Becca Lewis
@beccalew.bsky.social
Assistant prof of comparative media studies @MIT, researching the rise of right-wing politics in Silicon Valley and online. Email me at beccalewis@protonmail.com. Read my stuff at www.beccalew.org.
Pinned
Becca Lewis
@beccalew.bsky.social
· Dec 17
New article out from me and Angèle Christin in the Annals of the AAPSS! In "The Politics of Engagement in Platform Governance," we unpack and historicize the concept of "social media engagement," an idea that has dominated debate over platform politics in recent years.
doi.org/10.1177/0002...
doi.org/10.1177/0002...
The Politics of Engagement in Platform Governance - Becca Lewis, Angèle Christin, 2024
In recent years, the concept of user engagement has dominated debate over the governance of online platforms, and critics use the term to assign crass commercia...
doi.org
Increasingly, I've been interested in understanding the ideas and beliefs that have shaped Silicon Valley and its technologies. "Engagement" is one of them. Far from merely a base economic impulse, the concept did--and continues to do--important ideological work for the high-tech industry
Reposted by Becca Lewis
NEWS: A federal judge found that ICE had repeatedly retaliated against peaceful protesters in unconstitutional ways — and barred agents involved in Minnesota's "Operation Metro Surge" from using similar tactics and force.
w/ @joshgerstein @hassankanu
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
w/ @joshgerstein @hassankanu
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 17, 2026 at 1:55 AM
NEWS: A federal judge found that ICE had repeatedly retaliated against peaceful protesters in unconstitutional ways — and barred agents involved in Minnesota's "Operation Metro Surge" from using similar tactics and force.
w/ @joshgerstein @hassankanu
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
w/ @joshgerstein @hassankanu
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Becca Lewis
That DHS is using a neo-Nazi Anthem for recruiting gives new meaning to the question its Secret Police have been flinging at protestors recently: “Have y’all not learned from the past couple of days?” What we've learned (again) is that the Secret Police RELISH their role as fascist paramilitaries.
DHS Used Neo-Nazi Anthem for Recruitment After Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shooting
The federal government is openly embracing white nationalist online content — including in a recent recruitment post.
theintercept.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM
That DHS is using a neo-Nazi Anthem for recruiting gives new meaning to the question its Secret Police have been flinging at protestors recently: “Have y’all not learned from the past couple of days?” What we've learned (again) is that the Secret Police RELISH their role as fascist paramilitaries.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
V moving interview from @palumboliu.bsky.social with the youth organizers of South Bay Youth Changemakers!
speakingoutofplace.com/2025/10/16/s...
speakingoutofplace.com/2025/10/16/s...
South Bay Youth Changemakers: Going Beyond the Stereotype of “Asian American” to Realize a Broad Sense of Community and Activism in Silicon Valley | Speaking Out OF Place
speakingoutofplace.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:12 PM
V moving interview from @palumboliu.bsky.social with the youth organizers of South Bay Youth Changemakers!
speakingoutofplace.com/2025/10/16/s...
speakingoutofplace.com/2025/10/16/s...
Reposted by Becca Lewis
Texas A&M decided to publicly cancel my Ethics class, and share a false statement that I declined to provide information, which made it impossible for [them ] to request an exemption. See for yourself, if this statement is true.
They are getting creative!
They are getting creative!
ETHICS IS NOW CANCELED AT TEXAS A&M
Statement from Dr. Leonard Bright....
Statement from Dr. Leonard Bright....
January 14, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Texas A&M decided to publicly cancel my Ethics class, and share a false statement that I declined to provide information, which made it impossible for [them ] to request an exemption. See for yourself, if this statement is true.
They are getting creative!
They are getting creative!
The world is going to shit, but at least my copy of TIME magazine’s 1996 “golden geeks” issue arrived in the mail
January 14, 2026 at 7:06 PM
The world is going to shit, but at least my copy of TIME magazine’s 1996 “golden geeks” issue arrived in the mail
Fascinating article on Larry Ellison, his son David, and their growing takeover of the media
www.vulture.com/article/larr...
www.vulture.com/article/larr...
