Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
@researchtree.bsky.social
Research Tree provides thoughtful online media research, analysis, and insights around culture and commerce: www.research-tree.net
Owner:@esmichelson.bsky.social
Owner:@esmichelson.bsky.social
Pinned
Follow the Affordability+Hoax I Feed in the menu for @researchtree.bsky.social to see the top liked posts from the past 24 hours. Its a combo of snark and news from Bluesky’s big accounts even as Trump and surrogates continue their foot/mouth media tour.
Follow the Affordability+Hoax I Feed in the menu for @researchtree.bsky.social to see the top liked posts from the past 24 hours. Its a combo of snark and news from Bluesky’s big accounts even as Trump and surrogates continue their foot/mouth media tour.
December 11, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Follow the Affordability+Hoax I Feed in the menu for @researchtree.bsky.social to see the top liked posts from the past 24 hours. Its a combo of snark and news from Bluesky’s big accounts even as Trump and surrogates continue their foot/mouth media tour.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
The censorship lie is a major part of US foreign policy:
-Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK
-tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin
-US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators
-and now this:
-Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK
-tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin
-US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators
-and now this:
Holy shit.
Reuters reporting that new admin instructions on visas are if you worked at a platform in trust & safety or content moderation or on fact checking or online safety at an platform you *and your loved ones* are ineligible for H-1B visa.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reuters reporting that new admin instructions on visas are if you worked at a platform in trust & safety or content moderation or on fact checking or online safety at an platform you *and your loved ones* are ineligible for H-1B visa.
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
December 4, 2025 at 8:26 PM
The censorship lie is a major part of US foreign policy:
-Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK
-tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin
-US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators
-and now this:
-Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK
-tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin
-US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators
-and now this:
Researchers: Two new Bluesky Feeds created by me. Affordability+Hoax I and Affordability+Hoax II. The first sorts by Likes count, the second by post date. Trend will fade, but look for linkage to economic stats by "smart" ppl. as they seek new angles and snark from smarties and trolls.
December 4, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Researchers: Two new Bluesky Feeds created by me. Affordability+Hoax I and Affordability+Hoax II. The first sorts by Likes count, the second by post date. Trend will fade, but look for linkage to economic stats by "smart" ppl. as they seek new angles and snark from smarties and trolls.
For those of you reliant on web services and research, @cloudflare.social is experiencing service difficulties. It's not you. www.cloudflarestatus.com
Cloudflare Status
Welcome to Cloudflare's home for real-time and historical data on system performance.
www.cloudflarestatus.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
For those of you reliant on web services and research, @cloudflare.social is experiencing service difficulties. It's not you. www.cloudflarestatus.com
A typology of deep fakes meeting the moment. Via @techpolicypress.bsky.social by @morganwack.bsky.social et. al.
www.techpolicy.press/scrutinizing...
www.techpolicy.press/scrutinizing...
Scrutinizing the Many Faces of Political Deepfakes | TechPolicy.Press
Morgan Wack, Christina Walker, Alena Birrer, Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Daniel Schiff, and JP Messina systematically analyzed political deepfakes.
www.techpolicy.press
November 18, 2025 at 12:46 PM
A typology of deep fakes meeting the moment. Via @techpolicypress.bsky.social by @morganwack.bsky.social et. al.
www.techpolicy.press/scrutinizing...
www.techpolicy.press/scrutinizing...
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
🌐 How can formalized standards help align industry practices with regulatory requirements?
DTSP ED @davidsullivan.bsky.social will join a panel co-hosted by @tremau.bsky.social with fellow experts that will discuss the opportunities and advantages of adopting Trust & Safety standards.
DTSP ED @davidsullivan.bsky.social will join a panel co-hosted by @tremau.bsky.social with fellow experts that will discuss the opportunities and advantages of adopting Trust & Safety standards.
November 13, 2025 at 6:25 PM
🌐 How can formalized standards help align industry practices with regulatory requirements?
