Eli Pariser
@eli.bsky.social
New_ Public cofounder / Filter Bubble author / dad, husband, human
Pinned
Eli Pariser
@eli.bsky.social
· Jan 13
Today’s one for the history books: Mastodon is becoming an independent non-profit, and Bluesky is supporting #FreeOurFeeds taking their AT Protocol in the same direction.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Social infrastructure makes our communities more resilient and safer. It also prevents isolation and inequality, connecting neighbors and building social trust and belonging.
What if we had digital spaces as vibrant and flourishing as the best IRL social infrastructure?
What if we had digital spaces as vibrant and flourishing as the best IRL social infrastructure?
February 13, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Social infrastructure makes our communities more resilient and safer. It also prevents isolation and inequality, connecting neighbors and building social trust and belonging.
What if we had digital spaces as vibrant and flourishing as the best IRL social infrastructure?
What if we had digital spaces as vibrant and flourishing as the best IRL social infrastructure?
Reposted by Eli Pariser
New_ Public Co-Directors @deeptidoshi.bsky.social and @eli.bsky.social on the kinds of deeper local connection you can sometimes find in the local paper.
We’re building Roundabout, our prosocial community app, to foster local connection online and bring people together offline.
joinroundabout.com
We’re building Roundabout, our prosocial community app, to foster local connection online and bring people together offline.
joinroundabout.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
New_ Public Co-Directors @deeptidoshi.bsky.social and @eli.bsky.social on the kinds of deeper local connection you can sometimes find in the local paper.
We’re building Roundabout, our prosocial community app, to foster local connection online and bring people together offline.
joinroundabout.com
We’re building Roundabout, our prosocial community app, to foster local connection online and bring people together offline.
joinroundabout.com
Reposted by Eli Pariser
What brought you to the internet? Before the algorithm, before AI brainrot, it was probably a desire to connect and be seen.
Journalist @jessicafurseth.bsky.social shows us that human connection persists in the comments sections of YouTube’s longest, oldest, anti-algorithmic videos.
Journalist @jessicafurseth.bsky.social shows us that human connection persists in the comments sections of YouTube’s longest, oldest, anti-algorithmic videos.
👀🌷📼 Something beautiful is happening with old YouTube videos
Ten hours of rain sounds has 9 million views and the comments will make you cry
newpublic.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:58 PM
What brought you to the internet? Before the algorithm, before AI brainrot, it was probably a desire to connect and be seen.
Journalist @jessicafurseth.bsky.social shows us that human connection persists in the comments sections of YouTube’s longest, oldest, anti-algorithmic videos.
Journalist @jessicafurseth.bsky.social shows us that human connection persists in the comments sections of YouTube’s longest, oldest, anti-algorithmic videos.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Yes, we need rules to regulate social media, but new rules on old, Big Tech platforms can only go so far.
We need new platforms, new infrastructure, and a lot of ingenuity to make something better.
joinroundabout.com
We need new platforms, new infrastructure, and a lot of ingenuity to make something better.
joinroundabout.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Yes, we need rules to regulate social media, but new rules on old, Big Tech platforms can only go so far.
We need new platforms, new infrastructure, and a lot of ingenuity to make something better.
joinroundabout.com
We need new platforms, new infrastructure, and a lot of ingenuity to make something better.
joinroundabout.com
Reposted by Eli Pariser
What kind of an internet is possible outside of Big Tech’s profit incentives and surveillance?
For journalist and editor @chezpanique.bsky.social, it would look a little weirder (cyberpunk computer games, anyone?) and a bit more hand-drawn and creative.
For journalist and editor @chezpanique.bsky.social, it would look a little weirder (cyberpunk computer games, anyone?) and a bit more hand-drawn and creative.
February 5, 2026 at 4:36 PM
What kind of an internet is possible outside of Big Tech’s profit incentives and surveillance?
For journalist and editor @chezpanique.bsky.social, it would look a little weirder (cyberpunk computer games, anyone?) and a bit more hand-drawn and creative.
For journalist and editor @chezpanique.bsky.social, it would look a little weirder (cyberpunk computer games, anyone?) and a bit more hand-drawn and creative.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Americans drastically overestimate how many people are posting toxic content.
When shown that only about 3-7% of Redditors post hateful or aggressive comments, participants think better of their fellow posters.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
When shown that only about 3-7% of Redditors post hateful or aggressive comments, participants think better of their fellow posters.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
February 4, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Americans drastically overestimate how many people are posting toxic content.
When shown that only about 3-7% of Redditors post hateful or aggressive comments, participants think better of their fellow posters.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
When shown that only about 3-7% of Redditors post hateful or aggressive comments, participants think better of their fellow posters.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Reposted by Eli Pariser
When writer and tech entrepreneur @anildash.com first heard about Wikipedia, his reaction was:
“Well… good luck to those guys.”
