This weekend, I published an article about how the right wing bullshit machine works (in large part due to participatory dynamics that integrate the collaborative work of online audience). If anyone wants to see that BS machine in action, just check the comments: www.seattletimes.com/opinion/to-u... - ThreadSky

katestarbird.bsky.social • 2 days ago

This weekend, I published an article about how the right wing bullshit machine works (in large part due to participatory dynamics that integrate the collaborative work of online audience). If anyone wants to see that BS machine in action, just check the comments: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/to-understand-right-wing-medias-power-study-improv-and-theater-of-influencers/

Comments

vmurr.bsky.social•2 days ago

While, regretfully, it makes sense that the disinfo machines target you and your colleagues, I hate it for you. You are one of the best researchers out there (intelligent, honest, thorough). Fwiw: thank you--and your colleagues--for your work. 💜

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thank you for the message! I'm so over it at this point. My skin is a whole lot thicker, and I've learned a lot about how not wait to respond to falsehoods about yourself (or others). We missed what Maria Ressa calls the "golden window" by listening to folks who assured us it would blow over.

losinugly.bsky.social•2 days ago

Superb. As a scholar of participatory communities it’s a bummer to see it playing out this way. Your analysis reminds me of the “How QAnon is like an alt reality game.” Watching Elon and social security taking off is quite similar.

rrriling.bsky.social•2 days ago

fjc

aninsggirb.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

dmarzahl.bsky.social•1 day ago

A spot-on piece Kate that highlights the desperate need to build a radically different media/social media system to counter the right-wing mis/dis information system. Highlighting facts & reality doesn’t have to be BORING! Let’s have some fun with it

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

One keyboard warrior (likely misled, possibly malicious) completely captures the conversation, repeating lies and distortions about me, my colleagues, and (by extension) anyone who tries to study, call out, and/or otherwise mitigate the spread of bullshit online.

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

Beyond the outright factual lies (e.g. I've never been an employee of a federal agency, I haven't reported content to platforms for moderation, I had nothing to do w/ any platform actions on Hunter Biden's laptop, the lab leak theory, etc.), the commenter pushes three strategic & distorted frames:

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

(1) that content moderation = "censorship" (it's not, and you don't really want to be on a platform that doesn't moderate, because it would be full of porn); (2) that university researchers communicating with platforms is somehow illegal (it's not, it's protected speech); and...

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

(3) that the real "censorship" threat involves platforms moderating a few 100 posts w/ the help of researchers (it's not, the real threat is a President threatening platforms to force them to remove fact-checking, suing critical voices into silence, & kicking unfriendly media outlets out of the WH).

mamaimri.bsky.social•2 days ago

Hoffe es werden viele Menschen Ihren Beitrag lesen und sich damit eine Meinung bilden. Danke 🙏

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

Also, if you can't or don't want to read the Seattle Times, but have an extra hour or so this weekend, here's the talk that article is based upon: https://www.youtube.com/live/YnJ5o09zucI

nowheria.bsky.social•2 days ago

Awesome. I will watch this.

borjita.bsky.social•2 days ago

📌

sivav.bsky.social•2 days ago

The problem is most of them do want to be on a platform full of porn!

somerandomdave.bsky.social•2 days ago

They aren't going to be full of porn, they're going to be full of ads for porn, ads for drugs, political nonsense, and trolls of every description.

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

But do they want EVERY platform to be full of porn? I guess so, because that will drive everyone else out of the town square. It's like going to the strip club for a business lunch... it means only certain people (who enjoy or can tolerate a strip club) get to do business.

sivav.bsky.social•2 days ago

I’m not sure that’s too far from the truth.

nickelback.bsky.social•2 days ago

🤣🤣

paranoidfactoid2.bsky.social•2 days ago

Have you seen Adam Curtis' 2016 documentary, Hypernormalization? It's based on Peter Pomperantsev's book, Nothing is Real and Everything is Possible. Both detail Russia's development of a propaganda model built around theater, developed by a popular playwright and 70s SF authors. This is similar.

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

I haven't seen Curtis' documentary, but Pomerantsev's "Menace of Unreality" paper was quite influential on our early work understanding the connections between the conspiracy theory networks and the Kremlin's disinformation campaigns / strategic information operations.

paranoidfactoid2.bsky.social•2 days ago

I've read two of his books, Nothing is Real and Everything is Possible, and This is Not Propaganda. But I haven't read his paper you reference. Your paper I'll try to find and read. Thank you.

diacoustic.bsky.social•2 days ago

I'll have to read Pomperantsev now.
I really liked watching hypernormalization and All watched over by machines of loving grace.

paranoidfactoid2.bsky.social•2 days ago

Both excellent documentaries.

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

https://www.interpretermag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/11/The_Menace_of_Unreality_Final.pdf

k351n.bsky.social•2 days ago

Wow, that's a good read. Thanks.

paranoidfactoid2.bsky.social•2 days ago

Thank you!

kegill.bsky.social•2 days ago

Kate, within this app, SeattleTimes says posting comments is limited to subscribers but won’t show them.

I can see them in my mobile browser even when not logged in to the Times.

nitejanitor.bsky.social•2 days ago

these sources of misinfo need to be banned or regulated

survivorshipit.medsky.social•2 days ago

Is the article posted anyplace that doesn't require a subscription? Thank you!

jesrcerulean.bsky.social•2 days ago

Or anywhere that's not the bleeding Seattle Times, anti-labor to the core and unlikely to support anything better than Trump in the long run.

nickelback.bsky.social•2 days ago

That paper probably has the most eyeballs in Seattle.

jesrcerulean.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's the only thing left as a daily. The ownership is still evil, and since the Olympia and Tacoma papers have been enviscerated by their chain ownership, we're stuck for a dependable print source.

katestarbird.bsky.social•2 days ago

Excerpt: " can’t just rely upon the logic of legacy media or the aging wisdom of Dem comm consultants. can’t wait for The WA Post, The WSJ, or The Seattle Times to tell the ... stories, build the graphs and create the memes that help people better understand what’s happening around them."

jesrcerulean.bsky.social•2 days ago

Yeah, but I don't have to put money in their pockets to follow the discussion in comments. Decades ago we subscribed to the Olympian, News Tribune, Post-Intelligencer, NYT and Wall Street Journal. But now this region is underserved and KNKX can't cover everything.

rrriling.bsky.social•2 days ago

But the comments aren't archived.

rrriling.bsky.social•2 days ago

It's been archived:
https://archive.ph/RwCyd

johnadds.bsky.social•2 days ago

Having made “truth” subjective, it can now be defined by whoever has the largest voice (Xchan, bully pulpit). We’ve lost the old days of shared truth. Thank you for trying to establish some sense of direction in the madness.

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