Shannon Mattern
@shannonmattern.bsky.social
director of creative research @ the metro ny library council; resigned full professor of media studies, art history + anthropology
architecture, archives, 🎨, cities, 🐕, infrastructure, libraries, 🗺️, sound++
nyc + upstate
wordsinspace.net
architecture, archives, 🎨, cities, 🐕, infrastructure, libraries, 🗺️, sound++
nyc + upstate
wordsinspace.net
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
I'm org'ing a session on the problems + possibilities of web search; we'll explore past + (AI-sloppified) present of commercial web search; library discovery tools; + speculative/critical approaches.
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Apps are open for our spring session of the Cross-Reference Coalition! We're exploring Search & Discovery! "Our journey will encompass the history of exploration + cartography, legacies of inquiry, tools of discovery, theories of curiosity, and counter-algorithmic means of 'finding things out.'"
January 6, 2026 at 5:19 AM
I'm org'ing a session on the problems + possibilities of web search; we'll explore past + (AI-sloppified) present of commercial web search; library discovery tools; + speculative/critical approaches.
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
It's so embarrassing to be an American these days: "In a late-night Truth Social post, the president announces that the Danish territory is now an American 'protectorate.'" 🙄
Trump Seizing Greenland Could Set Off a Chain Reaction
After Venezuela, Europeans are taking the president’s threats seriously.
www.theatlantic.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:39 AM
It's so embarrassing to be an American these days: "In a late-night Truth Social post, the president announces that the Danish territory is now an American 'protectorate.'" 🙄
“As it was in the 1930s, New York could become the proving ground for a changed America—if Mamdani can keep showing the canniness and political instincts to push his agenda through.”
Wielding the Ice Pick | Michael Greenberg
There is a steeliness to Zohran Mamdani that wasn’t obvious when he first appeared as a candidate for mayor, ablaze with ideas while extending a panoramic
www.nybooks.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:14 AM
“As it was in the 1930s, New York could become the proving ground for a changed America—if Mamdani can keep showing the canniness and political instincts to push his agenda through.”
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
If reading interesting things about the past (and the present) written by someone using their brain is your jam, might I suggest my occasional newsletter? (Especially if youre from the Salish Sea region) buttondown.com/leftcoastdispatch
My latest Left Coast Dispatch:
Libraries At Their Breaking Point buttondown.com/leftcoastdis... #yyj #bcHist
Libraries At Their Breaking Point buttondown.com/leftcoastdis... #yyj #bcHist
Libraries At Their Breaking Point
With library funding in BC unchanged for almost two decades, the federal Liberal government is set to make things even worse.
buttondown.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:40 PM
If reading interesting things about the past (and the present) written by someone using their brain is your jam, might I suggest my occasional newsletter? (Especially if youre from the Salish Sea region) buttondown.com/leftcoastdispatch
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
re: "The new rules of trailbuilding" + how "Professional trailbuilders deploy their knowledge of psychology, geography, and geology to lead hikers on an immersive, ecologically friendly journey" www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/ar... via #NationalGeographic
How the world’s greatest trailbuilders create the perfect hike
Around the world, trail designers are quietly employing surprising techniques to engineer awe. You’ve probably felt it without even knowing why. Inside the creative science that’s transforming your ti...
www.nationalgeographic.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:31 AM
re: "The new rules of trailbuilding" + how "Professional trailbuilders deploy their knowledge of psychology, geography, and geology to lead hikers on an immersive, ecologically friendly journey" www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/ar... via #NationalGeographic
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
😳 Thiel Fellowship co-founder Michael Gibson & American Moment founder Nick Solheim led a 2024 talk about colonizing Greenland. Gibson wrote yesterday that someone shld “pitch Rubio on building a charter city in Venezuela…” In reply, his colleague tagged an American Moment alum IN THE STATE DEPT. 1/
January 5, 2026 at 11:46 PM
😳 Thiel Fellowship co-founder Michael Gibson & American Moment founder Nick Solheim led a 2024 talk about colonizing Greenland. Gibson wrote yesterday that someone shld “pitch Rubio on building a charter city in Venezuela…” In reply, his colleague tagged an American Moment alum IN THE STATE DEPT. 1/
I'm org'ing a session on the problems + possibilities of web search; we'll explore past + (AI-sloppified) present of commercial web search; library discovery tools; + speculative/critical approaches.
