Megan L Zahay
@meganzahay.bsky.social
Researching persuasion and trust in online communities | 1st Gen | Fiber and visual arts lover
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
💥 Sovereignty as a service. New article in Media, Culture & Society on how big tech companies are co-opting and redefining digital sovereignty. Co-authored by me and Alexandre Costa Barbosa
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 12, 2025 at 9:38 AM
💥 Sovereignty as a service. New article in Media, Culture & Society on how big tech companies are co-opting and redefining digital sovereignty. Co-authored by me and Alexandre Costa Barbosa
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Like early QAnon posts, which were often framed as questions and short, decontextualized words and phrases, the recent Epstein emails invite readers to participate in crafting a range of their own meanings.
Importance: High
subj: An article for U (gift link)
i wrote ,,,,,, about jeff epstein. s emails.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
subj: An article for U (gift link)
i wrote ,,,,,, about jeff epstein. s emails.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
When QAnon Meets Veep
The dumb, abhorrent truth at the heart of the Epstein scandal
www.theatlantic.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Like early QAnon posts, which were often framed as questions and short, decontextualized words and phrases, the recent Epstein emails invite readers to participate in crafting a range of their own meanings.
Essential perspective
Propaganda does not rely entirely on unassailable evidence and impeccable logic to discipline its targets. Neither can the response, writes Calum Matheson, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University of Pittsburgh.
Scholars Must Recognize the Role of Affect and Emotion in Disinformation | TechPolicy.Press
The tactics of digital emotional manipulation are many and varied, but many of the most prominent exploit frustration and rage, writes Calum Matheson.
www.techpolicy.press
November 11, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Essential perspective
Wow (if so)! This has become a kind of received wisdom in humanities fields as well. Looking forward to reading
Ok, just wow. If the content of this article is right, this is depressing. We're slowly reaching the point where ~100% of what I was taught in Social Psych was either innocently wrong or plainly frauded
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Wow (if so)! This has become a kind of received wisdom in humanities fields as well. Looking forward to reading
There is a difference, by definition, between mainstream and extremist messaging, but in many ways the boundaries are blurring in digital spaces.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Extremists exploit political ‘trigger events’ to recruit people online, says study
NYU report monitored social feeds and found groups call for retaliatory action after politically motivated violent events
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
There is a difference, by definition, between mainstream and extremist messaging, but in many ways the boundaries are blurring in digital spaces.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Deeply sad for those who now face this, and disgusted that the ones with the least pay the price every time
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
SNAP recipients told to buy shelf-stable food or go to food banks as funding deadline looms
People who rely on the federal food assistance program might not receive their benefits for the month of November because of the ongoing government shutdown.
www.nbcnews.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Deeply sad for those who now face this, and disgusted that the ones with the least pay the price every time
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
I think, in our hearts, we all knew this was where things were heading: www.theregister.com/2025/10/24/m...
Clippy rises from the dead in major Copilot update
Hands On: The new Microsoft assistant is a blob named Mico, but you can turn it into everyone’s favorite paper clip.
www.theregister.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I think, in our hearts, we all knew this was where things were heading: www.theregister.com/2025/10/24/m...
Yes to this. Public speaking is an important democratic skill!
Seeing a lot of negative response to the initial post along the lines of "you don't need to know how to perform if you're saying something you actually believe in" and I strongly disagree with this idea and think that it's a dangerous myth to believe!
October 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Yes to this. Public speaking is an important democratic skill!
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
"The protocol taught us that technology can be based on human values like ethics and morality. It showed that voluntary compliance works when all parties benefit."
On robots.txt.
www.heise.de/en/backgroun...
On robots.txt.
www.heise.de/en/backgroun...
Obituary: Farewell to robots.txt (1994-2025)
The voluntary compliance protocol that civilized the internet has departed, bids Henning Fries farewell.
www.heise.de
October 16, 2025 at 8:16 PM
"The protocol taught us that technology can be based on human values like ethics and morality. It showed that voluntary compliance works when all parties benefit."
On robots.txt.
www.heise.de/en/backgroun...
On robots.txt.
www.heise.de/en/backgroun...
Wow what a blast from the past. This was my favorite movie for years as a kid
The late '70s was a deeply weird time at Disney. Need proof? Let's dive into Escape to Witch Mountain, following two cute kids with psychic powers running away from a scheming businessman. Hijinks ensue.
reactormag.com/escape-to-wi...
reactormag.com/escape-to-wi...
Escape to Witch Mountain: An Otherworldly Glimpse Into the Weirdness of 1970s Disney - Reactor
Starring a flying Winnebago, kids with psychic powers, and helpful animal friends!
reactormag.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Wow what a blast from the past. This was my favorite movie for years as a kid
There's still time to submit to the Conspiratorial Economies NCA preconference! We would love to hear about your communication and conspiracy theory research and works-in-progress. You can submit either a 250 word abstract or a 2-3 sentence flash talk proposal (that's not a lot, you can do it!)
August 22, 2025 at 7:19 PM
There's still time to submit to the Conspiratorial Economies NCA preconference! We would love to hear about your communication and conspiracy theory research and works-in-progress. You can submit either a 250 word abstract or a 2-3 sentence flash talk proposal (that's not a lot, you can do it!)
