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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert
@sarahagilbert.bsky.social
1.3K followers 180 following 62 posts
Research Director, Citizens and Technology Lab, Cornell University, r/AskHistorians moderator I study how to make the internet freer and safer— and how to help the helpers on the ground making that possible. She/her https://citizensandtech.org/
citizensandtech.org
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jtlg.bsky.social
James Grimmelmann @jtlg.bsky.social · 8d
My friend Rivi drew a remarkable graphic narrative for Inside Higher Ed, in which she uses her illustrations to let six Chinese graduate students in the U.S. tell their stories of visa chaos, political fears, and uncertain futures.

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Visa Chaos: A Graphic Narrative (opinion)
A graphic narrative written and drawn by Rivi Handler-Spitz.
www.insidehighered.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
andreawiesner.bsky.social
Andrea Wiesner @andreawiesner.bsky.social · 12d
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I’m thrilled (and a little proud 🤗) to share my first single-authored publication!
It’s now out open access in Information, Communication & Society:
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/1369...
Tackling (misleading) incivility online: a user-centric evaluation of different comment moderation strategies
Uncivil online comments, e.g., in the form of insults or misinformation, come with severe consequences for platforms, users, and democratic processes – making effective moderation essential. Howeve...
www.tandfonline.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
catastro-v.bsky.social
Nicole DeWitt @catastro-v.bsky.social · 10d
i love ta-nehisi coates so much
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kashhill.bsky.social
Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 11d
Not the point of this piece exactly but a great example of how chatbot validation could increase polarization

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/w...
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adriennemassanari.bsky.social
Adrienne Massanari @adriennemassanari.bsky.social · 14d
I was introduced to Borsook's work in grad school and still cite it regularly as it remains relevant!
gilduran.com
Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 14d
1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it).

But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that
photo of paulina borsook
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guygrossman.bsky.social
Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · 21d
The story is not what Kimmel said but what others won’t say now for fear of state retribution. Authoritarian countries thrive on self censorship.
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michaelann.bsky.social
Michael Ann, spooky, scary, spooky scary halloween femme @michaelann.bsky.social · 20d
I've been saying this for yearsf: LLM-GENERATED SAMPLES ARE JUST FALSIFIED DATA. It's similar to just lying about what people said, or taking your own best guesses.

HEY FELLOW SOCIAL SCIENTISTS: STOP TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO AVOID ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE PEOPLE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE STUDYING
jamiecummins.bsky.social
Jamie Cummins @jamiecummins.bsky.social · 21d
Can large language models stand in for human participants?
Many social scientists seem to think so, and are already using "silicon samples" in research.

One problem: depending on the analytic decisions made, you can basically get these samples to show any effect you want.

THREAD 🧵
The threat of analytic flexibility in using large language models to simulate human data: A call to attention
Social scientists are now using large language models to create "silicon samples" - synthetic datasets intended to stand in for human respondents, aimed at revolutionising human subjects research. How...
arxiv.org
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 25d
All right, I wrote about it:
The White Civility Council
As the nation reckons with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, there has been a notable trend from mainstream pundits and press outlets. They have tended to downplay or outright i...
campaign-trails.ghost.io
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threnody.bsky.social
emily moonlight @threnody.bsky.social · 26d
hi, cis folks!

the WSJ endangered trans lives with false reporting yesterday. it’s still accepted as truth by many, regardless of it being false. the article’s still up with a little note. it needs full retraction.

it's not even a phone call—it's email. you can do this.

contact info below.🧵⬇️
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article detailed how an internal law enforcement bulletin said that ammunition recovered following the Charlie Kirk shooting was engraved with expressions of "transgender and anti-fascist ideology." Justice Department officials later urged caution about the bulletin by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, saying it may not accurately reflect the messages on the ammunition, and the article was updated Thursday to reflect that. This editor's note was appended on Friday, Sept. 12, after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the engravings included one that said "Hey fascist!" along with other messages and symbols. He gave no indication that the ammunition included any transgender references.
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adzebill.bsky.social
Mike Dickison @adzebill.bsky.social · Aug 31
Wikipedia editors trying to fend off the onslaught of AI crap have crowdsourced some telltale signs of LLM-generated writing; it might be handy for editors and proofreaders generally. Thanks to @ellenrykers.com for pointing me to it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
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carlosfnorena.bsky.social
Carlos Noreña @carlosfnorena.bsky.social · Aug 28
NEW: Tenure-track position in History at UC Berkeley in the GLOBAL HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY.

We are casting a wide net here: *all* periods, places, and fields are under consideration.

