Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
@lorenzspreen.bsky.social
Heading the Computational Social Science group within SynoSys & ScaDS.AI at TU Dresden, where we study how online information environments impact public discourse and develop alternatives that benefit democracy.
CSS-Group: https://css-synosys.github.io/
CSS-Group: https://css-synosys.github.io/
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
EU says it strongly condemns U.S. visa ban on European individuals reut.rs/3YNpK6o
EU says it strongly condemns U.S. visa ban on European individuals
The European Commission strongly condemns the U.S. decision to impose a visa ban on five European individuals, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, a Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday, adding that the EU had requested clarifications from the U.S. authorities.
reut.rs
December 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM
EU says it strongly condemns U.S. visa ban on European individuals reut.rs/3YNpK6o
Full solidarity with @hateaid.org ! Standing up for our rights online is the way to go, and these accusations couldn't be more Orwellian... all the more reason to keep going this way and push for the DSA and transparency from online platforms!
Krass: Die US-Regierung hat Sanktionen gegen Anna-Lena von Hodenberg und Josephine Ballon von @hateaid.org erlassen, dazu trifft es auch den früheren EU-Kommissar Thierry Breton, weil "These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states". Einreiseverbot
December 24, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Full solidarity with @hateaid.org ! Standing up for our rights online is the way to go, and these accusations couldn't be more Orwellian... all the more reason to keep going this way and push for the DSA and transparency from online platforms!
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Krass: Die US-Regierung hat Sanktionen gegen Anna-Lena von Hodenberg und Josephine Ballon von @hateaid.org erlassen, dazu trifft es auch den früheren EU-Kommissar Thierry Breton, weil "These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states". Einreiseverbot
December 23, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Krass: Die US-Regierung hat Sanktionen gegen Anna-Lena von Hodenberg und Josephine Ballon von @hateaid.org erlassen, dazu trifft es auch den früheren EU-Kommissar Thierry Breton, weil "These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states". Einreiseverbot
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Thrilled to announce the Handbook of Computational Social Science is officially out! 956 pages, 118 authors, and truly global, interdisciplinary perspectives. Deep thanks to the contributors and anonymous reviewers who shaped this over 4 years. Buy your copy now!
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social
December 19, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Thrilled to announce the Handbook of Computational Social Science is officially out! 956 pages, 118 authors, and truly global, interdisciplinary perspectives. Deep thanks to the contributors and anonymous reviewers who shaped this over 4 years. Buy your copy now!
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social
@elgarpublishing.bsky.social
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Happy to announce that our Opinion article about the hotly debated EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) has been accepted for publication in Communications of the ACM!
Preprint here: arxiv.org/abs/2512.14223
Preprint here: arxiv.org/abs/2512.14223
December 22, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Happy to announce that our Opinion article about the hotly debated EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) has been accepted for publication in Communications of the ACM!
Preprint here: arxiv.org/abs/2512.14223
Preprint here: arxiv.org/abs/2512.14223
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Save the Date: In January Julian Jaursch from the German Digital Service Coordinator Bundesnetzagentur will talk about "Applications via the EU's DSA Data Access Portal: An Introduction".
Please join this talk on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 14:00 CET/UTC+1.
Please join this talk on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 14:00 CET/UTC+1.
Applications via the EU's DSA Data Access Portal: An Introduction
Researchers can submit requests to the EU's "Data Access Portal" to obtain non-public data from very large online platforms in certain cases. What information do researchers need to provide and what documentation could be useful? What happens to the request after it has been submitted? The presentation offers an overview of the portal and provides some practical tips on submitting a request. The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) allows researchers to obtain data from very large online...
events.gwdg.de
December 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Save the Date: In January Julian Jaursch from the German Digital Service Coordinator Bundesnetzagentur will talk about "Applications via the EU's DSA Data Access Portal: An Introduction".
Please join this talk on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 14:00 CET/UTC+1.
Please join this talk on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 14:00 CET/UTC+1.
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Das ZIH der #TUDresden plant Ende 2026 die Installation eines neuen Hochleistungsrechners. 💻 Der Supercomputer soll die wachsenden Anforderungen der Forschung an maschinelles Lernen adressieren & neben einer hohen Leistung auch auf Energieeffizienz setzen.
ℹ️ tu-dresden.de/tu-dresden/n...
ℹ️ tu-dresden.de/tu-dresden/n...
December 18, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Das ZIH der #TUDresden plant Ende 2026 die Installation eines neuen Hochleistungsrechners. 💻 Der Supercomputer soll die wachsenden Anforderungen der Forschung an maschinelles Lernen adressieren & neben einer hohen Leistung auch auf Energieeffizienz setzen.
ℹ️ tu-dresden.de/tu-dresden/n...
ℹ️ tu-dresden.de/tu-dresden/n...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
„Soziale Medien zündeln an Gesellschaften, um Geld zu verdienen“: Dr. Philipp @lorenzspreen.bsky.social spricht neben anderen Experten in der @wirtschaftswoche.bsky.social darüber, ob und inwieweit soziale Medien für Kinder geeignet sind. 📲
ℹ️ www.wiwo.de/technologie/...
