New_ Public
@newpublic.org
We’re a nonprofit R&D lab that’s reimagining social media. Join us in building digital public spaces that connect people, embrace pluralism, and build community. newpublic.org
Pinned
The Local Connection Crisis: New Data on What Communities Need · Zoom · Luma
Now we know what we've long suspected: People really use and rely on their local Facebook groups, Nextdoor neighborhoods, and WhatsApp group chats, but they…
luma.com
We’ve got one of the most in-depth surveys on how Americans connect with neighbors online — what works, what doesn't, what they want instead.
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
Building for communities, not profits! 💪
Pumped about the launch of Bonfire, a new microblogging platform that is fully interoperable and modular so people can pick and choose the features that work best for their community.
bonfirenetworks.org
Pumped about the launch of Bonfire, a new microblogging platform that is fully interoperable and modular so people can pick and choose the features that work best for their community.
bonfirenetworks.org
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Building for communities, not profits! 💪
Pumped about the launch of Bonfire, a new microblogging platform that is fully interoperable and modular so people can pick and choose the features that work best for their community.
bonfirenetworks.org
Pumped about the launch of Bonfire, a new microblogging platform that is fully interoperable and modular so people can pick and choose the features that work best for their community.
bonfirenetworks.org
!
Someone from the audience told them that BlueSky has become very popular in New Zealand because Musk killed a widely loved national Secret Santa project that used to run on Twitter.
www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/c...
www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/c...
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
!
Our Local Lab team was excited to share experiments and compare notes at #MozFest in Barcelona this weekend
The researches @sammy.bsky.social and @clockwerks.bsky.social from @newpublic.org who think about how to design healthy digital public spaces, gave a talk about building a social network for local neighborhood communities.
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Our Local Lab team was excited to share experiments and compare notes at #MozFest in Barcelona this weekend
Reposted by New_ Public
One of the top reasons I love building at @newpublic.org is all the research, the core of how they work. SO MUCH RESEARCH. This work, led by @taliastroud.bsky.social (hook 'em horns) has already directly influenced decisions we've made with our new local social platform. Sign up and check it out.
We’ve got one of the most in-depth surveys on how Americans connect with neighbors online — what works, what doesn't, what they want instead.
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
The Local Connection Crisis: New Data on What Communities Need · Zoom · Luma
Now we know what we've long suspected: People really use and rely on their local Facebook groups, Nextdoor neighborhoods, and WhatsApp group chats, but they…
luma.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
One of the top reasons I love building at @newpublic.org is all the research, the core of how they work. SO MUCH RESEARCH. This work, led by @taliastroud.bsky.social (hook 'em horns) has already directly influenced decisions we've made with our new local social platform. Sign up and check it out.
Like many small nonprofits, we’ve been experimenting with using AI tools so that we can focus on our mission of reinforcing human connections, conversations, and communities.
We remain mindful of the harms and risks of AI, and have developed a set of guiding principles grounded in our values.
We remain mindful of the harms and risks of AI, and have developed a set of guiding principles grounded in our values.
November 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Like many small nonprofits, we’ve been experimenting with using AI tools so that we can focus on our mission of reinforcing human connections, conversations, and communities.
We remain mindful of the harms and risks of AI, and have developed a set of guiding principles grounded in our values.
We remain mindful of the harms and risks of AI, and have developed a set of guiding principles grounded in our values.
Reposted by New_ Public
There’s a big gap between how people talk to their neighbors online, and how they want to — I can’t wait to share this survey.
Looking forward to this conversation with my @newpublic.org co-founder @taliastroud.bsky.social on November 20th. RSVP to join
Looking forward to this conversation with my @newpublic.org co-founder @taliastroud.bsky.social on November 20th. RSVP to join
The Local Connection Crisis: New Data on What Communities Need · Zoom · Luma
Now we know what we've long suspected: People really use and rely on their local Facebook groups, Nextdoor neighborhoods, and WhatsApp group chats, but they…
luma.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:54 PM
There’s a big gap between how people talk to their neighbors online, and how they want to — I can’t wait to share this survey.
Looking forward to this conversation with my @newpublic.org co-founder @taliastroud.bsky.social on November 20th. RSVP to join
Looking forward to this conversation with my @newpublic.org co-founder @taliastroud.bsky.social on November 20th. RSVP to join
We’ve got one of the most in-depth surveys on how Americans connect with neighbors online — what works, what doesn't, what they want instead.
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
The Local Connection Crisis: New Data on What Communities Need · Zoom · Luma
Now we know what we've long suspected: People really use and rely on their local Facebook groups, Nextdoor neighborhoods, and WhatsApp group chats, but they…
luma.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:22 PM
We’ve got one of the most in-depth surveys on how Americans connect with neighbors online — what works, what doesn't, what they want instead.