DTSP ED @davidsullivan.bsky.social will join a panel co-hosted by @tremau.bsky.social with fellow experts that will discuss the opportunities and advantages of adopting Trust & Safety standards.
DTSP ED @davidsullivan.bsky.social will join a panel co-hosted by @tremau.bsky.social with fellow experts that will discuss the opportunities and advantages of adopting Trust & Safety standards.
Kai Trump, granddaughter of the President, who is a fine golfer but wouldn't quality for the tournament she's playing in (and whose name we should not know), is the least important story right now. Check her socre in the standings at the end if you must. Otherwise, leave her in peace.
November 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Kai Trump, granddaughter of the President, who is a fine golfer but wouldn't quality for the tournament she's playing in (and whose name we should not know), is the least important story right now. Check her socre in the standings at the end if you must. Otherwise, leave her in peace.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
Hey!! Here's my new piece for The New Republic!!
It's about how Meta is cramming generative video slop (the most energy-intensive of the gen systems) into its massive global advertising engine: a recipe for an order magnitude worsening of its already-huge harms 😱
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
It's about how Meta is cramming generative video slop (the most energy-intensive of the gen systems) into its massive global advertising engine: a recipe for an order magnitude worsening of its already-huge harms 😱
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
November 11, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Hey!! Here's my new piece for The New Republic!!
It's about how Meta is cramming generative video slop (the most energy-intensive of the gen systems) into its massive global advertising engine: a recipe for an order magnitude worsening of its already-huge harms 😱
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
It's about how Meta is cramming generative video slop (the most energy-intensive of the gen systems) into its massive global advertising engine: a recipe for an order magnitude worsening of its already-huge harms 😱
newrepublic.com/article/2028...
Dislikes? It's you training Bluesky so that you're less likely to see what they think is similar. And, they suggest it feeds an algorithm to derank some post replies. More in their link: bsky.social/about/blog/1...
November 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Dislikes? It's you training Bluesky so that you're less likely to see what they think is similar. And, they suggest it feeds an algorithm to derank some post replies. More in their link: bsky.social/about/blog/1...
You ask, "how can I keep my children away from social media?" I tell you, "Keep them away from social media." One way - Remove the phone from their reach. Put yours away, too. Walk or play together. Smile together. Be yourselves without judging each other or yourself. You are enough.
October 28, 2025 at 12:16 PM
You ask, "how can I keep my children away from social media?" I tell you, "Keep them away from social media." One way - Remove the phone from their reach. Put yours away, too. Walk or play together. Smile together. Be yourselves without judging each other or yourself. You are enough.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
To overhaul its struggling image in the Philippines, China paid Philippine firm InfinitUS to run fake social media accounts and wage a cyber war on its behalf.
Check out the full @reuters.com story on this online influence operation featuring insights from @graphika.com.
Check out the full @reuters.com story on this online influence operation featuring insights from @graphika.com.
How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines
The Chinese embassy in Manila hired a marketing firm that ran fake social media accounts praising China, undermining the Philippines’ security alliance with the U.S., and criticizing Western COVID vaccines, Reuters found.
www.reuters.com
October 16, 2025 at 6:20 PM
To overhaul its struggling image in the Philippines, China paid Philippine firm InfinitUS to run fake social media accounts and wage a cyber war on its behalf.
Check out the full @reuters.com story on this online influence operation featuring insights from @graphika.com.
Check out the full @reuters.com story on this online influence operation featuring insights from @graphika.com.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
Our new and improved Bellingcat Toolkit is one-year-old today! If you haven't used it yet its a one-stop shop for discovering useful open source tools, maintained by an amazing group of volunteers. You can find use cases, guidance and honest reviews for each tool. bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit
Home | Bellingcat's Online Investigation Toolkit
A toolkit for open source researchers
bellingcat.gitbook.io
September 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Our new and improved Bellingcat Toolkit is one-year-old today! If you haven't used it yet its a one-stop shop for discovering useful open source tools, maintained by an amazing group of volunteers. You can find use cases, guidance and honest reviews for each tool. bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
September 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Politicians and pundits on Bluesky, X, etc. don't help their own cause by stoking the social media outrage machinery with their expletive-laden rants (or just straight up "F-yous") about people. It's a form of violence fueling cycles of retaliation and escalation. Is a need for 10k likes worth it?
