep thought about how to benefit users.”

archive.is/q66C4

$Screenshot from an article. The text reads: "WHY NOBODY WANTS A DO-IT-ALL APP In the press release announcing the feature, the music streaming giant promises that 'Messages are for the conversations you're already having about music, podcasts and audiobooks with your friends and family.' But the flaw is right there in the pitch: if you're already having those conversations on WhatsApp or iMessage, why would you uproot them into a side-channel inside Spotify? At best it duplicates what's happening elsewhere, and at worst it fractures the conversation into yet another notification stream. (Fortunately, users can turn off the function, too.)" A portion of the text is highlighted in light blue.$

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 9h

Friends of New_ Public Deborah Tien and Josh Nesbit talk about why bringing agency, consent, purpose to our digital relationships — and leaning into the weird — can deepen our connections with people around us.

Another inspiring conversation from Sam Pressler in Connective Tissue 💜

Building tech that's relational, place-based, participatory, and ~weird~

A Q&A with Josh Nesbit and Deborah Tien, co-founders of the Relational Tech Project

connectivetissue.substack.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 1d

With social media algorithms rewarding surprising videos filmed in public and internet detectives going viral, it’s no accident that anonymity is disappearing and we’re all opting in to unending surveillance.

archive.is/s5mQQ

Living in the panopticon means every person you meet is also someone who can ruin your life. Take “West Elm Caleb,” a guy who went viral for… dating. Apparently, he met women on dating apps, was briefly enthusiastic, and then ghosted them. (Not great behavior, but hardly uncommon.) Of course he was immediately doxxed. As the internet has increasingly traded on dating app screenshots for content, people have begun writing responses to each other with the assumption that the conversation won’t remain private. That does seem counter to, you know, dating, since a successful relationship requires vulnerability, the exact thing online daters now avoid.

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 1d

Have five minutes? Our own @joshpkramer.bsky.social has a lightning talk on Public Spaces Incubator and reconnecting public media to the public:

“When you give up on hosting the conversation, and you cede it to these companies, what happens when they go crazy?”

Open Technology Institute Lightning Talks: “Reconnecting Public Media to the Public”

YouTube video by New America

www.youtube.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 2d

Social media changed the game, and we’re seeing parallels in generative AI's potential to disrupt and transform.

In this excerpt of their new book, Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders make some predictions about AI's impact on our democracy and remind us we still have agency to shape the outcome.

🏛️🧨🪛 Will AI break democracy or fix it? Yes.

An excerpt from Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders' new book

newpublic.substack.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 2d

Learn more and apply here 💌

Social Media Fellow - NewPublic.org - Career Page

Apply to Social Media Fellow at NewPublic.org in Remote.

newpublicorg.applytojob.com

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 2d

Calling all digital storytellers! New_ Public is looking for a Social Media Fellow starting as soon as November.

As our work picks up steam, we need your help to spread the word about the movement to reconnect our communities and build a better social media.

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 2d

Amazing recommendations, thank you! Ursula Franklin was definitely on our long list.

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

It's not only nonfiction. We think science fiction books like Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower are must reads.

And there are *many* more books on design, sociology, political science, and the failings of algorithmic social media that we can recommend.

Let us know what you want to see next! 📚

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

Nobel Prize-winning economist Elinor Ostrom’s “Governing the Commons” and Priya Parker’s “The Art of Gathering” show the power of stewardship in physical spaces.

In our work, we try to adapt their principles to help people connect in online spaces.

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

How We Meet and Why It Matters

bookshop.org

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

To call out a few: Robert Putnam’s books are a rallying cry to re-engage with our communities and be active citizens.

Putnam, alongside influential thinkers like Robin Wall Kimmerer and Jane Jacobs, have shaped our understanding of the power of community and inspired us to look for solutions.

Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

The Collapse and Revival of American Community

bookshop.org

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

Introducing the New_ Public Canon: A non-exhaustive, in-no-particular-order selection of books about communities, technology, and civic life that our team loves and references (almost) every day.

What are we missing? Any recommendations?

Reading list titled 'The New_ Public Reading List Part 1: The Big Books' on purple background with coral section. Books listed: Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom, The Filter Bubble by Eli Pariser (obviously), and The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker. Decorative 3D geometric shapes in bottom right corner.

Reading list on coral background with purple footer. Title reads 'Let us know what we're missing!' Books listed: Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, Governable Spaces by Nathan Schneider, Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy by Audrey Tang & E. Glen Weyl, and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Decorative 3D geometric shapes in bottom right corner.

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

Learn more about the role and apply here

Research Fellow, AI & The Future of Social Conversation - NewPublic.org - Career Page

Apply to Research Fellow, AI & The Future of Social Conversation at NewPublic.org in Remote.

newpublicorg.applytojob.com

New_ Public @newpublic.org · 7d

How will technology continue to shape how we talk to each other? We’re seeking a researcher to help tackle big questions like this.

Working with Co-Director @eli.bsky.social, this is a chance to engage with experts, dive into the research, and contribute directly to the field and our strategy.

Job posting graphic with coral orange background featuring white text that reads "NOW HIRING Research Fellow - AI & The Future of Social Conversation" with an abstract geometric illustration of a door or archway. Details include 20-25 hours per week, $40/hour, remote position for U.S. or Canada, working through 2/28/26.