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
These are essential insights for anyone thinking about local communities.
Join us 11/20 when @taliastroud.bsky.social & @eli.bsky.social share the data
Reposted by New_ Public
Hey, if you (yes you) have 5 minutes I could use your help -- we are doing a project on how social conversation online will be reshaped in the next couple of years, and would love to hear what you're seeing/thinking about!
SEEKING SIGNALS! We want to hear more about how new technologies like AI are changing your experience online.
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
What Will Shape the Next Internet?
A pulse check from the New_ Public community
The New_ Public team is exploring how new technologies and behaviors, including AI, are reshaping the social fabric of the internet: how people connect, co...
forms.gle
November 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Hey, if you (yes you) have 5 minutes I could use your help -- we are doing a project on how social conversation online will be reshaped in the next couple of years, and would love to hear what you're seeing/thinking about!
SEEKING SIGNALS! We want to hear more about how new technologies like AI are changing your experience online.
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
What Will Shape the Next Internet?
A pulse check from the New_ Public community
The New_ Public team is exploring how new technologies and behaviors, including AI, are reshaping the social fabric of the internet: how people connect, co...
forms.gle
November 6, 2025 at 2:08 PM
SEEKING SIGNALS! We want to hear more about how new technologies like AI are changing your experience online.
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
Our Co-Director @eli.bsky.social is kicking off new research and your input is critical. Help us understand what’s alive and worth paying attention to right now on the social internet!
A lot of Americans get news on social media, but what platforms count as news destinations?
X and FB are still holding strong, and TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are increasingly used for news.
via @pewresearch.org
X and FB are still holding strong, and TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are increasingly used for news.
via @pewresearch.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
A lot of Americans get news on social media, but what platforms count as news destinations?
X and FB are still holding strong, and TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are increasingly used for news.
via @pewresearch.org
X and FB are still holding strong, and TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are increasingly used for news.
via @pewresearch.org
Every photo we post, every comment we send, every moment we lurk on social media platforms like Instagram feeds the profits of corporations like Meta.
Meta whistleblower @kellystonelake.bsky.social says it’s time to stop participating in this system and de-throne Big Tech’s wannabe kings.
Meta whistleblower @kellystonelake.bsky.social says it’s time to stop participating in this system and de-throne Big Tech’s wannabe kings.
No Kings, No Caesars, and The Photos I Didn’t Put on Instagram
When will we stop seeing social platforms as a “necessary evil” and instead as they are, unnecessary evils?
overturned.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Every photo we post, every comment we send, every moment we lurk on social media platforms like Instagram feeds the profits of corporations like Meta.
Meta whistleblower @kellystonelake.bsky.social says it’s time to stop participating in this system and de-throne Big Tech’s wannabe kings.
Meta whistleblower @kellystonelake.bsky.social says it’s time to stop participating in this system and de-throne Big Tech’s wannabe kings.
Cory Doctorow, on point as always, points out how “enshittification” has ruined so many of our experiences online, and what we can do about it together.
www.vox.com/technology/4...
www.vox.com/technology/4...
November 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Cory Doctorow, on point as always, points out how “enshittification” has ruined so many of our experiences online, and what we can do about it together.
www.vox.com/technology/4...
www.vox.com/technology/4...
The focus tends to be on the kids, but access to screens and technology have also profoundly changed parents, too.
Our Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social says it’s important to stress that these are tools and give kids the credit and confidence to understand the bigger picture.
Our Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social says it’s important to stress that these are tools and give kids the credit and confidence to understand the bigger picture.
Pilot Episode: Deepti Doshi talks independence & community
Deepti Doshi talks about fostering independence and community, and how to help our kids build muscles for navigating the current realities of digital technology... and whatever comes next.
www.thehomescreen.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:08 PM
The focus tends to be on the kids, but access to screens and technology have also profoundly changed parents, too.
Our Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social says it’s important to stress that these are tools and give kids the credit and confidence to understand the bigger picture.
Our Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social says it’s important to stress that these are tools and give kids the credit and confidence to understand the bigger picture.
Jon Stewart says "social media is ultra processed speech."
It’s the difference between restaurant food that’s rich, decadent, and a little bad for you, and food that’s been chemically synthesized to be addictive by a big corporation.
How do we feel about that analogy? Do you agree?
It’s the difference between restaurant food that’s rich, decadent, and a little bad for you, and food that’s been chemically synthesized to be addictive by a big corporation.
How do we feel about that analogy? Do you agree?
Will Paramount Cancel Jon Stewart? | The New Yorker Interview
YouTube video by The New Yorker
youtu.be
November 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Jon Stewart says "social media is ultra processed speech."
