Things are coming together at @newsmast. Here’s the big idea we’re working on:
What if every community could have their own early-Twitter, driven by an own-branded mobile app, as easy to build as Facebook Groups?
socialmedia
Nice review of the evidence for banning phones in schools. This reviews huge studies across numerous countries. The big takeaway: there’s no effect on children’s outcomes. According to the latest evidence, cell phone bans don’t work.
#Psychology #SocialMedia #smartphones #phoneBans #childmentalhealth #mentalhealth
Max Bergmann, a former State Department official and now program director with the Center for Strategic International Studies, predicts Russian-fueled turbulence at the Democratic national convention in August. He foresees attempts of Russian operatives to infiltrate groups of protestors and attempt to turn protests violent.
He also notes that social media has “become way more of a cesspool than it was in 2016.”
We are the generation that knows what it means to disconnect.
We are the generation that grew up knowing the meaning of "sticks and stones".
We are the generation that knows the value of owning our entertainment.
We are the generation that knows that video games should be about having fun.
We are Retro Gaiden. Join us.
#RetroGames #videogames #retro #Nostalgia #gaming #80s #90s #2000s #genx #millennial #socialmedia
Your reminder that you DON'T have to talk about politics and other negative and depressing things on #SocialMedia.
Facebook and Twitter brainwashed us into thinking this is what social media is for, and this is in great parts why we can't have nice things.
Stop spreading doom and gloom. Talk about what you do, talk about what you love, not what you hate.
If we want the #Fediverse to be a better place than other platforms, it's not only about how it works, it's also about what we do with it.
If people who follow you on social media are called "followers", what do you call people you follow?
#SocialMedia #language #linguistics #poll
Options: (choose one)
"#LetitiaJames criminally charged in #Trump’s latest effort to punish rivals"
A number of prominent #blackwomen are targeted by Trump's ugly vindictiveness
Know what #racialEquality would look like in the #USA?
If James wrote 20 ALL CAP #socialMedia screeds at 3 AM, like Trump, in response
And it didn't count against her
She would never, she's not a #manchild
It makes you think
About #humiliation, #anger, #whitePrivilege, being #black in #America
Edited 138d ago
Does anbyody know about an instance of @bonfire, that is open for registration and federated? I would really like to try it out in the wider #Fediverse.
#ElonMusk Ramps Up Anti-Biden Posts
The #billionaire has increasingly been using his #SocialMedia platform to criticize #POTUS #Biden.
“He is just a tragic front for a far left political machine,” #Musk wrote. It was the 29th time this year that he had posted about the president….
#power #influence #TaxCutsForTheWealthy #CorporateTaxCuts #gaslighting #propaganda #BigLie #democracy #VoteBlue #BidenHarris2024
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/24/technology/elon-musk-x-biden.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
JUST ANNOUNCED: public pre-orders are now available for the autumn 2025 issue of #goodinternet ! magazines will begin being shipped next month!
https://goodinternetmagazine.com/pre-orders-now-available-for-autumn-2025-issue/
#indie #zine #zines #indieweb #personalwebsite #web #internet #enshittification #socialmedia #neocities #nekoweb #html #webdev #css #webdesign #website #blog #blogger #digitalart #opensource #tech #foss
Happy Monday, fediverse!
Quick question. How well do you know the people you follow? Would you recognize them from their bios?
Not requiring #AltText as the default setting in #SNS / #SocialMedia clearly tells us that many devs still don't build with an accessibility-first mindset.It always breaks me whenever I see my mother struggling because of the lack in #accessibility support.Don't wait until you need it too. #a11y
We're so glad to hear the WebSocialBR was a hit! 🇧🇷
A huge thanks to everyone who got involved and made it happen.
We're also super excited that our partnership with Ibram-Museus to build a "Museums in the Fediverse" app was announced 🎉
Huge thanks to @josemurilo for introducing our work to WebSocialBR and for putting your presentation into such an amazing blog post👇
#SocialWeb #WebSocialBR #Fediverse #Mastodon #SocialMedia #Brazil #Museum
Did you know there is a book called "Mastodon For Dummies"?
It's part of the widely read and well known 'For Dummies' series.
This is the cover of the one I brought home from my local library.
Does your library have a copy? If not, maybe you can suggest a new acquisition! It's only 14.99 US, 17.99 CAN, and 11.99 UK.
#mastodon #MastodonHelp #library #fediverse #web #socialmedia
Europe needs its own social media platforms to safeguard sovereignty
Social media has emerged as the central nervous system of global communication, shaping politics, culture, and identity. Yet, Europe’s digital public square is not its own. Over 80% of the continent’s social media activity flows through platforms headquartered in the United States—Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Alphabet (YouTube), and X (Twitter)—creating a dependency that undermines Europe’s autonomy.
