Great to see NPR's TED Radio Hour focus on the public commons – public places that gather people of all backgrounds.
Take a listen.
npr.org/programs/ted-r…
Manoush Zomorodi Shari D Eli Pariser | @[email protected] Jimmy Wales Matthew Mazzotta #publicspace #CivicCommonsUS #civicinfrastructure #society

Yes!!! Congrats Shahrzad Shams (شهرزاد شمس) Harry W Hanbury Deepak Bhargava for leading the zeitgeist so compassionately and strategically.

I’ve been working on Tech Agnostic for 5+ years—I’m so happy to finally reveal the cover. Mark your calendars. It goes on sale 10/29/24! You can pre-order your copy now. Stay tuned for updates, events, and more news. #TechAgnostic The MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social Penguin Random House 🐧🏠📚
mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049207/…

NEW VIDEO! Looking at online groups and the people who make them thrive: community stewards like mods and admins

'We're building for the creators, maintainers, and community builders!'

Let's zoom in on an under-examined dimension of online groups: the visibility of group norms.

We’re sharing what we've learned about supporting community stewards in establishing prosocial norms with our co-design partner, hylo.

newpublic.substack.com/p/empowering-c…

Research: What do users think about content moderation and toxic speech?

They sort toxic comments into incivility, intolerance, and violent threats, and conclude:

'There is limited demand for action against toxic speech in general.'

cambridge.org/core/journals/…

The EU may be gearing up to pass a European Public Digital Infrastructure Fund.

This could enable the creation of new, reliable digital tools and services, such as public media services, educational tools, or civic solutions for local communities.

newpublic.substack.com/p/beyond-regul…

Get to know us: New_ Public is a non-profit R&D lab.

We are researchers, engineers, and designers, working together to explore creating new online social spaces where people can thrive and connect.

We think this work is essential for democracy.

newpublic.org

.frontporchforum is 200+ local forums:

'During an era when other social media companies are accused of imperiling democracy, Front Porch Forum stands out as a rare social network capable of strengthening communities and real-life relationships.'

sevendaysvt.com/arts-culture/t…

After you've regulated social media what comes next?

Well, if you're Europe, you make a public option to compete with for-profit social media.

OpenFuture calls Public Digital Infrastructure, Digital Commons and interoperability.

newpublic.substack.com/p/beyond-regul…

.Katie Harbath details how social platforms are approaching elections in 2024, including:

⬇️ Demoting reach of politics and news

✨ Fragmented news consumption across generations

👨🏽‍⚖️ Less government engagement with companies

anchorchange.substack.com/p/comparing-te…

A very cool project from our friends at Integrity Institute:

Looking at how design features can encourage behavior. Do you see misinformation? How about prosocial, empathetic discourse?

Look to the features!

features.integrityinstitute.org

In the US, it's hard to imagine robust regulation of social media. In Europe, that's just the beginning.

OpenFuture wants Europe to build an open and sustainable ecosystem offering alternatives to existing commercial social platforms.

newpublic.substack.com/p/beyond-regul…

In DC on Feb 1? Join us and Integrity Institute for a Happy Hour downtown.

Just a chill hangout with drinks to get to know other folks working on creating a better internet.

lu.ma/hogkju9s

The 'local paradox': we expect local social networks to be healthier spaces for conversation, but they can end up being just as toxic, or more toxic, than global platforms.

Can it be overcome?

ssir.org/articles/entry…

Today: Join Prosocial Design Network for a virtual conversation about the potential for bot assistants to promote healthy digital conversations.

1pm ET/ 10am PT

lu.ma/7cjoq63x

Research: About half of social media users in the US, UK, and Canada are open to generative AI bots assisting with content moderation, but a vast majority have some reservations.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

Want to deepen your skills as a community steward?

Here's an online course, in bite-sized modules, that aims to give you the ease and confidence to promote social cohesion within the digital spaces.

cnxus.org/digital-commun…

It's worth considering why this massive, global online community of women has stuck with Facebook Groups for eight years:

1) It is cheap and accessible in Africa
2) It is story-structured
3) They keep building more useful stewardship tools

newpublic.substack.com/p/building-a-d…

Join us in celebrating Groundhog Day, or the end of 'damp January', with a Happy Hour in Washington, DC on February 1st.

Come hang out with us and our friends from Integrity Institute at Bar Chinois after work.

Details:

lu.ma/hogkju9s