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Apps are open for our spring session of the Cross-Reference Coalition! We're exploring Search & Discovery! "Our journey will encompass the history of exploration + cartography, legacies of inquiry, tools of discovery, theories of curiosity, and counter-algorithmic means of 'finding things out.'"
January 6, 2026 at 5:19 AM
I'm org'ing a session on the problems + possibilities of web search; we'll explore past + (AI-sloppified) present of commercial web search; library discovery tools; + speculative/critical approaches.
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
Are there any NYC libraries still doing experimental discovery work (à la NYPL Labs / LoC Labs)?
For our 3yrs in Philly, Andy and I — both 🍀 to be healthy before then — experienced more health probs than ever before, + we both had a terrible time finding available doctors. I remember a Penn *dean* telling me that when she had health 🚨🚨🚨, she had to call the med school dean to get attention!...
January 6, 2026 at 4:30 AM
For our 3yrs in Philly, Andy and I — both 🍀 to be healthy before then — experienced more health probs than ever before, + we both had a terrible time finding available doctors. I remember a Penn *dean* telling me that when she had health 🚨🚨🚨, she had to call the med school dean to get attention!...
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
in 2025 my resolution was to kick as many google products as possible: browser, search, drive, and docs were a huge success! right now i use waterfox, DDG, local drives, and obsidian. i also managed to swap out microsoft office for office libre, and i got off spotify in favor of the radio & CDs!
If this year was about getting off US tech, 2026 is the year to reassess the digital revolution — what works, what doesn’t; what to keep, and what to reject.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
We need to reassess our relationship to digital tech
Getting off US tech led me to a wider questioning of digital convenience
disconnect.blog
January 6, 2026 at 3:45 AM
in 2025 my resolution was to kick as many google products as possible: browser, search, drive, and docs were a huge success! right now i use waterfox, DDG, local drives, and obsidian. i also managed to swap out microsoft office for office libre, and i got off spotify in favor of the radio & CDs!
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
It is the most bizarre feeling to sit in a doctor's office wearing an N95 and be asked if I'm sick by a maskless nurse who can't stop sniffing. Please, please mask in healthcare settings.
January 5, 2026 at 6:36 PM
It is the most bizarre feeling to sit in a doctor's office wearing an N95 and be asked if I'm sick by a maskless nurse who can't stop sniffing. Please, please mask in healthcare settings.
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
imo McKenzie Wark / Eugene Thacker / Alex Galloway / Shannon Mattern deserve the same level of historicizing scrutiny for their combined contributions to media theory that the CCRU did (Ms. Wark when you inevitably see this, best wishes for 2026)
January 3, 2026 at 7:08 PM
imo McKenzie Wark / Eugene Thacker / Alex Galloway / Shannon Mattern deserve the same level of historicizing scrutiny for their combined contributions to media theory that the CCRU did (Ms. Wark when you inevitably see this, best wishes for 2026)
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
u heard sharon, everyone post about their esoteric interests right fucking now. for the good of the community, we need to be hyperfixationmaxxing.
i think this site really needs to figure out how to grow the non-politics verticals (the baseball moment was a good thing!) because i suspect a lot of the bad clusters come out of the political clusters driving 95% of ENG-lang posts
I'd be happy with big non politics accounts.
January 5, 2026 at 9:57 PM
u heard sharon, everyone post about their esoteric interests right fucking now. for the good of the community, we need to be hyperfixationmaxxing.
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
Corporation For Public Broadcasting Is Dissolved After 58 Years Of Service
www.huffpost.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 PM
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been dissolved, ending its 58 years as the primary funder for PBS, NPR and local TV and radio stations
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
On my annual winter e-break I came to the conclusion that basically every facet of our lives has gotten worse because a majority of people now primarily "live" online and thus only experience the world in the abstract. The loudest voices online/in culture aren't actually living real lives anymore.
There should be a sort of 24 hr soft ban on this site that, when logged in, asks for your location and then indicates the distance and directions to the nearest park or outdoor public place
January 5, 2026 at 8:19 PM
On my annual winter e-break I came to the conclusion that basically every facet of our lives has gotten worse because a majority of people now primarily "live" online and thus only experience the world in the abstract. The loudest voices online/in culture aren't actually living real lives anymore.
It seems that Curbed has now been disappeared, too. It's of course great that the Wayback Machine exists — but we shouldn't have a media ecosystem in which we depend on a nonprofit to preserve "content" monetized by commercial outlets with zero obligation to preservation and access
"Last year, there was a big news story that MTV News was shut down.... And I [said], 'Hi, um … check the Wayback Machine.' They were like, ‘Oh my God, you guys got it all. What did you do?’ We didn’t do anything when the site went down because we’ve been doing our job all along."