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 8d

There’s never been a better time to build the local, healthy, digital spaces we want and deserve.

If you’re in San Francisco tomorrow (October 1st), join our Co-Founder Deepti Doshi at the Good Neighbor Hack-a-Thon and be a part of the solution!

www.sfgoodneighborweek.org/good-neighbo...

Retro computer monitor displaying 'GOOD NEIGHBOR HACK-A-THON' with 'Hello, neighbor!' (where 'world' is crossed out) on screen. Two seals wearing Victorian houses as hats sit on either side of the beige computer, surrounded by yellow circular glows and white dash marks. A coffee cup sits in front of the keyboard. The background is bright magenta/purple.

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Reposted by New_ Public

Eli Pariser @eli.bsky.social · 8d

When I wrote the Filter Bubble in 2011, I portrayed an algorithmic tug of war between your impulsive, present-tense self and your more forward-thinking, aspirational self.

Now a big showdown between your long-term and short-term self is here. The question is, which side will your chatbot be on?

The era of hyperpersonalized content is here

Everyone needs to pay attention to the most recent AI products rolled out by OpenAI, Meta, and Google, because they tell us something important about the future of digital media. In the last week… Ope...

www.linkedin.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 8d

This is why it matters that billionaires are consolidating control over what we all pay attention to, including social media.

h/t @kyla.bsky.social

kyla.substack.com/p/whos-getti...

Why does this matter? Because controlling the means of mass communication means controlling the narrative. It’s the attention economy version of a monopoly. When one person (or a small elite) owns the newspapers, the TV stations, and the social media platforms, there is no room for alternate voices.

But it’s sort of like… everyone gets their own information ecosystem. Elon Musk owns Twitter, which he leveraged into helping Trump win the 2024 election. Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and has nudged into being more accommodating. Mark Zuckerberg controls an empire of social apps and has faced repeated accusations of algorithmic bias.

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 9d

Are you based in or around the Bay Area? Come meet us in person at the Public Interest Technology Career Summit on October 10!

Kaisana McLenaghan will be there, ready to talk about our work at New_ Public and building a career in public interest tech.

Public Interest Technology (PIT) Career Summit

events.stanford.edu

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 9d

Learn more: newpublic.substack.com/p/as-public-...

📻🎙️🛜 As public broadcasting faces cuts, KQED leans into digital community building

A Bay Area radio station cracks the code on digital conversation (and shares their playbook)

newpublic.substack.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 9d

There’s a bold future possible for media organizations that prioritize real conversation online.

As @kqedforum.bsky.social's experiment shows, building a digital space where people can actually discuss news and culture in a healthy way can help bolster trust, understanding, and support for the org.

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 12d

The US government is closing in on a TikTok deal.

In the @us.theguardian.com, media columnist @sulliview.bsky.social describes the reported billionaire ownership plan as the latest chapter in a “a story of media consolidation, power and money.”

The TikTok deal puts even more media in the hands of the super-rich | Margaret Sullivan

Trump is clearing the way for US investors to control a wildly popular platform where millions get their news

www.theguardian.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 12d

Are you passionate about making the internet a better place?

Join New_ Public as our Social Media Fellow! Help us amplify our mission through engaging, strategic content and reimagine what’s possible in the future of social media.

Social Media Fellow - NewPublic.org - Career Page

Apply to Social Media Fellow at NewPublic.org in Remote.

newpublicorg.applytojob.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 13d

Mastodon has unveiled new hosting, moderation, and support services for the Fediverse, which could be a win/win for their business.

Could this turn ActivityPub, the technology underneath Mastodon, into something like what WordPress.org has been doing successfully with websites for many years?

Mastodon has a new plan to make money: Hosting and support services for the open social web | TechCrunch

Mastodon launches hosting and support services to generate revenue and expand the open social web.

techcrunch.com

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 13d

If you’re inspired, KQED has compiled all of their best practices into a playbook specifically geared towards helping journalists start spaces like these.

How to Create a Digital Community for Your Newsroom | Notion

A resource for journalists, editors, producers & other stewards of news media.

fallacious-show-afb.notion.site

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New_ Public @newpublic.org · 13d

There’s a lot of lessons to learn from @kqedforum.bsky.social’s Discord on how media orgs can successfully build a prosocial digital community.

Two key ingredients:

🤝 Stewardship shared by both staff and community members.

💬 Norms encouraging people to engage respectfully, even on tough topics.

Screenshot of a server rules agreement page with dark blue background. The page is titled 'One last step! Read & Agree to Server Rules' and contains 6 numbered rules: Rule #1 Be respectful and kind - no harassment, hate speech, or discrimination; Rule #2 Keep it clean - limit excessive profanity and explicit content; Rule #3 Focus on the facts - commitment to accurate information as a journalistic program; Rule #4 Stay calm and discourse on - assume good intentions in difficult conversations; Rule #5 Promoting community, not advertising - no commercial promotion; Rule #6 Make yourself at home - encourages participation and sharing. At the bottom are 'Back' and 'Finish' buttons, with text stating that clicking 'Finish' indicates agreement to the server rules.

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