Pawel Popiel
@ppopiel.bsky.social
Media policy + platforms + political economy | Assistant Prof @ Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University | US Team Research Lead - GMICP.org | Affiliate @ MIC Center, UPenn and CITAP, UNC | Philly expat | pawelpopiel.com
Pinned
Pawel Popiel
@ppopiel.bsky.social
· Jun 23
Platforms, Power, and Friction | Pawel Popiel, Krishnan Vasudevan | Ta
This edited book deconstructs the myth of frictionless digital platform expansion, revealing the persistent "platform frictions" that shape platform economies
www.taylorfrancis.com
Now out! My and @kvasudevan.bsky.social's new edited book, featuring stellar contributions grappling with the politics of digital platforms expanding and attempting to reshape politics, economics, and social relations in their extractive image.
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/1...
www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/1...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
"When I picked up my granddaughter from the federal agents, she had a dirty diaper, a bruise on her face, and was developing a rash. She was exhausted and cried… My heart aches knowing this could happen to others, to my kids, or even me, despite being U.S. citizens.”
November 8, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"When I picked up my granddaughter from the federal agents, she had a dirty diaper, a bruise on her face, and was developing a rash. She was exhausted and cried… My heart aches knowing this could happen to others, to my kids, or even me, despite being U.S. citizens.”
!["Paramount’s leadership has not shied away from making its views on the war in Gaza public. In September, it became the first major studio to denounce a celebrity-driven open letter signed by A-listers like Emma Stone and Javier Bardem that called for a boycott of Israeli film institutions implicated in “genocide and apartheid” against Palestinians. (Warner Bros. followed, but cited legal reasons for its decision.) And sources say Paramount maintains a list of talent it will not work with because they are deemed to be “overtly antisemitic” as well as “xenophobic” and “homophobic.” Whether the boycott signatories are on that list is unclear. [Update, Nov. 7: Other sources intimately familiar with Paramount said that while an itemized list does not exist, the management team shares a set of values and has no desire to work with anyone who expresses hate in public and damaging ways]."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jfhbx2qu7gy34lwyw44zd5r2/bafkreic34a46sqekcee75725mgsppyfw7z3ntb22iohp3hybr2s4eoqjga@jpeg)
November 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
"On average, the company shows its platforms’ users an estimated 15 billion 'higher risk' scam advertisements – those that show clear signs of being fraudulent – every day. Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from this category of scam ads each year."
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM
"On average, the company shows its platforms’ users an estimated 15 billion 'higher risk' scam advertisements – those that show clear signs of being fraudulent – every day. Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from this category of scam ads each year."
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
Today, 52% of adults under 50 have at least some trust in information from national news media.
➡️ Adults under 30 are now about as likely to say they trust information from national news organizations (51%) as they are to trust information from social media sites (50%). www.pewresearch.org/...
➡️ Adults under 30 are now about as likely to say they trust information from national news organizations (51%) as they are to trust information from social media sites (50%). www.pewresearch.org/...
November 5, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Today, 52% of adults under 50 have at least some trust in information from national news media.
➡️ Adults under 30 are now about as likely to say they trust information from national news organizations (51%) as they are to trust information from social media sites (50%). www.pewresearch.org/...
➡️ Adults under 30 are now about as likely to say they trust information from national news organizations (51%) as they are to trust information from social media sites (50%). www.pewresearch.org/...
When there's a will (and protracted legal battles, the threat of a break-up, and international policy scrutiny), there's a way!
www.theverge.com/policy/81399...
www.theverge.com/policy/81399...
Epic and Google agree to settle their lawsuit and change Android’s fate globally
Big Android changes through 2032.
www.theverge.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:00 PM
When there's a will (and protracted legal battles, the threat of a break-up, and international policy scrutiny), there's a way!
www.theverge.com/policy/81399...
www.theverge.com/policy/81399...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
Is social media dying? How much has Twitter changed as it became X? Which party now dominates the conversation?
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
October 30, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Is social media dying? How much has Twitter changed as it became X? Which party now dominates the conversation?
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed.
Here are the key take-aways 🧵
arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
In short, the ANES data shows:
📉 Social media use is shrinking
💥 Twitter/X posting has moved ~50 points to the right
🧩 Platforms are splintering
🔊 Fewer people are talking — but those still talking are more politically extreme
📉 Social media use is shrinking
💥 Twitter/X posting has moved ~50 points to the right
🧩 Platforms are splintering
🔊 Fewer people are talking — but those still talking are more politically extreme
October 30, 2025 at 8:09 AM
In short, the ANES data shows:
📉 Social media use is shrinking
💥 Twitter/X posting has moved ~50 points to the right
🧩 Platforms are splintering
🔊 Fewer people are talking — but those still talking are more politically extreme
📉 Social media use is shrinking
💥 Twitter/X posting has moved ~50 points to the right
🧩 Platforms are splintering
🔊 Fewer people are talking — but those still talking are more politically extreme
"Universal and Udio reached a 'compensatory legal settlement' as well as new licensing agreements for recorded music and publishing that will 'provide further revenue opportunities' for the record label’s artists and songwriters."
