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Ben Lyall 💾

@benlyall.bsky.social
370 followers 285 following 110 posts

👨‍💻 Digital sociologist 🔴 RMIT / Lecturer, Digital Communication 👣 Unceded Bunurong & Wurundjeri lands 💬 Digital civic lives / data cultures / wearables ➖ Em—dash enthusiast / Nintendo apologist

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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
it me #census
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
ordinary folks love to have passive engagement with the nyse
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
widgets are so back
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
the absolute terror of being the foreground to someone's middle-distance stare 🥶
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
gettem
businessinsider.com
AI glasses have a new hater: Lorde
Lorde criticized AI glasses during a festival sponsored by Ray-Ban. The jab came right before Blackpink's Jennie, a brand ambassador, took the stage.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
this stairwell overlooking richmond station is gagging for a mission impossible -esque chase sequence
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
At the top of the segment, I touch on some research from a few years ago. You can read more about that in The Conversation here 🥸⤵️ theconversation.com/what-do-peop...
theconversation.com
What do people think about smartglasses? New research reveals a complicated picture
Views differ between owners and non-owners of smartglasses. But both groups agree the technology can help people.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Hello! 🥸 Last week I had the pleasure of joining ABC RN's 'Life Matters' to chat about the latest push on smartglasses by Meta. Have a listen to the podcast here👂⤵️ www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
abc.net.au
Are smart glasses cool now? - ABC listen
Smart glasses — like dumb glasses with added computing power — have been around for well over a decade, without ever reaching broad commercial success in Australia. But this time the tech's had an AI ...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
eleven linkedin notifications and not one meme 🥺
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
many cackles in the house as we do our auto-replies over dinner
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
✨ As we speak: linking my first year students to this (they wrap up the semester this week)
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Alex Beattie @drlxbt.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Long weekend coming up!! Will you doomscroll or keep working? Get a screen time horoscope and look into your future... www.savingscreentime.com/tools/screen... @katemannell.bsky.social @binarythis.bsky.social @digitalchildau.bsky.social @maxsoar.bsky.social @courtneyaddison.bsky.social
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
It continues to fascinate me how the permitted and non-permitted forms of civic action inform each other. This is yet another example of petitions as protest, as recruitment tool, as personal flag-planting, and dog-whistling on social and political issues.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
These region-specific petitions are common at state level (compared to federal). They target the relevant level of government while spotlighting a highly localised issue. The vandalism aspect sits easily alongside the permitted form of action in the story - but isn't something to overlook...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
"Vandals saw off road signs in protest against reduced speed limits on Victorian roads [...] A petition started by residents who oppose the changes [to speed limits] has been tabled in the Victorian parliament." www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05...
abc.net.au
Vandals cut down road signs in protest against lower speed limit
Police believe changes to speed limits on country roads in Victoria have led to vandalism including new road signs being cut down.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Urgently divest from all "corpmanteau" (corporate portmanteau - yes, two can play at this game). Instructure and Explorance have already ruined my month.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Audio of my evidence in this Parliamentary Inquiry is at this timestamp on the livestream recording: www.youtube.com/live/tWwmO77... Big ups to the parliamentary staff, committee secretariat and committee members for managing these hearings as well as caring about the future petitioning ✨
youtube.com
House Standing Committee on Petitions | 11/05/2026
YouTube video by Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Very excited (nervous) to talk about this important but overlooked piece of participatory democracy in Australia! It's also a significant part of my research horizon and the subject of an under-review funding application... so watch this space 🤞
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
This stems from a case study on how conspiracism appeared and operated in petitions during the COVID-19 pandemic. There, in short, it seemed possible to appropriate the system and egg-on communities/beliefs without having workable requests for change: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Policy & Internet | PSO Journal | Wiley Online Library
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some groups and individuals rearticulated state power through conspiracy theories. Despite their fringe status, conspiracy theory beliefs can directly animate citizen's ...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
My submission earlier this year highlights how the system may currently overlook contemporary digital communication quirks. These include callbacks to past petitions, DIY hashtagging, and emoji use: www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...
aph.gov.au
Submissions
Submissions
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
‼️I'm going to be speaking at a Parliamentary Inquiry related to petitions later this morning (11:15am). Catch me on the stream here 🎥 www.youtube.com/live/tWwmO77...
youtube.com
House Standing Committee on Petitions | 11/05/2026
YouTube video by Australian Parliament House Streaming Portal
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Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
What I wish for everybody to remember when Canvas comes back online: The reason OUR data can be held for ransom is because Instructure, their owners (KKR private equity & Dragoneer venture capital), & our own employers (see ASU Atomic) monetize it. It's Canvas that hacked education & stole our IP.
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Crikey @crikey.com.au · 10/05/2026
AI is closer to electricity or the internet than ordinary software. Treating it as a productivity app with some privacy risks is like treating the steam engine as a faster horse. www.crikey.com.au/2026/05/07/a...