Recently, it has become increasingly clear that European companies urgently need to build Europe’s own sovereign social media ecosystem to counter disinformation, protect democratic integrity, preserve cultural diversity, and reclaim control from US corporate and geopolitical interests. Europe’s sovereignty in the 21st century is at stake.
The threat of US interference: Disinformation as a geopolitical weapon
The 2016 Brexit referendum exposed how US-based actors exploited European vulnerabilities. For example, Cambridge Analytica harvested data from 87 million Facebook users—including millions of Europeans—to micro-target voters with divisive ads. Leaked documents revealed campaigns designed to inflame anti-EU sentiment, demonstrating how US corporate tools can destabilize European unity.
Moreover, false narratives about voter fraud propagated by US politicians on Twitter and Facebook flooded European networks, bolstering extreme movements. In Germany, the “Querdenker” movement leveraged these claims to protest COVID-19 measures, while in other countries, several disinformation groups backed by US billionaires amplified baseless accusations about election rigging.
It is important to understand that US platforms optimize for engagement and their owners interests, not truth. During France’s 2022 presidential race, YouTube’s algorithm disproportionately recommended far-right candidate Éric Zemmour, boosting his visibility despite his marginal polling. Researchers found that 60% of French-language election content on YouTube contained misinformation, much of it algorithmically amplified.
US billionaire oligarchy problem
American billionaires, including tech billionaires, wield outsized influence over European discourse. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (rebranded as X) led to the reinstatement of 62,000 banned accounts, including extremists, far-right figures like Germany’s Nikolai Nerling, who had spread anti-vaccine conspiracies, persons who committed several serious crimes in Europe, and persons who promote illegal activities such as rape and dehumanization of others. Meanwhile, Meta’s content moderation policies routinely ignore EU directives; in 2023, the European Commission accused Meta of failing to curb disinformation campaigns. Recently, several disinformation campaigns linked to US billionaires attacked EU officials on social media platforms, spreading false narratives and encouraging committing crimes (e.g., murdering officials or overthrowing governments in the EU). It has become clear that these platforms operate as extensions of US corporate power and the new US administration, prioritizing profit and political gains over Europe’s stability and safety.
Data colonialism: US platforms exploit Europe
GDPR vs the US surveillance state
While the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enshrines privacy as a fundamental right, US platforms remain bound by laws like the CLOUD Act, which grants American authorities access to data stored anywhere in the world. In 2022, the European Data Protection Board fined Meta for transferring EU user data to US servers, citing risks of NSA surveillance. Despite the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, experts warn that European data remains vulnerable to US intelligence overreach.
Economic extraction
US platforms siphon billions from Europe’s digital economy. In 2022, Meta reported €4.3 billion in EU revenue but paid an effective tax rate of 8.5% through Irish loopholes—€2.5 billion less than standard EU corporate rates. Google and Apple similarly route profits through tax havens, depriving European governments of funds needed for tech innovation. This financial drain perpetuates Europe’s dependency, stifling homegrown competitors.
Erasing Europe’s diversity
US platforms homogenize culture by privileging English-language content aligning with the worldview of the current US presidential administration and US billionaires. More than 70% of trends on social media originate in the US, overshadowing local creators. European journalists and influencers struggle to compete with US influencers, while platforms like Instagram algorithmically promote American beauty standards, marginalizing Europe’s diverse cultural identities. The shrinking visibility of local users and their regional languages also threatens linguistic heritage of Europe.
Europe is facing digital sovereignty crisis
The US tech cold war has turned data into a strategic asset, yet Europe remains a digital colony. US platforms dominate critical infrastructure: 92% of European governments use Facebook for public communication, while Google’s search monopoly shapes access to information. This dependency leaves Europe exposed to geopolitical coercion. For instance, US platforms are involved in limiting and censoring pro-European content but promoting anti-European narratives that are aligned with US interests. Developing sovereign European platforms, including social media platforms and search engines, would ensure the sovereignty in technology, economy, information space, security and defense.
Building on European strengths: The fediverse and beyond
European companies and communities already host decentralized alternatives like Mastodon, a federated network powered by the homegrown Mastodon software. These GDPR-compliant tools allow users to control data and interconnect across servers—a model echoing the EU’s federalist values. However, fragmentation, lack of user-friendly UI and underfunding limit their reach. A unified EU initiative could fund these projects while the alliance of European companies and communities could merge these projects into a public-private platform.
It is in the best interest of the European Union to provide funding for European-owned social media platforms to ensure their development and European digital sovereignty.
Network effects and innovation
Critics often argue that Silicon Valley’s dominance is insurmountable, citing global statistics of Meta-owned platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) and X. Yet Europe’s 450 million affluent users offer a critical mass. Moreover, Europe attracts people from other regions such as Asia, Africa and South America. Case studies from China (WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu) show that sovereign platforms can thrive and expand globally.
