Andy Warhol and his Influence on Media and Culture
A new Andy Warhol retrospective offers a chance to look back at both his prescience and his influence on our current culture.
Have Content will Travel: Author-Interview Podcasts for Scholarly Books
An interview with Marshall Poe, editor-in-chief of the New Books Network, a rapidly growing platform for podcasts about scholarly works.
A Surveillance System Disguised as a High School Reunion
John Oliver takes Facebook to task for their seemingly insincere apology advertisements.
Guest Post: Safiya Umoja Noble and the Ethics of Social Justice in Information (Part 1)
Jocelyn Dawson and Rebecca McLeod interview Safiya Noble, author of “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism”.
Hipster Antitrust and Structural Dominance — What Is a Monopoly Now?
Calling something a “monopoly” has been misleading in many cases, but the new economy may require a complete rethinking of the anti-competitiveness created by intermediaries at scale.
The Core vs. the Crowd — Why Barriers to Entry May Help Restore Trust
A history of the rise of coercive media suggests that raising barriers to entry may be a remedy. Could a business model shift do most of the work for us?
The Global Battle for Attention and Authority – Have We Already Lost?
As we learn more on an almost daily basis about the growing power and influence of social media and Facebook in particular, Alison Mudditt spoke recently with Siva Vaidhyanathan about the intricate relationship between media and democracy, and the critical role that cultural institutions – including scholarship, publishers and libraries – need to play in countering this pernicious hold on our attention.
Sometimes the Reveal is Better than the Magic Trick
You can still be manipulated, even when you know you’re being manipulated.
Is #DeleteFacebook Going to Change Academic Life and Scholarly Publishing?
What might the recent backlash to revelations about how Facebook was exploited mean for the scholarly ecosystem?
Ask The Chefs: How Do You Stay Informed About Scholarly Communications?
With so much going on around us, staying informed and sifting through information is more critical than it’s ever been. See how the Chefs stay informed about scholarly communication.
Artificial Intelligence and the Infrastructure of Surveillance Authoritarianism
Techno-sociologist Zeynep Tufecki provides a stark view of the potential future of artificial intelligence (AI) and the possible dystopia toward which we are heading.
Blindspot — Was a Key Factor Missed in the Study of Viral Lies?
A recent study of the spread of lies on Twitter is an important advance, but the authors missed a potentially huge factor, and one we can’t ignore.
Celebrating a Decade — It’s Been 10 Years of the Scholarly Kitchen Today
Over the past decade, the Kitchen has flourished, with more great things to come as we celebrate this important milestone.
Fixing Instead of Breaking, Part Three — Blockchain, RA21, Privacy, and Trust
We continue to battle the tidal wave of data with a bucket brigade of individual privacy settings. Maybe it’s time to pause and consider a state-level solution, ala Estonia.
Fixing Instead of Breaking, Part Two — The Subscription Model
Business models that exploit vulnerabilities are unfair. Can a model that aligns producer and consumers help fix the Internet?