ℹ️ www.wiwo.de/technologie/...
Smartphone-Sucht: Scrollen Kinder sich um den Verstand?
Mit einem Smartphone als Geschenk ist der Weg in soziale Medien nicht mehr weit. Experten warnen vor Folgen und rücken sogenannte Dumbphones ins Gespräch.
www.wiwo.de
December 19, 2025 at 3:50 PM
„Soziale Medien zündeln an Gesellschaften, um Geld zu verdienen“: Dr. Philipp @lorenzspreen.bsky.social spricht neben anderen Experten in der @wirtschaftswoche.bsky.social darüber, ob und inwieweit soziale Medien für Kinder geeignet sind. 📲
ℹ️ www.wiwo.de/technologie/...
ℹ️ www.wiwo.de/technologie/...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
A new field experiment conducted on Reddit explains why some people lurk quietly and why others become extremely active in online political discussions.
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4oOdywQ
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4oOdywQ
Disentangling participation in online political discussions with a collective field experiment
A field experiment examines patterns of online political discussion participation and the challenges of addressing inequality.
scim.ag
December 17, 2025 at 7:11 PM
A new field experiment conducted on Reddit explains why some people lurk quietly and why others become extremely active in online political discussions.
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4oOdywQ
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4oOdywQ
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
A new study of the last 50 years of US pop music shows “a significant increase in stress-related language, alongside declines in positive sentiment and lyrical complexity.”
Societal crises disrupt long-term increases in stress, negativity, and simplicity in US Billboard song lyrics from 1973 to 2023 - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Societal crises disrupt long-term increases in stress, negativity, and simplicity in US Billboard song lyrics from 1973 to 2023
www.nature.com
December 13, 2025 at 12:32 AM
A new study of the last 50 years of US pop music shows “a significant increase in stress-related language, alongside declines in positive sentiment and lyrical complexity.”
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Here's a peek at our new Social Media Research Toolkit, a curated collection of more than 50 social media research tools. This toolkit is unique in that it only features tried and tested tools that have been used in peer-reviewed academic studies. (ETA Jan 5, 2026) #academicsky #comsky
December 11, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Here's a peek at our new Social Media Research Toolkit, a curated collection of more than 50 social media research tools. This toolkit is unique in that it only features tried and tested tools that have been used in peer-reviewed academic studies. (ETA Jan 5, 2026) #academicsky #comsky
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Für eine deutsche Zusammenfassung, hier ein kurzes Interview beim DLF www.deutschlandfunk.de/online-disku...
December 11, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Für eine deutsche Zusammenfassung, hier ein kurzes Interview beim DLF www.deutschlandfunk.de/online-disku...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
New paper out in @science.org! We unveil the online manipulation market with the Cambridge Online Trust & Safety Index (COTSI). We show in real time the cost of purchasing fake accounts across every social platform around the world - so they can be held accountable
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Mapping the online manipulation economy
A market perspective on digital manipulation may help improve online trust and safety
www.science.org
December 11, 2025 at 7:05 PM
New paper out in @science.org! We unveil the online manipulation market with the Cambridge Online Trust & Safety Index (COTSI). We show in real time the cost of purchasing fake accounts across every social platform around the world - so they can be held accountable
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Online political discussions are characterized by a minority of users dominate the discussion, while most remain silent.
Those who perceived a discussion as toxic/polarized tend to remain silent: But toxicity engages power users (namely men interested in politics) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Those who perceived a discussion as toxic/polarized tend to remain silent: But toxicity engages power users (namely men interested in politics) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 11, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Online political discussions are characterized by a minority of users dominate the discussion, while most remain silent.
Those who perceived a discussion as toxic/polarized tend to remain silent: But toxicity engages power users (namely men interested in politics) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Those who perceived a discussion as toxic/polarized tend to remain silent: But toxicity engages power users (namely men interested in politics) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
#GESISblog #blog #dataquality #Qualitätskriterien #DigitaleVerhaltensdaten #dbd
Ein neuer Blog-Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Qualitätskriterien für Digitale Verhaltensdaten
Soziale Medien, Online-Plattformen und Smartphones sind Teil unseres Alltags und erzeugen viele digitale Verhaltensdaten.
1/2
Ein neuer Blog-Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Qualitätskriterien für Digitale Verhaltensdaten
Soziale Medien, Online-Plattformen und Smartphones sind Teil unseres Alltags und erzeugen viele digitale Verhaltensdaten.
1/2
December 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
#GESISblog #blog #dataquality #Qualitätskriterien #DigitaleVerhaltensdaten #dbd
Ein neuer Blog-Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Qualitätskriterien für Digitale Verhaltensdaten
Soziale Medien, Online-Plattformen und Smartphones sind Teil unseres Alltags und erzeugen viele digitale Verhaltensdaten.
1/2
Ein neuer Blog-Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit Qualitätskriterien für Digitale Verhaltensdaten
Soziale Medien, Online-Plattformen und Smartphones sind Teil unseres Alltags und erzeugen viele digitale Verhaltensdaten.
