You should try Pyktok! TikTok has changed its structure a few times, so it’s hard to scrape consistently, but hopefully this will help github.com/dfreelon/pyk...

I do love this comment as an endorsement of this piece as foundational literature!

But the real answer is that this is a concept explication. Which means taking a bunch of parallel uses of a concept or an idea and providing them some shared grounding.

I'm so proud of this piece and thrilled for it to be out in the world.

HUGE kudos to @carolynschmitt.bsky.social and @shannimcg.bsky.social for being wonderful coauthors and to @citap.bsky.social for helping us make this piece OPEN ACCESS! Here's the link, one last time: bit.ly/StratAm

Today's empowered far right uses less ambiguity. But when they do, the best thing to do is not to let them get away with it.

What are they saying? To whom? How are they trying to hide it? And what do they stand to gain? We can fight ambiguity, and we do it with clear-eyed analysis. End/🧵

Ambiguity is an apt tool for populists. Who are "the people"? Who are "the elites" or "the enemy"? We want "change," but what kind?

Strategic ambiguity allows communicators to let audiences hear the meaning they want to hear. 4/🧵

Irony fits hand-in-hand with strategic ambiguity. Audiences know ironic messages do not mean what they appear to mean at first glance, but this provides an opportunity for the communicator to encode multiple "true" meanings for different crowds, or default to "It's just a joke!" 3/🧵

Strategic ambiguity, in our view, is defined by:

1) Polysemy
2) Intended audiences from varying interpretive communities
3) A benefit to be gained from addressing these multiple communities at once

It thus encompasses dog whistles, doublespeak, coded language, and more.

2/🧵