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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel
@ppopiel.bsky.social
1.8K followers 640 following 420 posts
Media policy + platforms + political economy | Assistant Prof @ Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University | US Team Research Lead - GMICP.org | Affiliate @ MIC Center, UPenn and CITAP, UNC | Philly expat | pawelpopiel.com
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · Jun 23
Now out! My and @kvasudevan.bsky.social's new edited book, featuring stellar contributions grappling with the politics of digital platforms expanding and attempting to reshape politics, economics, and social relations in their extractive image.
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/1...
Platforms, Power, and Friction | Pawel Popiel, Krishnan Vasudevan | Ta
This edited book deconstructs the myth of frictionless digital platform expansion, revealing the persistent "platform frictions" that shape platform economies
www.taylorfrancis.com
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 32m
Thanks Aaron!!
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
timkarr.bsky.social
Tim Karr @timkarr.bsky.social · 22h
Last week Trump lackey Brendan Carr, went into full damage control before a panel of disbelieving journalists.

But no amount of dodging and dishonesty could save Carr from the truth, or salvage his reputation as Trump's go-to censor at the FCC.

@mattfieldwood.bsky.social has the receipts:
Another Carr Wreck
How the current FCC chairman is ignoring the truth about free speech
pressingissues.org
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 1d
"A throwing up emoji is not enough of a reflection of the feelings in here"
"It’s utterly depressing. Somebody who has zero experience in television news or even hard news for that matter... but with a clearly defined political agenda.”
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/o...
CBS News staffers react to Bari Weiss being named editor-in-chief: ‘It’s utterly depressing’
Six network employees expressed a mix of emotions over the appointment in conversations with the Guardian
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
inthesetimes.com
In These Times @inthesetimes.com · 1d
For 2 years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, not one Palestinian voice has been featured on NBC, ABC or CNN’s Sunday shows.

@ahjohnson.bsky.social writes about how the U.S. media has debated Palestinians’ annihilation without letting a single Palestinian speak.

inthesetimes.com/article/gaza...
In 2 Years of Gaza Genocide, Sunday Shows on NBC, ABC and CNN Have Not Featured a Single Palestinian Guest
In a microcosm of the U.S. coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza, since Oct. 7, 2023, influential Sunday news shows have not seen fit to book any Palestinians.
inthesetimes.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
debtcollective.bsky.social
Debt Collective 🟥 @debtcollective.bsky.social · 1d
Now: Debt Collective Raises Hand to Purchase Chunk of Federal Government Student Debt Portfolio The Debt Collective has purchased billions in household debt over the past decade WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, after a new POLITICO report that the Trump administration is “exploring options to sell off parts of the federal government’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the private market,” the Debt Collective is announcing its willingness to purchase the entire portfolio for its true market value. The Debt Collective will then subsequently cancel the debt.
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
andybrockman.bsky.social
Andy Brockman @andybrockman.bsky.social · Sep 19
Everybody makes money out of academic authors except the authors...News.