That was 25 years ago. Now, he recognizes Wikipedia’s unbelievable collective generosity and reflects on how it’s adapted to each new era of the internet.
“Well… good luck to those guys.”
That was 25 years ago. Now, he recognizes Wikipedia’s unbelievable collective generosity and reflects on how it’s adapted to each new era of the internet.
Wikipedia at 25: What the web can be - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
www.anildash.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:54 PM
When writer and tech entrepreneur @anildash.com first heard about Wikipedia, his reaction was:
“Well… good luck to those guys.”
That was 25 years ago. Now, he recognizes Wikipedia’s unbelievable collective generosity and reflects on how it’s adapted to each new era of the internet.
“Well… good luck to those guys.”
That was 25 years ago. Now, he recognizes Wikipedia’s unbelievable collective generosity and reflects on how it’s adapted to each new era of the internet.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Europeans should be able to shape their own online spaces, which is why we’ve been working with public service media in Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany over four years.
Now, open, decentralized protocols like Activity Pub and AT Protocol represent a new avenue for European digital sovereignty.
Now, open, decentralized protocols like Activity Pub and AT Protocol represent a new avenue for European digital sovereignty.
February 3, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Europeans should be able to shape their own online spaces, which is why we’ve been working with public service media in Switzerland, Belgium, and Germany over four years.
Now, open, decentralized protocols like Activity Pub and AT Protocol represent a new avenue for European digital sovereignty.
Now, open, decentralized protocols like Activity Pub and AT Protocol represent a new avenue for European digital sovereignty.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
A majority of Americans (72%!) report a sense of belonging in their local communities and neighborhoods, according to Social Connection in America’s latest survey report.
This is why we’re building Roundabout, our local community app.
socialconnectioninamerica.org/2025-report/
This is why we’re building Roundabout, our local community app.
socialconnectioninamerica.org/2025-report/
February 2, 2026 at 4:31 PM
A majority of Americans (72%!) report a sense of belonging in their local communities and neighborhoods, according to Social Connection in America’s latest survey report.
This is why we’re building Roundabout, our local community app.
socialconnectioninamerica.org/2025-report/
This is why we’re building Roundabout, our local community app.
socialconnectioninamerica.org/2025-report/
Hey @melaniemitchell.bsky.social , enjoyed your NYT comments. I was curious -- you say that it's a misconception that AI has emergent traits that are impossible to predict. I assumed this was in reference to e.g. this paper arxiv.org/abs/2206.07682
I'd love to hear more about the alternate view.
I'd love to hear more about the alternate view.
Emergent Abilities of Large Language Models
Scaling up language models has been shown to predictably improve performance and sample efficiency on a wide range of downstream tasks. This paper instead discusses an unpredictable phenomenon that we...
arxiv.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Hey @melaniemitchell.bsky.social , enjoyed your NYT comments. I was curious -- you say that it's a misconception that AI has emergent traits that are impossible to predict. I assumed this was in reference to e.g. this paper arxiv.org/abs/2206.07682
I'd love to hear more about the alternate view.
I'd love to hear more about the alternate view.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
How do we build more escape hatches from closed Big Tech social media? @fediforum.org is looking for ideas on how to grow the Open Social Web!
Submit a position paper for their Un-workshop by Feb. 16th, hosted by @j12t.org and @mmasnick.bsky.social:
fediforum.org/2026-03-grow...
Submit a position paper for their Un-workshop by Feb. 16th, hosted by @j12t.org and @mmasnick.bsky.social:
fediforum.org/2026-03-grow...
January 30, 2026 at 4:30 PM
How do we build more escape hatches from closed Big Tech social media? @fediforum.org is looking for ideas on how to grow the Open Social Web!
Submit a position paper for their Un-workshop by Feb. 16th, hosted by @j12t.org and @mmasnick.bsky.social:
fediforum.org/2026-03-grow...
Submit a position paper for their Un-workshop by Feb. 16th, hosted by @j12t.org and @mmasnick.bsky.social:
fediforum.org/2026-03-grow...
Reposted by Eli Pariser
AT Protocol, the infrastructure powering Bluesky, “represents one of the most concrete opportunities for Europe to create their own social networking infrastructure,” says Dutch data analyst Laurens Hof (@laurenshof.online).
Here are four case-studies on European projects that give us hope:
Here are four case-studies on European projects that give us hope:
January 29, 2026 at 4:23 PM
AT Protocol, the infrastructure powering Bluesky, “represents one of the most concrete opportunities for Europe to create their own social networking infrastructure,” says Dutch data analyst Laurens Hof (@laurenshof.online).