September 5, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Politicians and pundits on Bluesky, X, etc. don't help their own cause by stoking the social media outrage machinery with their expletive-laden rants (or just straight up "F-yous") about people. It's a form of violence fueling cycles of retaliation and escalation. Is a need for 10k likes worth it?
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
I refuse to have any discussion about the validity or perceived validity of RFK Jr. & his policies & how they are being applied.
The scientific community and my colleagues and teachers have spoken. I will no longer cede an inch to this. Dont invite me nowhere to debate nothing
The scientific community and my colleagues and teachers have spoken. I will no longer cede an inch to this. Dont invite me nowhere to debate nothing
I’m absolutely speechless.
May our children and our children’s children forgive us.
May our children and our children’s children forgive us.
September 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I refuse to have any discussion about the validity or perceived validity of RFK Jr. & his policies & how they are being applied.
The scientific community and my colleagues and teachers have spoken. I will no longer cede an inch to this. Dont invite me nowhere to debate nothing
The scientific community and my colleagues and teachers have spoken. I will no longer cede an inch to this. Dont invite me nowhere to debate nothing
Algorithmic "dot connecting" enables mass surveillance similar to that in the PRC where surveillance is a social design feature. A statement from @bsky.app on data scraping would be timely at this point. They can also advise users on collaborative next steps.
Palantir’s Gotham platform lets the government weave together driving records, police reports, even social media — creating powerful maps of people’s lives.
Critics warn it’s surveillance by algorithm, with little public oversight.
buff.ly/e4mclbR
Critics warn it’s surveillance by algorithm, with little public oversight.
buff.ly/e4mclbR
When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data
Government agencies are contracting with Palantir to correlate disparate pieces of data, promising efficiency but raising civil liberties concerns.
theconversation.com
August 29, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Algorithmic "dot connecting" enables mass surveillance similar to that in the PRC where surveillance is a social design feature. A statement from @bsky.app on data scraping would be timely at this point. They can also advise users on collaborative next steps.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
My general guideline about anonymous social media profiles: Be suspicious of those claiming they are retired from professions many feel warmness towards. Sadly, even grandmas and Trekkie-hood is coopted by those who wish to harm.
This individual misgendered me and when corrected she said “look like a man to me” as well as called me filth
And pussy. All because they misunderstood my post regarding abortion. They have not apologized . And when corrected by my moots called one a nazi and blocked the other .
And pussy. All because they misunderstood my post regarding abortion. They have not apologized . And when corrected by my moots called one a nazi and blocked the other .
August 28, 2025 at 8:43 PM
My general guideline about anonymous social media profiles: Be suspicious of those claiming they are retired from professions many feel warmness towards. Sadly, even grandmas and Trekkie-hood is coopted by those who wish to harm.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
An interesting use of AI based simulation research examines whether algorithms are responsible for extreme voices taking hold on social media. #socialmedia #simulation #AI www.ddmcd.com/managing-tec...
Don’t Blame the Algorithm: Polarization May Be Inherent in Social Media — www.ddmcd.com
By Dennis D. McDonald, Ph.D. In the August 15, 2025 SCIENCE Magazine article Don’t blame the algorithm: Polarization may be inherent in social media Hannah Richter reports on a University of...
www.ddmcd.com
August 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
An interesting use of AI based simulation research examines whether algorithms are responsible for extreme voices taking hold on social media. #socialmedia #simulation #AI www.ddmcd.com/managing-tec...