The Son King of Hollywood
With help from his billionaire father, Larry, David Ellison is trying to become the biggest studio mogul in history.
www.vulture.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Fascinating article on Larry Ellison, his son David, and their growing takeover of the media
www.vulture.com/article/larr...
www.vulture.com/article/larr...
Reposted by Becca Lewis
they didn’t leak it to make the shooter look innocent, but to make the victim look guilty. not guilty of a crime. guilty of having a visibly queer wife. guilty of liberalism. guilty of opposing the regime. they don’t seek to exonerate themselves, only to demonstrate who deserves to die.
In the video that the shooter took, which I believe was leaked to be exculpatory, he appears to yell “fucking bitch” after he shoots Renee Good.
January 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM
they didn’t leak it to make the shooter look innocent, but to make the victim look guilty. not guilty of a crime. guilty of having a visibly queer wife. guilty of liberalism. guilty of opposing the regime. they don’t seek to exonerate themselves, only to demonstrate who deserves to die.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
My first for @dropsitenews.com: after a grueling three-year strike, workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette returned to work in victory. This week, the 240-year-old paper’s wealthy owners decided to shut it down. open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to Shutter After Workers Held Longest Strike in the History of U.S. Newspapers
Block Communications just closed its Pulitzer Prize–winning newspaper, but its workers hope to keep local journalism alive, with their strike paper in hand and support from residents and officials
open.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:32 PM
My first for @dropsitenews.com: after a grueling three-year strike, workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette returned to work in victory. This week, the 240-year-old paper’s wealthy owners decided to shut it down. open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...
Reposted by Becca Lewis
NEW: At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
Our latest:
DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
Our latest:
DHS Is Lying To You About ICE Shooting a Woman
At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
www.404media.co
January 7, 2026 at 10:26 PM
NEW: At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
Our latest:
DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
Our latest:
Reposted by Becca Lewis
It's good to use the resources at hand to fight because sometimes you win. Also, I keep thinking of the period after this man was killed and how a group of people tried to impose a new social reality. It didn't work. This too is a lesson.
Professor Fired for Charlie Kirk Post Gets $500,000 From School, Is Reinstated
Professor Fired for Charlie Kirk Post Gets $500,000 From School, Is Reinstated
Professor Darren Michael has reportedly been reinstated and given $50,000 after being fired over posts about assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The post Professor Fired for Charlie Kirk Post Gets $500,000 From School, Is Reinstated first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
January 7, 2026 at 12:31 PM
It's good to use the resources at hand to fight because sometimes you win. Also, I keep thinking of the period after this man was killed and how a group of people tried to impose a new social reality. It didn't work. This too is a lesson.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
X basically industrialized the creation of fake porn of women who don't consent. Others did it first, but Grok made it normalized and centralized: publicly visible, instantly creatable by anyone, regardless of who's being targeted and dehumanized. Only question now is will X suffer any consequences
January 7, 2026 at 12:45 PM
X basically industrialized the creation of fake porn of women who don't consent. Others did it first, but Grok made it normalized and centralized: publicly visible, instantly creatable by anyone, regardless of who's being targeted and dehumanized. Only question now is will X suffer any consequences
Reposted by Becca Lewis
im not gonna post the others here for obvious reason but the next ones in the thread go:
"put a maga hat on her"
"have her arm holding the cookie extended in a roman salute"
genuinely a nightmare for any popular woman (or just any woman or girl or person) on x dot com
"put a maga hat on her"
"have her arm holding the cookie extended in a roman salute"
genuinely a nightmare for any popular woman (or just any woman or girl or person) on x dot com
January 7, 2026 at 3:18 AM
im not gonna post the others here for obvious reason but the next ones in the thread go:
"put a maga hat on her"
"have her arm holding the cookie extended in a roman salute"
genuinely a nightmare for any popular woman (or just any woman or girl or person) on x dot com