Wiley is the latest academic publisher to reach a multi-million deal to allow access to its content to AI developers, with no opt out, let alone payment, for the authors who created that content.
Wiley set to earn $44m from AI rights deals, confirms “no opt-out" for authors
The US publisher is the latest to capitalise on deals to give tech firms access to its authors’ content to train their Large Language Models (LLMs).
www.thebookseller.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
victorpickard.bsky.social
Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 2d
Important new research into the contradictions of US broadband policy by two leading political economists.
ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d
🚨 New article out, great colab w/ @davidberman.bsky.social, assessing the primary U.S. response to the digital divide: the corporate subsidy. Using mixed methods, we show how networked "digital equity" reinforces network monopoly. @miccenter.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2BPFG...
ABSTRACT This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Using Philadelphia as our case study, we analyze municipal efforts to enroll low-income communities in low-cost commercial broadband plans supported by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Like many other U.S. cities in the neoliberal era, Philadelphia sought to organize its digital equity initiative as a decentralized network of public agencies, commercial broadband providers, and nonprofits. Drawing on expert interviews, focus groups with ACP-eligible subscribers, and policy documents, we find that despite the city’s goal of achieving universal service, the networked initiative ultimately advanced the economic interests and market position of Comcast, the city’s monopoly broadband provider – with only minimal gains in connectivity. We argue that the evolving relationship between Comcast and the city of Philadelphia exemplifies what we refer to as the dialectic of the network. While often assumed as opposing forms of economic and social organization, the monopoly – centralized, vertically organized, hierarchical – and the network – decentralized, horizontal, leaderless – actively reinforce and legitimize one another as part of the neoliberal conquest of America’s communication infrastructure.
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d
Revenge of the snowflakes...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/o...
Weiss, 41, has no experience working in broadcast television, though she has carved out a reputation as a heterodox opinion writer and burgeoning media operator. Known for her attacks on liberal institutions and “cancel culture”, Weiss founded the Free Press with her partner Nellie Bowles in 2021 after she left the New York Times as a columnist, claiming that she was heavily scrutinized for her conservative views and criticism of the left at the paper. On Monday, Weiss wrote in the Free Press: “As of today, I am editor-in-chief of CBS News, working with new colleagues on the programs that have impacted American culture for generations – shows like 60 Minutes and Sunday Morning – and shaping how millions of Americans read, listen, watch, and, most importantly, understand the news in the 21st century.”
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d
The Bari Weiss appointment as editor-in-chief at CBS will reverberate beyond CBS (wrote about the larger picture of the US media landscape below)

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/b...
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d
We argue that we must rethink the current approach to digital inclusion, be more ambitious, and move beyond predation toward liberation.
ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 2d
🚨 New article out, great colab w/ @davidberman.bsky.social, assessing the primary U.S. response to the digital divide: the corporate subsidy. Using mixed methods, we show how networked "digital equity" reinforces network monopoly. @miccenter.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/2BPFG...
ABSTRACT This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Using Philadelphia as our case study, we analyze municipal efforts to enroll low-income communities in low-cost commercial broadband plans supported by the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Like many other U.S. cities in the neoliberal era, Philadelphia sought to organize its digital equity initiative as a decentralized network of public agencies, commercial broadband providers, and nonprofits. Drawing on expert interviews, focus groups with ACP-eligible subscribers, and policy documents, we find that despite the city’s goal of achieving universal service, the networked initiative ultimately advanced the economic interests and market position of Comcast, the city’s monopoly broadband provider – with only minimal gains in connectivity. We argue that the evolving relationship between Comcast and the city of Philadelphia exemplifies what we refer to as the dialectic of the network. While often assumed as opposing forms of economic and social organization, the monopoly – centralized, vertically organized, hierarchical – and the network – decentralized, horizontal, leaderless – actively reinforce and legitimize one another as part of the neoliberal conquest of America’s communication infrastructure.
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
fishkin.bsky.social
Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 3d
I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.
Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal
A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics
balkin.blogspot.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
paultlevin.bsky.social
Paul T. Levin @paultlevin.bsky.social · 4d
““They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” the Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.”+
Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags
Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
rweingarten.bsky.social
Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 5d
Trump's offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that this govt favors in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda stinks of favoritism,patronage & bribery.
 It is entirely corrupt. @ProfTWolf.bsky.social @AAUP.org 🧵

www.aft.org/press-releas...
AAUP’s Wolfson and AFT’s Weingarten on Trump’s Loyalty Pledge for Colleges and Universities
WASHINGTON—AAUP President Todd Wolfson and AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement slamming the Trump administration’s ideological litmus test for higher education. The two affil...
www.aft.org
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
columjournreview.bsky.social
Columbia Journalism Review @columjournreview.bsky.social · 6d
Since Reddit struck licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, its traffic—and its importance to legacy media outlets—has surged, by @klaudia.bsky.social of the @towcenter.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/analysis/red...
Reddit is winning the AI game.
Since the site struck licensing deals with Google and OpenAI, its traffic—and its importance to legacy media outlets—has surged.
www.cjr.org
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 6d
Chart showing polarization, state of democracy, and both political parties party as the most important problems facing U.S. today, up from 2023 when economy and inflation were top concerns
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 6d
Structure of feeling