Here are four case-studies on European projects that give us hope:
Here are four case-studies on European projects that give us hope:
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Our research into local digital spaces shows that community stewards, the admins and mods who care for these spaces, make a real difference!
That’s why Roundabout, our local community app in closed beta, is organized around stewardship.
That’s why Roundabout, our local community app in closed beta, is organized around stewardship.
January 28, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Our research into local digital spaces shows that community stewards, the admins and mods who care for these spaces, make a real difference!
That’s why Roundabout, our local community app in closed beta, is organized around stewardship.
That’s why Roundabout, our local community app in closed beta, is organized around stewardship.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Ok, yes, the state of the social internet is not ideal. We’re so numb to horrific violations of decency and disrespect, that we mostly accept that “this is just how it is.”
But here are some thriving spaces and powerful ideas we discovered last year that give us hope for 2026 and beyond✨
🧵👇(1/6)
But here are some thriving spaces and powerful ideas we discovered last year that give us hope for 2026 and beyond✨
🧵👇(1/6)
January 27, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Ok, yes, the state of the social internet is not ideal. We’re so numb to horrific violations of decency and disrespect, that we mostly accept that “this is just how it is.”
But here are some thriving spaces and powerful ideas we discovered last year that give us hope for 2026 and beyond✨
🧵👇(1/6)
But here are some thriving spaces and powerful ideas we discovered last year that give us hope for 2026 and beyond✨
🧵👇(1/6)
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Join Blaine Cook, New_ Public’s Principal Software Engineer for Roundabout, at a @getdweb.net virtual meetup this Wednesday from 1-2pm EST
Blaine will present on Roundabout, our new local community app! Folks from @awana.digital and @dod.ngo will also present.
Blaine will present on Roundabout, our new local community app! Folks from @awana.digital and @dod.ngo will also present.
DWeb Virtual Meetup—The Latest in the DWeb Ecosystem (January 2026)
Join us at our next virtual meetup and hear our speakers share updates on some latest DWeb releases and community organizing efforts.
www.eventbrite.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Join Blaine Cook, New_ Public’s Principal Software Engineer for Roundabout, at a @getdweb.net virtual meetup this Wednesday from 1-2pm EST
Blaine will present on Roundabout, our new local community app! Folks from @awana.digital and @dod.ngo will also present.
Blaine will present on Roundabout, our new local community app! Folks from @awana.digital and @dod.ngo will also present.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Many Europeans want to be free of American and Chinese Big Tech apps.
Open, decentralized protocols like ActivityPub (powering Mastodon) and AT Protocol (powering Bluesky) may be the key to a new sovereign social media infrastructure.
Open, decentralized protocols like ActivityPub (powering Mastodon) and AT Protocol (powering Bluesky) may be the key to a new sovereign social media infrastructure.
🇪🇺🌐 The future of social media may be decided in Europe
A survey of European AT Protocol projects, including 4 mini case-studies
newpublic.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Many Europeans want to be free of American and Chinese Big Tech apps.
Open, decentralized protocols like ActivityPub (powering Mastodon) and AT Protocol (powering Bluesky) may be the key to a new sovereign social media infrastructure.
Open, decentralized protocols like ActivityPub (powering Mastodon) and AT Protocol (powering Bluesky) may be the key to a new sovereign social media infrastructure.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Happy 25th birthday @wikipedia.org! 🥳
Celebrate the collaborative internet experiment that shouldn’t have worked (but somehow did) through this interactive look at Wikipedia’s journey.
Celebrate the collaborative internet experiment that shouldn’t have worked (but somehow did) through this interactive look at Wikipedia’s journey.
25 years of Wikipedia
wikipedia25.org
January 23, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Happy 25th birthday @wikipedia.org! 🥳
Celebrate the collaborative internet experiment that shouldn’t have worked (but somehow did) through this interactive look at Wikipedia’s journey.
Celebrate the collaborative internet experiment that shouldn’t have worked (but somehow did) through this interactive look at Wikipedia’s journey.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
If you’re feeling trapped within the Big Tech apps you rely on, Canadian tech critic @parismarx.com shares his list of global alternatives and his progress in trying to divest.
“It’s not an easy task to reject services that have become so ubiquitous and are made to be easy to use.”
“It’s not an easy task to reject services that have become so ubiquitous and are made to be easy to use.”
We need to reassess our relationship to digital tech
Getting off US tech led me to a wider questioning of digital convenience
disconnect.blog
January 22, 2026 at 4:29 PM
If you’re feeling trapped within the Big Tech apps you rely on, Canadian tech critic @parismarx.com shares his list of global alternatives and his progress in trying to divest.