The man trying to capture the internet before it disappears
The Trump administration is purging some government websites. The director of the Wayback Machine explains what we can do about it.
www.vox.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:40 AM
It seems that Curbed has now been disappeared, too. It's of course great that the Wayback Machine exists — but we shouldn't have a media ecosystem in which we depend on a nonprofit to preserve "content" monetized by commercial outlets with zero obligation to preservation and access
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
I just checked in on a major piece I did for Curbed Chicago 10 years ago and it’s gone. What is the point of trashing a decade-plus of reporting and criticism on the built environment?
The archives for the old Curbed city sites have been offline for at least two weeks. If these sites are gone for good, it’s not just a loss for those who contributed to Curbed over the years, but a loss of ~15 years of reporting on new development, neighborhoods, and architecture criticism.
January 5, 2026 at 4:31 PM
I just checked in on a major piece I did for Curbed Chicago 10 years ago and it’s gone. What is the point of trashing a decade-plus of reporting and criticism on the built environment?
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
I've received many messages about this over the last two weeks — people still read, reference, and link to these stories WRITTEN BY REAL REPORTERS who knew their cities better than anyone else. I figured a fix might have been delayed due to holiday breaks but this needs to be remedied immediately!
The archives for the old Curbed city sites have been offline for at least two weeks. If these sites are gone for good, it’s not just a loss for those who contributed to Curbed over the years, but a loss of ~15 years of reporting on new development, neighborhoods, and architecture criticism.
January 5, 2026 at 5:43 PM
I've received many messages about this over the last two weeks — people still read, reference, and link to these stories WRITTEN BY REAL REPORTERS who knew their cities better than anyone else. I figured a fix might have been delayed due to holiday breaks but this needs to be remedied immediately!
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
Children will die with RFK Jr.'s new vaccine recommendations. We're NOT doing the "experts disagree" game. The US vaccine schedule was painstakingly constructed through a deep & thorough process by experts with unquestionable expertise. This is policy by fiat. It is pre-meditated murder. 1/
January 5, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Children will die with RFK Jr.'s new vaccine recommendations. We're NOT doing the "experts disagree" game. The US vaccine schedule was painstakingly constructed through a deep & thorough process by experts with unquestionable expertise. This is policy by fiat. It is pre-meditated murder. 1/
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
this is small comfort given he has state power and i don’t but i am struck by what an obviously weak and fragile man miller is. a blubbering piss baby whose entire affect and personality is an attempt to make up for his profound feelings of inadequacy
MILLER: The US is using its military to secure our interests unapologetically in our hemisphere. We're a superpower. It's absurd we'd allow a nation in our backyard to become a supplier of resources to our adversaries
TAPPER: Sovereign countries shouldn't be able to do what they want?
M: *yells*
TAPPER: Sovereign countries shouldn't be able to do what they want?
M: *yells*
January 5, 2026 at 11:52 PM
this is small comfort given he has state power and i don’t but i am struck by what an obviously weak and fragile man miller is. a blubbering piss baby whose entire affect and personality is an attempt to make up for his profound feelings of inadequacy
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
Hey, if you're looking for a new hobby -- especially one that's analog -- my brilliant friend @badasscrossstitch.bsky.social is hosting a learn to embroider on Zoom this weekend www.eventbrite.com/e/1977418083...
Intro to Embroidery with Badass Cross Stitch
Learn to embroider, stitch something brilliant, have a laugh, try something new! Just in time to make all your holiday gifts!
www.eventbrite.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Hey, if you're looking for a new hobby -- especially one that's analog -- my brilliant friend @badasscrossstitch.bsky.social is hosting a learn to embroider on Zoom this weekend www.eventbrite.com/e/1977418083...
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
Attention architectural historians: Vincent Scully's house is for sale...
@langealexandra.bsky.social @christinecipriani.bsky.social @bgoldst.bsky.social
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
@langealexandra.bsky.social @christinecipriani.bsky.social @bgoldst.bsky.social
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
68 Orchard Road, Woodbridge, CT 06525 | MLS #24144523 | Zillow
This 1872 square feet Single Family home has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. It is located at 68 Orchard Road, Woodbridge, CT.
www.zillow.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Attention architectural historians: Vincent Scully's house is for sale...