It’s the difference between restaurant food that’s rich, decadent, and a little bad for you, and food that’s been chemically synthesized to be addictive by a big corporation.
How do we feel about that analogy? Do you agree?
It’s the difference between restaurant food that’s rich, decadent, and a little bad for you, and food that’s been chemically synthesized to be addictive by a big corporation.
How do we feel about that analogy? Do you agree?
Reposted by New_ Public
For the past few months at @newpublic.org we’ve been doing some thinking about where and why to use – and not use – AI tools.
This AI policy is a first attempt to set some guiding principles. Very curious to hear folks’ thoughts on this first iteration.
This AI policy is a first attempt to set some guiding principles. Very curious to hear folks’ thoughts on this first iteration.
✨💑 New_ Public’s AI framework: Learn in public, keep humans centered
Everything on our new policy on AI use, from "secret cyborgs" to "start-up mindset"
newpublic.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
For the past few months at @newpublic.org we’ve been doing some thinking about where and why to use – and not use – AI tools.
This AI policy is a first attempt to set some guiding principles. Very curious to hear folks’ thoughts on this first iteration.
This AI policy is a first attempt to set some guiding principles. Very curious to hear folks’ thoughts on this first iteration.
In the spirit of learning in public, we’re opening the door to how New_ Public has been thinking about and using AI.
We break down our understanding of the risks, the values behind how we're using it in our work, and explain why we’re choosing to take on this technology as critics and not skeptics.
We break down our understanding of the risks, the values behind how we're using it in our work, and explain why we’re choosing to take on this technology as critics and not skeptics.
✨💑 New_ Public’s AI framework: Learn in public, keep humans centered
Everything on our new policy on AI use, from "secret cyborgs" to "start-up mindset"
newpublic.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:06 PM
In the spirit of learning in public, we’re opening the door to how New_ Public has been thinking about and using AI.
We break down our understanding of the risks, the values behind how we're using it in our work, and explain why we’re choosing to take on this technology as critics and not skeptics.
We break down our understanding of the risks, the values behind how we're using it in our work, and explain why we’re choosing to take on this technology as critics and not skeptics.
What’s spookier than living surrounded by strangers? 😱
Go talk to your neighbors!!
Go talk to your neighbors!!
👋 26% of Americans say they know all or most of their neighbors, while 12% don’t know any. Another 62% know only some of them.
October 31, 2025 at 6:32 PM
What’s spookier than living surrounded by strangers? 😱
Go talk to your neighbors!!
Go talk to your neighbors!!
Serving the community doesn’t have to be as literal as a newspaper-owned cafe, but The Midcoast Villager’s ethos and business model is a great example of local news adapting and thriving.
“Resurrecting the relevancy of community stories and reminding people that we are humans and neighbors first.”
“Resurrecting the relevancy of community stories and reminding people that we are humans and neighbors first.”
They Took Big Pay Cuts to Run a Little Paper
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Serving the community doesn’t have to be as literal as a newspaper-owned cafe, but The Midcoast Villager’s ethos and business model is a great example of local news adapting and thriving.
“Resurrecting the relevancy of community stories and reminding people that we are humans and neighbors first.”
“Resurrecting the relevancy of community stories and reminding people that we are humans and neighbors first.”
How fast is artificial intelligence actually progressing?
Are AI companies going to become pariahs (like social media companies before them)? When will we really feel genuine disruption?
A dispatch from AI conference The Curve, by New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social
Are AI companies going to become pariahs (like social media companies before them)? When will we really feel genuine disruption?
A dispatch from AI conference The Curve, by New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social
What I Saw Around The Curve
Notes from the near-future of AI
secondthoughts.ai
October 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
How fast is artificial intelligence actually progressing?
Are AI companies going to become pariahs (like social media companies before them)? When will we really feel genuine disruption?
A dispatch from AI conference The Curve, by New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social
Are AI companies going to become pariahs (like social media companies before them)? When will we really feel genuine disruption?
A dispatch from AI conference The Curve, by New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social
Reposted by New_ Public
I've been working on this with our amazing team for five months now, and we're getting very close to sharing more about what we've been up to. I'm so excited.
It won’t be easy, but we’re optimistic.
People will always use a bridge — literal or figurative — if it gets them somewhere they need to or want to go.
Learn more here. There’s much more to come, soon!
People will always use a bridge — literal or figurative — if it gets them somewhere they need to or want to go.
Learn more here. There’s much more to come, soon!
Local Lab | New_ Public
Helping local communities create flourishing digital spaces
newpublic.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I've been working on this with our amazing team for five months now, and we're getting very close to sharing more about what we've been up to. I'm so excited.