“It’s not an easy task to reject services that have become so ubiquitous and are made to be easy to use.”
“It’s not an easy task to reject services that have become so ubiquitous and are made to be easy to use.”
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Everyone’s posting about 2016, with a heavy dose of nostalgia.
In 2016, Instagram switched their default feed from purely reverse chronological feed to algorithmically-sorted. In retrospect, this marks the beginning of a shift towards a passive, spoon-fed internet.
Design matters for connection.
In 2016, Instagram switched their default feed from purely reverse chronological feed to algorithmically-sorted. In retrospect, this marks the beginning of a shift towards a passive, spoon-fed internet.
Design matters for connection.
January 21, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Everyone’s posting about 2016, with a heavy dose of nostalgia.
In 2016, Instagram switched their default feed from purely reverse chronological feed to algorithmically-sorted. In retrospect, this marks the beginning of a shift towards a passive, spoon-fed internet.
Design matters for connection.
In 2016, Instagram switched their default feed from purely reverse chronological feed to algorithmically-sorted. In retrospect, this marks the beginning of a shift towards a passive, spoon-fed internet.
Design matters for connection.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
The Internet is alive! @chezpanique.bsky.social builds on her viral newsletter and takes us on a tour of the indie web.
These are hand-coded, independent websites, outside the walled gardens created by tech giants.
“It’s a canvas for boundless creativity and really you can be yourself.”
These are hand-coded, independent websites, outside the walled gardens created by tech giants.
“It’s a canvas for boundless creativity and really you can be yourself.”
A tour of the indie web
YouTube video by New_ Public
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:36 PM
The Internet is alive! @chezpanique.bsky.social builds on her viral newsletter and takes us on a tour of the indie web.
These are hand-coded, independent websites, outside the walled gardens created by tech giants.
“It’s a canvas for boundless creativity and really you can be yourself.”
These are hand-coded, independent websites, outside the walled gardens created by tech giants.
“It’s a canvas for boundless creativity and really you can be yourself.”
Reposted by Eli Pariser
You never know what’s going to happen in the comments. Here, over a decade ago, a commenter on a Times of London article bore their soul, and other commenters showed up for them.
@benwhitelaw.bsky.social l says, “I believe in the comments, and I think they have a future.”
@benwhitelaw.bsky.social l says, “I believe in the comments, and I think they have a future.”
January 20, 2026 at 4:14 PM
You never know what’s going to happen in the comments. Here, over a decade ago, a commenter on a Times of London article bore their soul, and other commenters showed up for them.
@benwhitelaw.bsky.social l says, “I believe in the comments, and I think they have a future.”
@benwhitelaw.bsky.social l says, “I believe in the comments, and I think they have a future.”
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Last chance to be part of our 2025 survey – we’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about New_ Public, what you’d like to see us focus on in 2026, and your experience accessing information in your local community.
The New_ Public Survey 2025
Tell us about what's important to you: we'd love your opinion on both social media and New_ Public.
newpublic.typeform.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Last chance to be part of our 2025 survey – we’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about New_ Public, what you’d like to see us focus on in 2026, and your experience accessing information in your local community.
Reposted by Eli Pariser
This is what we’re thinking about right now. Let’s peel the onion together 🧅
New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social wants your opinion: How will we be talking to each other online in two years?
New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social wants your opinion: How will we be talking to each other online in two years?
January 16, 2026 at 4:20 PM
This is what we’re thinking about right now. Let’s peel the onion together 🧅
New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social wants your opinion: How will we be talking to each other online in two years?
New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social wants your opinion: How will we be talking to each other online in two years?
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Rather than settle for the status quo of social media, artist and writer @joshuacitarella.bsky.social imagines a truly “public” platform, as useful and universal as the post office.
What’s possible when we disconnect from the underlying business incentives that have shaped the social internet?
What’s possible when we disconnect from the underlying business incentives that have shaped the social internet?
The Case for a Public Social Media Platform - JSTOR Daily
Artist and writer Joshua Citarella explores why corporate platforms corrode democracy—and what a postal-service-style digital commons could do differently.
daily.jstor.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Rather than settle for the status quo of social media, artist and writer @joshuacitarella.bsky.social imagines a truly “public” platform, as useful and universal as the post office.
What’s possible when we disconnect from the underlying business incentives that have shaped the social internet?
What’s possible when we disconnect from the underlying business incentives that have shaped the social internet?
Reposted by Eli Pariser
Have you noticed that a lot of news sites are restarting or reimagining their comment sections? Which news orgs are doing comments exceptionally well right now?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
January 15, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Have you noticed that a lot of news sites are restarting or reimagining their comment sections? Which news orgs are doing comments exceptionally well right now?
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news...