Moreover, the EU is a regulatory superpower which can use legislation to support homegrown social media platforms. For example, the EU can mandate US “gatekeeper” platforms (per the Digital Markets Act) to interconnect with European alternatives, allowing cross-platform interactions. In addition, the EU could introduce EU-wide tax breaks for creators using European platforms in the form of “cultural exceptions”.
Europe’s digital destiny
The choice is stark: continue as a digital colony of US tech giants or forge a sovereign future. European social media platforms are not just a tool—they shield against disinformation, act as guardian of cultural diversity, and a pillar of strategic autonomy. By combining support and strategic interests with cutting-edge innovation, the EU can support the development of the homegrown social media ecosystem. The time to act is now, before the algorithms of Meta and X platforms write Europe’s next chapter for it.
#Europe #EU #digitalsovereignty #technology #tech #fediverse #socialmedia #privacy #data
new startup idea from Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz's a16z¹: a tool to let you control thousands of #socialmedia accounts that look "as human as possible"
¹ Owners of large stakes in #Substack, The Privatized Public Square (AKA “X” AKA “The Everything App”), and (soon) #TikTok
#DoubleSpeed #AI #grok #psyop #a16z #MarcAndreessen #SlugsOfA16z #uspol #disinformation #BenHorowitz #nerdreich #broligarchy #broligarchs #X #NetworkState
![(F near Bl X.com
WW @nearcyan
a16z-backed DoubleSpeed lets you control 1000s of
social media accounts with Al, ensuring they look as
human as possible - "never pay a human again"!
7 ee
S 9 N—7
Z 4 oW = SF
\f f01]
bh Controlisall you need.
\ GL = \9) The doublespeed TERMINAL allows you to orchestrate
Y IN @7/X actions on thousands of social accounts through both bulk
<i "ey content creation and deployment
oxy PAE -
h
never pay a human again.
It's never been easier to create and deploy content without human cost.
Stay up to date with changes and strategies in our community.
(Join Discord )
5:15PM - 10/23/25 - 485K Views](/proxy/post_attachment/887207/14f63f9686.png "(F near Bl X.com
WW @nearcyan
a16z-backed DoubleSpeed lets you control 1000s of
social media accounts with Al, ensuring they look as
human as possible - \"never pay a human again\"!
7 ee
S 9 N—7
Z 4 oW = SF
\f f01]
bh Controlisall you need.
\ GL = \9) The doublespeed TERMINAL allows you to orchestrate
Y IN @7/X actions on thousands of social accounts through both bulk
<i \"ey content creation and deployment
oxy PAE -
h
never pay a human again.
It's never been easier to create and deploy content without human cost.
Stay up to date with changes and strategies in our community.
(Join Discord )
5:15PM - 10/23/25 - 485K Views")
Edited 124d ago
My latest #FediverseExploration is a tribute to @lisamelton, the fediverse’s own algorithm.
And a reminder that fediverse is made up of people.
https://stefanbohacek.com/blog/lisa-melton-the-fediverses-own-algorithm/
#fediverse #FediverseExplorations #SocialMedia #data #dataviz
Super cool and powerful to see how #BlueSky is supporting curated lists using custom hashtags. Hopefully this will be a feature option in #Mastodon soon as well!
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jcoy7v3a2t4rcfdh6i4kza25/feed/astro
#MediaLit #edtechSR #SocialMedia #GeekOfTheWeek #edtech #SpaceEd
Edited 1y ago
Have you ever had a post boosted/reposted by Lisa Melton?
#fediverse #SocialMedia #poll #boost #LisaMelton
Options: (choose one)
15 years in and we're just getting started! Flipboard's CEO
@mike spoke with @forbes's Andy Meek about being digital survivors, @surf, and our role in the future of publishing.
#Technology #Tech #Media #Journalism #Publishing #Flipboard #Apps #SocialMedia #OpenSocial #SurfSocial
The irony is not lost on me that I’m posting this to social media. 🤷🏻♂️
(Hat tip: @markchappelle)
Well hello #mastodon. I deactivated my #bluesky account b/c of reply guy sea lioning and antagonism toward Black women experts there. Very bummed about it b/c I invested a lot in growing my followers there, made some great connections, and believe it’s exponentially better than the site formally known as #Twitter. I might go back, I don’t know but the #moderation tools weren’t addressing my needs. Guess I’ll try again to learn this place 👋🏽
From his home office in…KY, a political operative is quietly investigating scores of federal employees suspected of being hostile to… #Trump….
#TomJones & his #AmericanAccountabilityFoundation are digging into the backgrounds, #socialmedia & commentary of key govt employees, starting w/the #DHS.…+They’re preparing to publish the findings online.
#HeritageFoundation #Project2025 #BlackListing #Sonderfahndungsliste #Gestapo #democracy #BidenHarris2024
https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-president-project-2025-33d3fc2999a74f4aa424f1128dca2d16