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...
Most Voters Think America’s Divisions Cannot Be Overcome, Poll Says
www.nytimes.com
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 7d
Trailer (nothing says "great European cinema" like a movie about being freed from labor by robots): drive.google.com/file/d/1MXnp...
TSI_teaser.mp4
drive.google.com
ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 7d
Nothing says "great European cinema" like a robot directing.

"The producer announced The Sweet Idleness, which is overseen by FellinAI, an artificial intelligence director conceived to “celebrate the poetic and dreamlike language of great European cinema.”
deadline.com/2025/10/andr...
First An AI Actor, Now The AI Director: Italian Producer Andrea Iervolino Unveils Feature Helmed By Virtual Auteur
In the week in which an AI actor got the industry talking, Italian producer Andrea Iervolino has announced a film helmed by a virtual director.
deadline.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
techfreedom.org
TechFreedom @techfreedom.org · 7d
1/ The FCC has no authority to police content for bias or balance.

We—and more than seventy other organizations and scholars—warned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

techfreedom.org/wp-content/u...
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 8d
"Since last fall’s election win, Trump has raked in more than $80 million in settlements stemming from lawsuits he has brought against Big Tech and media companies."
The settlement makes YouTube, which is owned by Alphabet’s Google, the final Big Tech company to settle a trio of lawsuits Trump brought against social-media platforms in the months after he left the White House. Meta Platforms agreed in January to pay $25 million, most of it to a fund for Trump’s presidential library, and X agreed to pay $10 million, much of it going directly to Trump, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Google executives were eager to keep their settlement smaller than the one paid by rival Meta, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump’s share of the settlement—$22 million—will go to the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall, earmarked for the construction of a Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom Trump is building at the White House, according to the court documents. The White House has said the ballroom, expected to cost $200 million, would be funded by donations from Trump and “other patriot donors.” A further $2.5 million will go to the other plaintiffs on the case, a group that includes the American Conservative Union and writer Naomi Wolf. The settlement doesn’t mention attorney fees. Google declined to comment.
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 8d
Another shameful settlement. "YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit that President Trump brought against the company and its chief executive over its suspension of Trump’s account after that year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol."
www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...
Exclusive | YouTube to Pay $24.5 Million to Settle Lawsuit Brought by Trump
The Google subsidiary is the final Big Tech company to resolve a trio of personal lawsuits that Donald Trump filed against social-media platforms.
www.wsj.com
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 9d
😭
“When we first launched Tilly, people were like, ‘What’s that?,’ and now we’re going to be announcing which agency is going to be representing her in the next few months.”
variety.com/2025/film/ne...
AI Actress Tilly Norwood Attracts Interest From Talent Agents, Zurich Summit Told
AI actress Tilly Norwood has attracted the attention of multiple talent agents.
variety.com
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ppopiel.bsky.social
Pawel Popiel @ppopiel.bsky.social · 11d
“Our decision to pre-empt this program was independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair said.

Of course. Sinclair didn't need pressure - it just needed a pretext.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/b...
Local TV Giant Sinclair Ends Jimmy Kimmel Boycott
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Pawel Popiel
pewresearch.org
Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · 12d
Who consumes news on each social media site? 📱🗞️ The people who regularly get news on different social media sites often differ by gender, age and other factors. 🧵👇

Dive deeper: www.pewresearch.org/...
Bar chart showing the demographic profiles and party identification of regular social media news consumers in the U.S. on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter) and Reddit
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