Re; #EpsteinFiles - it's interesting to note the fingerprints of social media conspiracists suggesting theories implicating foreign intelligence services, deep state actors or others in an effort to further erode trust in government now under assault by partisan politicians doing the work for them.
August 7, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Re; #EpsteinFiles - it's interesting to note the fingerprints of social media conspiracists suggesting theories implicating foreign intelligence services, deep state actors or others in an effort to further erode trust in government now under assault by partisan politicians doing the work for them.
#Colbert cancellation is trending on X; Bluesky; Mastodon.
First time I've seen the same trend on all three simultaneously. There is often overlap on X and Bluesky, Mastodon has less virality. It highlights Colbert's global reach and worldwide interest in Trump's reach into culture and commerce.
First time I've seen the same trend on all three simultaneously. There is often overlap on X and Bluesky, Mastodon has less virality. It highlights Colbert's global reach and worldwide interest in Trump's reach into culture and commerce.
July 18, 2025 at 11:48 AM
#Colbert cancellation is trending on X; Bluesky; Mastodon.
First time I've seen the same trend on all three simultaneously. There is often overlap on X and Bluesky, Mastodon has less virality. It highlights Colbert's global reach and worldwide interest in Trump's reach into culture and commerce.
First time I've seen the same trend on all three simultaneously. There is often overlap on X and Bluesky, Mastodon has less virality. It highlights Colbert's global reach and worldwide interest in Trump's reach into culture and commerce.
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
More details of Russia's failing disinformation work - Operation Overload’s underwhelming influence and evolving tactics
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Operation Overload's underwhelming influence and evolving tactics
This Dispatch examines why Russia-aligned Operation Overload failed to gain traction in the second quarter of 2025.
www.isdglobal.org
July 17, 2025 at 12:10 PM
More details of Russia's failing disinformation work - Operation Overload’s underwhelming influence and evolving tactics
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Reposted by Research Tree Social Media Research x Insights
5+ months after we released research hypothesizing that the pro-Russia Pravda network was grooming LLMs to spit out propaganda, even "reasoning" models are still citing the network. Proud to publish this piece with AI critic @garymarcus.bsky.social!
americansunlight.substack.com/p/bad-actors...
americansunlight.substack.com/p/bad-actors...
Bad Actors are Grooming LLMs to Produce Falsehoods
Our research shows that even the latest "reasoning" models are vulnerable
americansunlight.substack.com
July 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM
5+ months after we released research hypothesizing that the pro-Russia Pravda network was grooming LLMs to spit out propaganda, even "reasoning" models are still citing the network. Proud to publish this piece with AI critic @garymarcus.bsky.social!
americansunlight.substack.com/p/bad-actors...
americansunlight.substack.com/p/bad-actors...
AI content from bad guys aims to sway elections, and wear us out. Solutions: Skepticism of social media content. Repeat only what you are certain is accurate. Don't unwittingly amplify lies by arguing back (ignore). Ask: Do I need to say it? Do I need to say it now? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/t...
A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy
www.nytimes.com
June 26, 2025 at 6:56 PM
AI content from bad guys aims to sway elections, and wear us out. Solutions: Skepticism of social media content. Repeat only what you are certain is accurate. Don't unwittingly amplify lies by arguing back (ignore). Ask: Do I need to say it? Do I need to say it now? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/t...
@newsguard.bsky.social researchers find numerous "provably false claims" by RFK appointee to his non-binding CDC vax advisory committee.
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/the-myths-...
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/the-myths-...
The Myths Promoted by a New CDC Vaccine Advisor
Dr. Robert Malone has promoted 13 provably false claims from NewsGuard’s database
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com
June 12, 2025 at 6:34 PM
@newsguard.bsky.social researchers find numerous "provably false claims" by RFK appointee to his non-binding CDC vax advisory committee.
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/the-myths-...
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/the-myths-...
Deadline!!
May 28, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Deadline!!