crikey.com.au
The way the Albanese government is regulating AI reflects its misunderstanding of the technology
Treating AI like a 'productivity' tool with some privacy risks is like treating the steam engine as a faster horse.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
psst 🤫 canvas needs you more than you need canvas ✊
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
cookie clicker but its academics refreshing canvas
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The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) @sociologyaustralia.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Recent open access article by TASA members Giselle Newton & Ashely Barnwell et al.: Displaying family on the DNA platform
journals.sagepub.com
Displaying family on the DNA platform - Giselle Newton, Ashley Barnwell, Romy Wilson Gray, 2026
Direct-to-consumer DNA platforms are significant yet overlooked social media platforms through which millions of users worldwide shape their identities. DNA pla...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
this lil canvas turd is my new sleep paralysis demon
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
maybe it will all be worth it if the canvas / instructure debacle finally revives aca-twitter on bluesky 🥺
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
choose your fighter 🙄
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
wait they shouted the quiet part
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
what stage of capitalism is eighty dollar bucket?
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
convinced timtam is in the early stages of a subtle yet hostile takeover of the beauty industry
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
how I describe my local village cinema
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
The article introduces "anticipatory infrastructures" and "anticipatory realism" to untangle tech visions from grounded realities. The article highlights the need for realistic and plausible interfaces between a construction industry in transition and an emerging workforce: doi.org/10.1080/0144...
tandfonline.com
Sustainable digital construction work futures
The often-called “twin transitions” - to digital (e.g., automated, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic) and sustainable (e.g., net zero, clean energy) futures - are likely to have key implicat...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
A few months later - as can happen with review processes - I'm happy to add a third post to this thread... The latest article with @pinkydigital.bsky.social, @nedhadesilva.bsky.social & Hannah Korsmeyer explores both digital and sustainable transitions in construction ⤵️ doi.org/10.1080/0144...
media.tenor.com
a few moments later is written on a red background with pineapples
ALT: a few moments later is written on a red background with pineapples
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
introduced students to the ancient social media phenomenon of "facebook official" relationships today... ...it received the cringe it deserves
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
funny one from Word given the current clime
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
whelp
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Emily van der Nagel @emvdn.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Hello Bluesky friends, I wrote a book about OnlyFans that is coming out SOON. Would you use this book as a set reading in your course/unit/subject? Would you like an inspection copy? Let me know! I'm thinking media studies (especially social media/internet studies), sociology, gender studies etc
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Kate FitzGerald @katemfitzgerald.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
So glad to see this article finally out! I loved working with this team and it was a great opportunity to develop qualitative methods for generative AI research. I feel this is an important contribution that we are currently expanding on in a multilingual context, so stay tuned! ✍️ 🖥️
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
google maps pinhole designers:
media.tenor.com
a close up of a man 's face with the words more on the bottom right
ALT: a close up of a man 's face with the words more on the bottom right
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Ashwin Nagappa @ashwinnag.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Are you active on platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, Pixelfed, or Eurosky? Please consider participating in an asynchronous brainstorming activity to share your suggestions to make them safer. See project details and sign up here tinyurl.com/44adp9cx @qutdmrc.bsky.social @admscentre.org.au
This is a flyer inviting participants to join a study to share their thoughts on making new social media platforms safe and welcoming
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
damn, chicken crimpy has taken another size hit
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
TL;DR(?) A short summary of this work is published (Monash Lens) We frame our work around the broader need to for universities to catch young people up on key civic skills and political knowledge ⤵️
lens.monash.edu
Rebuilding civic confidence in Australia
As Australia grapples with social polarisation and youth disengagement, civic education has re-emerged as a critical line of defence for democratic resilience.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
In the context of a large institution with domestic and international students, the paper offers reflections on the value of the concept of ‘volunteerism’ to navigate the mixed incentives for universities as places for education, individual self-development, and civic engagement.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
A diverse cohort of students share their experiences of how education, community, and social causes are connected. These students felt a ‘need to give back’ to community, but often lack the knowledge, experience, and time to volunteer.
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
📜 ‼️ In our recent paper, Laura Woodbridge, Zareh Ghazarian and myself reflect on the development of a new volunteering-led course. Read @ Journal of Political Science Education below ⤵️
doi.org
Volunteerism as Civic Education: Recommendations for University-Led Volunteer Courses
Higher education institutions often seek to integrate student volunteering with their community identity and course curricula. Focused on a newly designed course grounded in volunteerism and combin...
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
day for it
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
ai summaries calling it "US-Greenland tensions" is some dire shit
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Ben Lyall 💾 @benlyall.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
"there's a second season of Beast Games"
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