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
I’m frustrated for many reasons at surface-skimming media history takes on AI like “people opposed the printing press too!” If media history is going to help us navigate the present, we have to reckon with something people often omit from those comparisons—the intersection of power & new media (1/4)
July 1, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I’m frustrated for many reasons at surface-skimming media history takes on AI like “people opposed the printing press too!” If media history is going to help us navigate the present, we have to reckon with something people often omit from those comparisons—the intersection of power & new media (1/4)
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
We are delighted to share the publication of Risky Research: An AoIR Guide to Researcher Protection and Safety, the culmination of over two years of collaborative effort by the AoIR Risky Research Working Group.
aoir.org/riskyresearc...
aoir.org/riskyresearc...
May 2, 2025 at 2:26 AM
We are delighted to share the publication of Risky Research: An AoIR Guide to Researcher Protection and Safety, the culmination of over two years of collaborative effort by the AoIR Risky Research Working Group.
aoir.org/riskyresearc...
aoir.org/riskyresearc...
Yep! Looks like it is indeed nothing more than a rumor and likely to be untrue (planning to delete my prior comment shortly to avoid contributing to the confusion)
April 15, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Yep! Looks like it is indeed nothing more than a rumor and likely to be untrue (planning to delete my prior comment shortly to avoid contributing to the confusion)
Proud night to be a Badger, On Wisconsin!
April 2, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Proud night to be a Badger, On Wisconsin!
Today is the last day to submit your paper to ECS for NCA 2025 Denver!
Working on comm and economics? Digital or creator economy? Neoliberalism? Circulation or ecologies? Rhetoric, cultural studies, political economy, or org comm?
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
March 31, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Today is the last day to submit your paper to ECS for NCA 2025 Denver!
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
Working on comm and economics? Digital or creator economy? Neoliberalism? Circulation or ecologies? Rhetoric, cultural studies, political economy, or org comm?
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
March 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Working on comm and economics? Digital or creator economy? Neoliberalism? Circulation or ecologies? Rhetoric, cultural studies, political economy, or org comm?
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Working on comm and economics? Digital or creator economy? Neoliberalism? Circulation or ecologies? Rhetoric, cultural studies, political economy, or org comm?
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
March 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Working on comm and economics? Digital or creator economy? Neoliberalism? Circulation or ecologies? Rhetoric, cultural studies, political economy, or org comm?
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Consider submitting to the Economics, Communication, and Society division for NCA 2025 in Denver!
More info and link below:
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
Hi, we are an alternative to Amazon-owned Audible 👋🏻 With us, you select the independent bookshop you want to support (we have 3,000+ partners across the globe), and we share profits from your purchase with them.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
March 14, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Hi, we are an alternative to Amazon-owned Audible 👋🏻 With us, you select the independent bookshop you want to support (we have 3,000+ partners across the globe), and we share profits from your purchase with them.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
We're also employee-owned and a registered Social Purpose Corporation.
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
Don't buy shit, write your book
February 28, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Don't buy shit, write your book
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
Wife and I just did our daily 5calls through 5calls.org. Not the only thing one can do, but it’s absolutely worth making your reps feel the collective rage. Signed, someone whose social anxiety goes through the roof on the phone. Just black out and read the script :)
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
5calls.org
February 13, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Wife and I just did our daily 5calls through 5calls.org. Not the only thing one can do, but it’s absolutely worth making your reps feel the collective rage. Signed, someone whose social anxiety goes through the roof on the phone. Just black out and read the script :)
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
🧶💾 Punch cards aren’t just relics of computing—they’re still powering knitting machines today! Discover how hobbyists & archivists are preserving this blend of tech + textile.
🔗 https://blog.archive.org/2025/02/12/vanishing-culture-punch-card-knitting/
🕳️ #VanishingCulture
🔗 https://blog.archive.org/2025/02/12/vanishing-culture-punch-card-knitting/
🕳️ #VanishingCulture
![Quote tile with white text on an orange background: “[Knitting punch cards] are also, in the age of seemingly-endless proprietary software and terms and conditions, refreshingly punk, in a minimal computing, open-source sort of way…”
Nichole Misako Nomura
Digital humanities scholar](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:73dpznbu4wqwtcyurwbiulov/bafkreig56kqgnngixxa5th5diqjwcwakrwjjj3hdj7vmn5ylygjinamara@jpeg)
February 12, 2025 at 9:13 PM
🧶💾 Punch cards aren’t just relics of computing—they’re still powering knitting machines today! Discover how hobbyists & archivists are preserving this blend of tech + textile.
🔗 https://blog.archive.org/2025/02/12/vanishing-culture-punch-card-knitting/
🕳️ #VanishingCulture
🔗 https://blog.archive.org/2025/02/12/vanishing-culture-punch-card-knitting/
🕳️ #VanishingCulture
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
I teach a class called "Politics of the Internet," and one thing I end up talking about is internet adages. The list I cover:
Godwin's Law
Poe's Law
The Streisand Effect
Don't feed the trolls
The Rule of Goats
Any big ones I missed? Things along those lines I should add?
Godwin's Law
Poe's Law
The Streisand Effect
Don't feed the trolls
The Rule of Goats
Any big ones I missed? Things along those lines I should add?
January 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I teach a class called "Politics of the Internet," and one thing I end up talking about is internet adages. The list I cover:
Godwin's Law
Poe's Law
The Streisand Effect
Don't feed the trolls
The Rule of Goats
Any big ones I missed? Things along those lines I should add?
Godwin's Law
Poe's Law
The Streisand Effect
Don't feed the trolls
The Rule of Goats
Any big ones I missed? Things along those lines I should add?
Reposted by Megan L Zahay