"put a maga hat on her"
"have her arm holding the cookie extended in a roman salute"
genuinely a nightmare for any popular woman (or just any woman or girl or person) on x dot com
Reposted by Becca Lewis
“Covid is over” might be the biggest lie sold to us in a staggering decade of lies
January 6, 2026 at 6:18 AM
“Covid is over” might be the biggest lie sold to us in a staggering decade of lies
Reposted by Becca Lewis
they're doing it for gender, imo
It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason
January 6, 2026 at 1:57 AM
they're doing it for gender, imo
anyone aware of good resources on the history of bandwidth technologies? i'm thinking specifically of the push for fiber optic cables in the 1990s and exploitation of new parts of the electromagnetic spectrum around the same time
January 5, 2026 at 6:13 PM
anyone aware of good resources on the history of bandwidth technologies? i'm thinking specifically of the push for fiber optic cables in the 1990s and exploitation of new parts of the electromagnetic spectrum around the same time
Reposted by Becca Lewis
The end goal of Grok sexual harassment is to make women afraid to be visible. It’s a punishment for daring to exist in a way the perpetrators can’t control. There’s no one solution to this, because the problem isn’t just technological. It’s cultural. It’s misogyny. This is just one expression of it.
January 5, 2026 at 1:10 AM
The end goal of Grok sexual harassment is to make women afraid to be visible. It’s a punishment for daring to exist in a way the perpetrators can’t control. There’s no one solution to this, because the problem isn’t just technological. It’s cultural. It’s misogyny. This is just one expression of it.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
Reposted by Becca Lewis
The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion.
This is the aftermath in one area
This is the aftermath in one area
January 4, 2026 at 3:56 AM
The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion.
This is the aftermath in one area
This is the aftermath in one area
Reactionary modernism is so back
January 2, 2026 at 11:09 PM
Reactionary modernism is so back
Reposted by Becca Lewis
Most underrated Biden admin mistake was bailing out Silicon Valley Bank.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
David Sacks, presumably, on the push by some in the tech and VC world to fund a primary challenge to Congressman Khanna.
December 29, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Most underrated Biden admin mistake was bailing out Silicon Valley Bank.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
I swear if you create a fake startup that you called “GONDOR” and told pants-wettingly fearful tech investors that it was an AI-powered weapon that executed pedestrians on sight if they looked too long at your house, you could raise $50 million in investment and get a DHS contract in 6 hours.
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for "super premium" customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos | TechCrunch
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
techcrunch.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:55 AM
I swear if you create a fake startup that you called “GONDOR” and told pants-wettingly fearful tech investors that it was an AI-powered weapon that executed pedestrians on sight if they looked too long at your house, you could raise $50 million in investment and get a DHS contract in 6 hours.
Reposted by Becca Lewis
As good as Stephen says. Like much of modern social media, the promise is neither friends nor companionship, the promise instead is refracted shades of yourself.
December 28, 2025 at 1:09 PM
As good as Stephen says. Like much of modern social media, the promise is neither friends nor companionship, the promise instead is refracted shades of yourself.
Fascist violence requires efficient infrastructure
“.. We need to get better at treating this like a business,” ICE acting director Todd M. Lyons said .. as efficiently as Amazon moves packages: “Like Prime, but with human beings.”
@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
December 24, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Fascist violence requires efficient infrastructure
Reposted by Becca Lewis
“It’s [Citizen Lab] one of the few institutions that investigate cyberthreats exclusively in the public interest, and in doing so, it has exposed some of the most egregious digital abuses of the past two decades.”
Meet the man hunting the spies in your smartphone
Ronald Deibert and his research group, the Citizen Lab, have rigorously worked to unveil alarming digital threats for the past two decades. Now, he warns, this kind of work is under threat.
www.technologyreview.com
December 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
“It’s [Citizen Lab] one of the few institutions that investigate cyberthreats exclusively in the public interest, and in doing so, it has exposed some of the most egregious digital abuses of the past two decades.”