I'm on the search committee, so do let me know if you have questions.
Assistant Professor – Global History of Technology - Department of History
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert @sarahagilbert.bsky.social · Aug 27
I'd react to this but I'm too busy writing personalized review requests
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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert @sarahagilbert.bsky.social · Aug 27
If you're following this story in the NYT by @kashhill.bsky.social, I recommend @schancellor.bsky.social's post that breaks down why AI is bad at therapy. Pretty much everything she she warns about shows up in this story, which is heartbreaking

notatechdemo.substack.com/p/why-ai-can...
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schancellor.bsky.social
Stevie Chancellor @schancellor.bsky.social · Aug 27
What is it going to take to get companies to care about this and do something? It's been a tough day reading this great report by @kashhill.bsky.social on the risks of chatbots.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...
A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In.
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
michaelzimmer.bsky.social
Michael Zimmer @michaelzimmer.bsky.social · Aug 4
The full-day, hybrid workshop is "Matters: Ethical Challenges in Research with Online Communities" led by Matthew Zent plus @schancellor.bsky.social, @cfiesler.bsky.social, @sarahagilbert.bsky.social, @estellesmithphd.bsky.social and more.
sites.google.com/umn.edu/cont...
Context Matters - CSCW'25
Context Matters: Ethical Challenges in Research with Online Communities
sites.google.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
schafer.bsky.social
Joey Schafer @schafer.bsky.social · Aug 1
Really good article/explainer from @parkermolloy.com www.readtpa.com/p/the-sydney...
The Sydney Sweeney Jeans Ad "Backlash" Is Mostly Fake
How a handful of TikTok comments became a national controversy about eugenics, Democrats, and denim.
www.readtpa.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
cfiesler.bsky.social
Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · Jul 30
✨ MAKE YOUR RESEARCH FINDINGS ACCESSIBLE ✨

I promise you don't have to make TikToks. Maybe a Bluesky thread or a LinkedIn post?

Or my favorite option... blog your papers!

cfiesler.medium.com/why-and-how-...

Lay audiences unable to access scientific literature want to learn from you. 🥰
Why (and how) academics should blog their papers
Encouragement and tips for writing accessible, public-facing versions of your research papers
cfiesler.medium.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
dhowlett1692.bsky.social
Dan Howlett @dhowlett1692.bsky.social · Jul 29
My intro to digital history class at GMU this Fall is themed around the Salem Witchcraft Trials. It was ideally not going to be an immersive learning experience
donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Jul 29
Faculty who wrote to defend their president and object to a DOJ investigation of their university...are now being investigated by the DOJ.
The most banal defense of free speech and academic freedom will trigger the full wrath of the US government now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/u...
Faculty Support of George Mason’s President Draws Federal Investigation
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Sarah Gilbert
profprof.bsky.social
Nick Proferes @profprof.bsky.social · Jul 24
New OA pub day! Given the dwindling of local newspapers, folks are turning to social media. Platforms are discursively constructing local community groups as a new kind of hub. But local volunteer mods are the ones who are charged to realize these visions. journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....
Local platformized utopias? corporate discourse, community groups, and volunteer moderation on Facebook, Reddit, and NextDoor
journals.sagepub.com
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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert @sarahagilbert.bsky.social · Jul 23
I hadn't seen this one! Thank you for sharing—I'm looking forward to reading it!
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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert @sarahagilbert.bsky.social · Jul 23
It's well known that big tech contracts out its human (and AI) moderation. In this new paper @lucas-wright.bsky.social describes a pivot to moderation infrastructure, giving these companies a lot of power over trust & safety papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
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sarahagilbert.bsky.social
Sarah Gilbert @sarahagilbert.bsky.social · Jul 22
Very excited to see this report I contributed to on ethical use of pervasive data for research is out! The report includes actions stakeholders can take to continue
progress towards trusted ethics and privacy practices in research. Thanks @annalenhart.bsky.social for your leadership!
annalenhart.bsky.social
Anna Lenhart @annalenhart.bsky.social · Jul 22
GWU IDDP organized a Council to reflect on the comments submitted to NTIA’s Request For Comment (RFC) regarding Ethical Guidelines for Research Using Pervasive Data. Check out the findings here: iddp.gwu.edu/ethical-use-...
Ethical Use of Pervasive Data for Research | Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) | Columbian College of Arts & Sciences | The George Washington University
The IDDP Council for Pervasive Data Ethics - Next Steps for the U.S convened to chart a set of actions to advance ethical practices in computing research.
iddp.gwu.edu
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askhistorians.bsky.social
AskHistorians @askhistorians.bsky.social · Jul 21
Apropos of nothing, your regular reminder that it is not in fact necessary to platform bigots.

slate.com/technology/2...
We Banned Holocaust Deniers From Our History Subreddit. Here’s Why Facebook Should Do the Same.
They aren’t arguing an actual side. They’re not “just asking questions” out of curiosity or ignorance. Don’t give them the chance.
slate.com
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