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform.
Universal Music and AI song tool Udio settle lawsuit and partner on new platform, sparking backlash
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform.
bit.ly
October 30, 2025 at 6:04 PM
"Universal and Udio reached a 'compensatory legal settlement' as well as new licensing agreements for recorded music and publishing that will 'provide further revenue opportunities' for the record label’s artists and songwriters."
"The partnership positions ChatGPT as a transactional platform, allowing users to complete purchases without leaving the chat interface. For merchants, the connection provides access to ChatGPT’s vast user base of more than 800 million weekly active users."
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/pa...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/pa...
PayPal Partners With OpenAI to Bring Payments Directly Into ChatGPT | PYMNTS.com
PayPal announced on Tuesday that it has entered a partnership with OpenAI that will allow users of ChatGPT to make purchases directly through PayPal’s
www.pymnts.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"The partnership positions ChatGPT as a transactional platform, allowing users to complete purchases without leaving the chat interface. For merchants, the connection provides access to ChatGPT’s vast user base of more than 800 million weekly active users."
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/pa...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/pa...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
History lessons are being wiped from the internet, and California is retreating from ethnic studies, as education across the U.S. swings away from curriculums that are seen as too progressive.
How Politics Is Changing the Way History Is Taught
History lessons are being wiped from the internet, and California is retreating from ethnic studies, as education swings away from curriculums that are seen as too progressive.
nyti.ms
October 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
History lessons are being wiped from the internet, and California is retreating from ethnic studies, as education across the U.S. swings away from curriculums that are seen as too progressive.
"Dominant tech companies are now helping to steer what an entire generation of students learn about AI, and how they use it — with little evidence of educational benefits and mounting concerns that chatbots are spreading misinformation and eroding critical thinking." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/t...
Big Tech Makes Cal State Its A.I. Training Ground
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Dominant tech companies are now helping to steer what an entire generation of students learn about AI, and how they use it — with little evidence of educational benefits and mounting concerns that chatbots are spreading misinformation and eroding critical thinking." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/t...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
#OutNow in #iCS
A study of Philadelphia’s broadband strategy shows how efforts to close the digital divide can reinforce corporate power. Popiel and Berman trace how public subsidies and networked governance advanced dominance more than digital inclusion.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A study of Philadelphia’s broadband strategy shows how efforts to close the digital divide can reinforce corporate power. Popiel and Berman trace how public subsidies and networked governance advanced dominance more than digital inclusion.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The network dialectic: the digital divide and the contradictions of Philadelphia's digital equity strategy
This study examines the political economy, discursive legitimations, and effectiveness of the primary U.S. policy response to narrowing the digital divide: public subsidies for internet service. Us...
www.tandfonline.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:19 AM
#OutNow in #iCS
A study of Philadelphia’s broadband strategy shows how efforts to close the digital divide can reinforce corporate power. Popiel and Berman trace how public subsidies and networked governance advanced dominance more than digital inclusion.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
A study of Philadelphia’s broadband strategy shows how efforts to close the digital divide can reinforce corporate power. Popiel and Berman trace how public subsidies and networked governance advanced dominance more than digital inclusion.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
This is authoritarianism. Picking his media oligarchs.
October 24, 2025 at 12:06 AM
This is authoritarianism. Picking his media oligarchs.
Disgraced or re-graced?
October 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Disgraced or re-graced?
'They claimed that after 18 days of using ChatGPT, OpenAI had stolen their “soulprint” to create a software update that had been designed to turn that particular person against themselves. “Im struggling,” they wrote. “Pleas help me. Bc I feel very alone. Thank you.”' www.wired.com/story/ftc-co...
People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help
The Federal Trade Commission received 200 complaints mentioning ChatGPT between November 2022 and August 2025. Several attributed delusions, paranoia, and spiritual crises to the chatbot.
www.wired.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:05 PM
'They claimed that after 18 days of using ChatGPT, OpenAI had stolen their “soulprint” to create a software update that had been designed to turn that particular person against themselves. “Im struggling,” they wrote. “Pleas help me. Bc I feel very alone. Thank you.”' www.wired.com/story/ftc-co...
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
This is who is paying for the destruction of the White House East Wing, per @wsj.com
Altria Group Inc.
