By Jillian C. York, Director of International Freedom of Expression on the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I made it massive on Twitter. Now I don’t assume I can keep.
For a very long time, it was value it for author Mikki Kendall to remain on Twitter as a result of Twitter had the ability to vary your life. She broke massive on Twitter greater than 10 years in the past with a hashtag, #solidarityisforwhitewomen. It was nice for her profession, giving her entry to a worldwide viewers and unprecedented entry to the editors who made her a broadcast creator.
But even earlier than Elon Musk purchased the platform, she’s discovered herself tweeting much less and fewer. Whereas she used to socialize recurrently on the platform, TikTok, Instagram and personal teams have gotten more and more extra engaging methods to spend time on-line. And whereas harassment and a scarcity of time are partly accountable, for many who used Twitter to construct a profession, to maintain their careers, or just to attach, the actual query is: Where can we go from right here? Read the total story.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the web to seek out you in the present day’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about expertise.
1 Big Tech is turning into boring
As shares drop, so does Wall Street’s urge for food for zanier, riskier ventures. (Vox)
+ The tech growth the pandemic triggered is nicely and actually over. (Bloomberg $)
+ The tech inventory decline is dangerous information for US pensions. (The Guardian)
+ Advertisers are spending much less cash on social media, too. (FT $)
+ Tech’s richest have misplaced near half a trillion {dollars} this yr. (WSJ $)
2 Several new covid variants vying for dominance
Their capacity to skirt our present immunity is an actual drawback. (The Atlantic $)
+ Variants are likely to unfold throughout Europe earlier than the US. (Slate $)
+ Vaccines that extend the immune response may give higher safety. (New Scientist $)
+ Is a covid and flu “twindemic” on the horizon? (MIT Technology Review)
3 Twitter is planning to begin charging for verification
Elon Musk reckons folks will cough up $20 a month for the privilege. (The Verge)
+ Musk is reportedly planning to put off 25% of Twitter’s employees. (WP $)
4 Stop the Steal’s organizer is whipping up dissent in Brazil
Ali Alexander is mobilizing Brazilians after Lula beat Bolsonaro to the presidency. (Insider $)
+ Social media chatter in El Salvador is resulting in mass arrests. (Rest of World)
+ How claims of voter fraud in 2020 have been supercharged by dangerous science. (MIT Technology Review)
6 How cryptography might help sexual assault survivors to get justice
Systems that share information securely are getting used to construct instances in opposition to repeat offenders. (The Guardian)
7 We’re nonetheless at the hours of darkness over how TikTok impacts our psychological well being
But it appears essential to seek out out. (The Guardian)
+ For many teenagers, the app is a gateway to self-diagnosis. (NYT $)
+ Dementia content material will get billions of views on TikTok. Whose story does it inform? (MIT Technology Review)
8 Eric Schmidt is frightened by China’s speedy AI advances
He needs the US authorities to spend so much more cash on AI analysis in response. (Protocol)
+ Do AI methods want to return with security warnings? (MIT Technology Review)