Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

Oh wow, yikes, but Karla Hamolka (obviously predated me by many many years). #infamous

William Adler @williamadler78.bsky.social · 3d

Who's the most famous alum of your high school?

I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 6d

guys i just found out i went to the same high school as howard lutnick. please respect my privacy at this time.

February 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

How are there so many podcasts now but also still somehow not enough podcasts?

February 13, 2026 at 1:23 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

My students this year are so aware of their lack of privacy that almost none of them have social media accounts, none of them are out protesting, and they all seem hypervigilant in class. Their concerns aren't unfounded, but damn, this is the most scared I have been about the future in a long time.

February 11, 2026 at 7:53 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

We are mourning the loss of a brilliant scholar and a wonderful partner and friend. Please give what you can to help Fobazi’s wife, @elenamaris.bsky.social with medical and other bills following Fobazi’s passing.

Please share the go fund me link with your community as well: gofund.me/4092df86f

February 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

jamelle

@jamellebouie.net

this is very funny www.foxnews.com/media/jd-van...

JD Vance should have been sold by his mother for drugs, NYT columnist says

New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie suggested Vice President JD Vance's mother was reasonable when attempting to sell him for drugs during his childhood.

www.foxnews.com

February 6, 2026 at 10:01 AM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

Michael Hobbes

@michaelhobbes.bsky.social

“I do not think that 50 year old men should be having sex with 16 year old girls. But “

C. E. Aubin @ceaubin.com · 10d

This level of apologia (from Megan McArdle in a podcast with Josh Barro and Ross Douthat) is fucking appalling. Idk what else there is to say.

She's 16. It's not like she's four. And we have now really shifted on how we think about that, I think, in a good way. Right. Right. I do not think that 50 year old men should be having sex with 16 year old girls.
But I think that you're not going to find the evidence of a pedophile ring where he is actively trafficking these girls because until Me Too... It's not like a pedophile, right? There are 16-year-old girls around who are vulnerable and can be exploited, but not in this, like,
there is a mastermind who is going on the dark web and selling these girls to you. They're just around, and they're close enough to the age of consent that a lot of people probably felt like it was okay to hit on them.

February 5, 2026 at 11:31 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

Truly embarrassing how many times I’ve listened to the Grammy version of Yukon at this point. And it’s only on YouTube so I am just driving around blasting YouTube on my phone.

February 6, 2026 at 1:39 AM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

I'm really mourning the loss of a place on the internet where I can both say earnest things and incredibly stupid things.

February 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

Quinoa was to the 2010s what sundried tomatoes were to the 1990s.

February 5, 2026 at 5:31 PM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

Oliver Willis

@owillis.bsky.social

People are going to have to drag the democrats to the right place on immigration and ICE just like they had to drag them to the right place on opposing the Iraq war and impeaching Trump. It’s fucking exhausting to have a party that refuses to do the right thing right away,

February 5, 2026 at 12:01 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

I feel like Gawker was taken down by Thiel because it was the only site that would have properly exposed the insanity of everything, and with the wry wit to make traditional media too intimidated (in the way they could) to not cover it. But perhaps this is my version of romanticizing of the past...

February 3, 2026 at 8:39 PM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

jess reia • 何杰茜

@jhereia.bsky.social

Join us for the 7th event in our Gender & Tech Online Talk Series "Dis/Misinformation & Political Extremism” on Jan 27 at 11am EST, with the amazing @pinheiromachado.bsky.social + @robyncaplan.bsky.social. Free & open to all: dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/gender.... See you there
@yasmincurzi.com

This is a horizontal poster for the Gender & Tech Online Talk series in a combination of white, dark blue and teal. The topic is "Dis/Misinformation and Political Extremism,” the speakers are Rosana Pinheiro-Machado (University College Dublin) and Robyn Caplan (Duke University), and the moderation will be done by Jess Reia. Date and time: January 27, 11am EST.

January 14, 2026 at 5:10 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

After a fairly light year of review requests, I have somehow received about 8 of them in the last month (in some cases, multiple requests for the same journal). What is happening here...

December 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

I can’t tell if I need a good cry, a stiff drink, an entire day at a spa, or like a week-long phone/computer detox.

December 17, 2025 at 10:19 PM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

Mike Masnick

@masnick.com

Even UNICEF is like "yo, Australia, this social media ban for kids is a terrible fucking idea."

www.unicef.org/press-releas...

“Social media is not a luxury – for many children, especially those who are isolated or marginalised, it is a lifeline providing access to learning, connection, play, and self-expression. What’s more, many children and young people will still access social media, whether through workarounds, shared devices, or turning to less regulated platforms, ultimately making it harder to protect them.

December 13, 2025 at 6:26 AM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

I may be getting older, but at least I get to (quietly, just to myself) say "Enhance. Enhance!" as I repeatedly zoom in to grade my students' assignments.

December 12, 2025 at 9:55 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

YouTube algorithm is now basically "you know that video we recommended to you 100 times that you didn't want to watch? Want to watch it now? Or how about this video that was uploaded *5 years ago.*"

December 12, 2025 at 12:03 AM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

Moritz Schramm

@schrammmo.bsky.social

Anyone interested in platform & AI governance check out the third annual PlatGov conference Mon/Tue - all online, free & truly global 🌍🌎🌏⌨️💽🤓

Here’s the program:

platgov.net/assets/site/...

platgov.net

November 30, 2025 at 10:05 PM

Robyn Caplan

@robyncaplan.bsky.social

Every “new” media scholar becomes a media historian (yesterday I found out my students were all born between 2005-2007…).

November 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM

Reposted by Robyn Caplan

Duke Sanford

@dukesanford.bsky.social

🎙️From deepfakes to the growing importance of social media verification, @robyncaplan.bsky.social talks to @agpines.bsky.social about the role of #AI today.

This episode of Duke Sanford's Policy 360 podcast can be found on Apple, Spotify & Amazon.