As part of our mission, we’re committed to building new online infrastructure to foster community and civic health. But what does that actually look like?
Our Co-Directors, @eli.bsky.social and @deeptidoshi.bsky.social, often turn to IRL public infrastructure for inspiration.
In this case, BRIDGES
Our Co-Directors, @eli.bsky.social and @deeptidoshi.bsky.social, often turn to IRL public infrastructure for inspiration.
In this case, BRIDGES
October 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
As part of our mission, we’re committed to building new online infrastructure to foster community and civic health. But what does that actually look like?
Our Co-Directors, @eli.bsky.social and @deeptidoshi.bsky.social, often turn to IRL public infrastructure for inspiration.
In this case, BRIDGES
Our Co-Directors, @eli.bsky.social and @deeptidoshi.bsky.social, often turn to IRL public infrastructure for inspiration.
In this case, BRIDGES
If you’re looking for a boost, here’s New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social’s excellent essay about having the freedom to live the kind of life you want to live.
Deepti presents a vision for the future where technology makes people feel hopeful and less alone.
Deepti presents a vision for the future where technology makes people feel hopeful and less alone.
Real Freedom Starts with Community
To fulfill the promise of our rights as Americans, they must be lived out in our neighborhoods, communities, and shared digital spaces.
theallamerican.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM
If you’re looking for a boost, here’s New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social’s excellent essay about having the freedom to live the kind of life you want to live.
Deepti presents a vision for the future where technology makes people feel hopeful and less alone.
Deepti presents a vision for the future where technology makes people feel hopeful and less alone.
Reposted by New_ Public
This is so exciting – at @newpublic.org, we're looking forward to building in collaboration with a rich ecosystem of open-standards-based tooling to support healthy online spaces for local communities, and @roost.tools is so inspirational in that regard.
We're excited to announce the result of months of collaboration with OpenAI, gpt-oss-safeguard. This reasoning model is designed for safety workflows where you bring your OWN policy and definitions of safety, and it explains each decision it makes.
Learn more here:
roost.tools/blog/a-new-m...
Learn more here:
roost.tools/blog/a-new-m...
A new milestone for open source safety infrastructure and transparency: gpt-oss-safeguard
Robust Open Online Safety Tools or ROOST is a new non-profit entity designed to address the urgent need for accessible, high-quality safety tools in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
roost.tools
October 29, 2025 at 5:50 PM
This is so exciting – at @newpublic.org, we're looking forward to building in collaboration with a rich ecosystem of open-standards-based tooling to support healthy online spaces for local communities, and @roost.tools is so inspirational in that regard.
I miss blogs.
As @sunraysunray.bsky.social writes, when independent blogging narrowed and news websites closed their comment sections, the debates didn’t vanish, they migrated into private channels or morphed into “quote-tweet pile-ons, where the incentive is attention through denunciation.”
As @sunraysunray.bsky.social writes, when independent blogging narrowed and news websites closed their comment sections, the debates didn’t vanish, they migrated into private channels or morphed into “quote-tweet pile-ons, where the incentive is attention through denunciation.”
Can Substack Recover the Blogosphere We Lost?
When I started Jacobin in 2010, my first milestone of the magazine...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:24 PM
I miss blogs.
As @sunraysunray.bsky.social writes, when independent blogging narrowed and news websites closed their comment sections, the debates didn’t vanish, they migrated into private channels or morphed into “quote-tweet pile-ons, where the incentive is attention through denunciation.”
As @sunraysunray.bsky.social writes, when independent blogging narrowed and news websites closed their comment sections, the debates didn’t vanish, they migrated into private channels or morphed into “quote-tweet pile-ons, where the incentive is attention through denunciation.”
As mainstream social media platforms move further away from local news and community connection, local newsletters are stepping in to fill the gap.
Friend of New_ Public Logan Elmore started his newsletter in Chattanooga, TN with the intention of going beyond news and inspiring community pride.
Friend of New_ Public Logan Elmore started his newsletter in Chattanooga, TN with the intention of going beyond news and inspiring community pride.
Are these local newsletters local <em>news</em>? (And does it matter?)
Meet a few of the entrepreneurs and hobbyists building community — and sometimes, making real ad money — from newsletters aggregating local events.
www.niemanlab.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
As mainstream social media platforms move further away from local news and community connection, local newsletters are stepping in to fill the gap.
Friend of New_ Public Logan Elmore started his newsletter in Chattanooga, TN with the intention of going beyond news and inspiring community pride.
Friend of New_ Public Logan Elmore started his newsletter in Chattanooga, TN with the intention of going beyond news and inspiring community pride.