Amazon
Apple Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
Caterpillar Inc.
Coinbase Global
Comcast Corp.
Hard Rock International
Google
HP Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Meta Platforms Inc.
1/3
Altria Group Inc.
Amazon
Apple Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
Caterpillar Inc.
Coinbase Global
Comcast Corp.
Hard Rock International
HP Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Meta Platforms Inc.
1/3
October 21, 2025 at 12:28 AM
This is who is paying for the destruction of the White House East Wing, per @wsj.com
Altria Group Inc.
Amazon
Apple Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
Caterpillar Inc.
Coinbase Global
Comcast Corp.
Hard Rock International
Google
HP Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Meta Platforms Inc.
1/3
Altria Group Inc.
Amazon
Apple Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
Caterpillar Inc.
Coinbase Global
Comcast Corp.
Hard Rock International
HP Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Meta Platforms Inc.
1/3
"Google uses its existing web crawler to crawl content for its AI products and services, in addition to its search engine. This, Prince said, gives Google an unfair advantage."
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is urging regulators to rein in Google’s AI practices, arguing the tech giant’s dominance in search gives it an unfair edge in the AI race.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is pushing UK regulator to unbundle Google's search and AI crawlers | TechCrunch
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is urging regulators to rein in Google’s AI practices, arguing the tech giant’s dominance in search gives it an unfair edge in the AI race.
techcrunch.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
"Google uses its existing web crawler to crawl content for its AI products and services, in addition to its search engine. This, Prince said, gives Google an unfair advantage."
Reposted by Pawel Popiel
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday that UT Austin professor Art Markman has been dismissed from his administrative role as senior vice provost for academic affairs because of “ideological differences"
UT Austin professor dismissed from administrative duties for 'ideological differences'
Gov. Greg Abbott said Art Markman was dismissed from his role as senior vice provost for academic affairs for "ideological differences."
www.kut.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:20 PM
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday that UT Austin professor Art Markman has been dismissed from his administrative role as senior vice provost for academic affairs because of “ideological differences"
“This Texas law violates the First Amendment by restricting app stores from offering lawful content, preventing users from seeing that content, and compelling app developers to speak of their offerings in a way pleasing to the state."
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/bi...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/bi...
Big Tech Sues Texas Over App Store Age-Verification Law | PYMNTS.com
Major technology companies have sued the state of Texas over its age-verification law, putting a stake in the ground as more state legislatures look to
www.pymnts.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:16 PM
“This Texas law violates the First Amendment by restricting app stores from offering lawful content, preventing users from seeing that content, and compelling app developers to speak of their offerings in a way pleasing to the state."
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/bi...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/bi...
Highly recommended read. "The limits of the state as an 'instrument' were not only manifested with Trump. We also saw them clearly in the exhaustion of the cycle of left governments in South America - the so-called "pink tide" - and in the failure of Syriza in Greece." www.tni.org/en/article/d...
Did Trump Steal Our Agenda? Why Fighting Free Trade Isn't Enough Anymore | Transnational Institute
As the European Trade Justice Coalition marks 25 years, this reflection asks an unsettling question: how did the right appropriate the language of anti-globalization? It calls on activists to rethink ...
www.tni.org
October 21, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Highly recommended read. "The limits of the state as an 'instrument' were not only manifested with Trump. We also saw them clearly in the exhaustion of the cycle of left governments in South America - the so-called "pink tide" - and in the failure of Syriza in Greece." www.tni.org/en/article/d...
"In a twist, which was not disclosed to viewers until the closing moments of the show, Will AI Take My Job? was hosted by an unnamed female presenter generated by a machine."
In a twist, major media company cuts labor costs.
deadline.com/2025/10/chan...
In a twist, major media company cuts labor costs.
deadline.com/2025/10/chan...
Channel 4 Airs Entire Show Hosted By AI Presenter In UK Television First
In a deliberately provocative stunt, Channel 4 has broadcast an entire documentary hosted by an artificial intelligence creation.
deadline.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
"In a twist, which was not disclosed to viewers until the closing moments of the show, Will AI Take My Job? was hosted by an unnamed female presenter generated by a machine."
In a twist, major media company cuts labor costs.
deadline.com/2025/10/chan...
In a twist, major media company cuts labor costs.
deadline.com/2025/10/chan...
I'm reading The Washington Post (for the purposes of this joke) while shopping on Amazon, and then realize I can't access Amazon-owned IMDb.
BEZOS!!!
BEZOS!!!
October 20, 2025 at 6:18 PM
I'm reading The Washington Post (for the purposes of this joke) while shopping on Amazon, and then realize I can't access Amazon-owned IMDb.
BEZOS!!!
BEZOS!!!