@langealexandra.bsky.social @christinecipriani.bsky.social @bgoldst.bsky.social
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
@langealexandra.bsky.social @christinecipriani.bsky.social @bgoldst.bsky.social
www.zillow.com/homedetails/...
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
still cannot process that ronald lauder, the honorary chairman of the museum of modern art is stealth buying up greenlandic companies to facilitate trump's invasion and takeover of greenland.
In implementation of Trump plans to invade and occupy Greenland, billionaire Trump loyalist Ron Lauder has launched a program of quietly acquiring control of major Greenland corporations.
Stenrig Trump-støtte har købt sig ind i grønlandske virksomheder
Den kendte amerikanske milliardær og Trump-støtte Ronald Lauder har købt sig ind i to grønlandske virksomheder. Eksperter opfordrer til at være på vagt over for skjulte politiske dagsordener.
https://politiken.dk/internationalt/art10619933/Stenrig-Trump-støtte-har-købt-sig-ind-i-grønlandske-virksomheder
December 2, 2025 at 6:45 PM
still cannot process that ronald lauder, the honorary chairman of the museum of modern art is stealth buying up greenlandic companies to facilitate trump's invasion and takeover of greenland.
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
Amidst all that is destructive and demoralizing, we're meeting to celebrate civic culture + public knowledge and build solidarities. Open to NYC info workers (librarians, archivists), grad students, artists, designers. Apps are due Wednesday, Jan 7, end-of-day!
Confirmed sessions include:...
Confirmed sessions include:...
Apps are open for our spring session of the Cross-Reference Coalition! We're exploring Search & Discovery! "Our journey will encompass the history of exploration + cartography, legacies of inquiry, tools of discovery, theories of curiosity, and counter-algorithmic means of 'finding things out.'"
January 5, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Amidst all that is destructive and demoralizing, we're meeting to celebrate civic culture + public knowledge and build solidarities. Open to NYC info workers (librarians, archivists), grad students, artists, designers. Apps are due Wednesday, Jan 7, end-of-day!
Confirmed sessions include:...
Confirmed sessions include:...
And here's more on public libraries as infrastructures for local knowledge production and cultural distribution!
placesjournal.org/article/extr...
And Mamdani's commitment to dedicating 0.5% of the city budget to libraries (thx to advocacy by NYC PLAN)
www.instagram.com/p/DSYRoJ7gf-3/
placesjournal.org/article/extr...
And Mamdani's commitment to dedicating 0.5% of the city budget to libraries (thx to advocacy by NYC PLAN)
www.instagram.com/p/DSYRoJ7gf-3/
![A post from Hell Gate re: what Mamdani can accomplish in his first 100 days, QT'd with a proposal from Liz Pelly: Include funding for the City's public library systems designed for the creation of local music streaming services, [which] offers an alternative vision: publicly funded digital archives for local music that are ad-free, accessible & stewarded responsibly."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jtzxnbwxwbywld23yvnyokzf/bafkreig5wazgfdfql7vhoojloeufpqhhjkzisn5emnem4hslslho3rcvzu@jpeg)
January 5, 2026 at 6:12 PM
And here's more on public libraries as infrastructures for local knowledge production and cultural distribution!
placesjournal.org/article/extr...
And Mamdani's commitment to dedicating 0.5% of the city budget to libraries (thx to advocacy by NYC PLAN)
www.instagram.com/p/DSYRoJ7gf-3/
placesjournal.org/article/extr...
And Mamdani's commitment to dedicating 0.5% of the city budget to libraries (thx to advocacy by NYC PLAN)
www.instagram.com/p/DSYRoJ7gf-3/
Reposted by Shannon Mattern
Given everything happening right now, I updated this article with options for weather apps, web forms, and translation services — along with some tweaks to existing categories.
I hope it helps your transition off US tech!
I hope it helps your transition off US tech!
Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump was a mask off moment and showed the world we can’t depend on US tech companies.
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
For the past few months, I’ve been trying to get off US tech and I put together a guide so you find alternatives too. I hope you find it helpful!
Getting off US tech: a guide
I’m in the process of dropping US tech services. Here’s how I did it, and options you should consider.
www.disconnect.blog
January 4, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Given everything happening right now, I updated this article with options for weather apps, web forms, and translation services — along with some tweaks to existing categories.
I hope it helps your transition off US tech!
I hope it helps your transition off US tech!