1/2
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
It's out!!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Big thank you to my coauthors @small-schulz.bsky.social and @lorenzspreen.bsky.social, and to all participants who discussed 20 political issues over 4 weeks in 6 subreddit, 3 experimental conditions and let us observe.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Big thank you to my coauthors @small-schulz.bsky.social and @lorenzspreen.bsky.social, and to all participants who discussed 20 political issues over 4 weeks in 6 subreddit, 3 experimental conditions and let us observe.
December 11, 2025 at 10:34 AM
It's out!!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Big thank you to my coauthors @small-schulz.bsky.social and @lorenzspreen.bsky.social, and to all participants who discussed 20 political issues over 4 weeks in 6 subreddit, 3 experimental conditions and let us observe.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Big thank you to my coauthors @small-schulz.bsky.social and @lorenzspreen.bsky.social, and to all participants who discussed 20 political issues over 4 weeks in 6 subreddit, 3 experimental conditions and let us observe.
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Christmas came early this year! Very happy to see our paper out in Science Advances. Led by @lfoswaldo.bsky.social, we ran a unique collective field-experiment on Reddit, to better understand who is participating in online debates and why.
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
December 10, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Christmas came early this year! Very happy to see our paper out in Science Advances. Led by @lfoswaldo.bsky.social, we ran a unique collective field-experiment on Reddit, to better understand who is participating in online debates and why.
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
A Reddit field experiment finds that toxic or polarized discussions discourage most users from commenting, while motivating active users; nonmonetary rewards and clear rules may help balance participation. doi.org/hbd8wc
Reddit field experiment examines what distinguishes lurkers from power users
Online discussions are often dominated by a small group of active users, while the majority remain silent. This imbalance can distort perceptions of public opinion and fuel polarization.
phys.org
December 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM
A Reddit field experiment finds that toxic or polarized discussions discourage most users from commenting, while motivating active users; nonmonetary rewards and clear rules may help balance participation. doi.org/hbd8wc
Christmas came early this year! Very happy to see our paper out in Science Advances. Led by @lfoswaldo.bsky.social, we ran a unique collective field-experiment on Reddit, to better understand who is participating in online debates and why.
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
December 10, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Christmas came early this year! Very happy to see our paper out in Science Advances. Led by @lfoswaldo.bsky.social, we ran a unique collective field-experiment on Reddit, to better understand who is participating in online debates and why.
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
And more below 👇
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
"The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years."
...what?
...what?
December 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
"The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years."
...what?
...what?
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Ultimately, the struggle over disinformation is a struggle over power, legitimacy, and narrative control. It goes far beyond fact-checking or content moderation.
"The war on disinformation is a losing battle. How the systems that fight misinformation and disinformation became misconstrued and dismantled." www.theverge.com/features/839...
The disinformation wars are here
How Joe Biden’s administration caved to the right in the battle for truth.
www.theverge.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Ultimately, the struggle over disinformation is a struggle over power, legitimacy, and narrative control. It goes far beyond fact-checking or content moderation.
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
By (trying to) shift the debate to the content level and constructing alleged censorship vs. freedom of expression scenarios, they try to distract from what it is really about: power and control over the structural levers of modern information systems e.g. algorithms, design or visibility control.
December 6, 2025 at 2:32 PM
By (trying to) shift the debate to the content level and constructing alleged censorship vs. freedom of expression scenarios, they try to distract from what it is really about: power and control over the structural levers of modern information systems e.g. algorithms, design or visibility control.
Reposted by Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
Just to be clear: It's not about controlling the content itself, but about the systemic rules that platforms apply, which we need to rethink and align with democratic principles.
1/3
1/3
We must come to terms with the fact that it was a huge mistake to leave the online world largely unchecked, and that we urgently need to deal with a fragmented, radicalized and instrumentalized reality in many countries simultaneously and take action instead of remaining in shock or relativization.
September 14, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Just to be clear: It's not about controlling the content itself, but about the systemic rules that platforms apply, which we need to rethink and align with democratic principles.
1/3
1/3
By (trying to) shift the debate to the content level and constructing alleged censorship vs. freedom of expression scenarios, they try to distract from what it is really about: power and control over the structural levers of modern information systems e.g. algorithms, design or visibility control.
December 6, 2025 at 2:32 PM
By (trying to) shift the debate to the content level and constructing alleged censorship vs. freedom of expression scenarios, they try to distract from what it is really about: power and control over the structural levers of modern information systems e.g. algorithms, design or visibility control.
Doesn’t get more Orwellian than calling a completely closed off system for information control run by an individual ”free speech.”
Providing access to already public data for public interest research on systemic risks under DSA 40/12 is the bare minimum and has nothing to do with censorship.
The fact that X tries to prevent even that lower bound of transparency, gives me the impression that we are on the right track.
The fact that X tries to prevent even that lower bound of transparency, gives me the impression that we are on the right track.
December 6, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Doesn’t get more Orwellian than calling a completely closed off system for information control run by an individual ”free speech.”