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Gavin Ploger

@gavinploger.bsky.social
506 followers 831 following 20 posts

Postdoc in Communication & the Center for American Political History, Media, and Technology at Purdue University. I study political communication, perceived polarization, and partisan identity. I also play a lot of video games. UMich Comm alum. He/him.

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Reposted by Gavin Ploger
Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For my new research unit Politics of Democracy at the Berlin Social Science Center @wzb.bsky.social, we have 3 open research positions. 2 postdocs: 4 + 2 years (100%) 1 doc: 2 years (75%) Starting date: 1 March 2027 (negotiable) Application deadline: 1 November
Job adjob ad
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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Writing something where I will be liberally citing @lilymasonphd.bsky.social's latest and realizing that I can't cite every single thing I would like to because then I'm just reprinting her work. So, I've gotta thread about it instead. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/articl...
Screenshot of the article website. Title is: Polarization Is Not the Problem. Author is Lilliana Mason. Journal is the Journal of Democracy, Volume 37, Number 4, October 2026. From Johns Hopkins University Press.
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Dannagal Goldthwaite Young @dannagal.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Do yourself a favor. Read these 7 pages by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social right now. It is the most concise explanation of the current situation in U.S. politics I've seen and it captures why calls to reduce "polarization" can ultimately worsen the problem 🧵 www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/pol...
journalofdemocracy.org
Polarization Is Not the Problem | Journal of Democracy
Americans have never been angrier with one another. But polarization is not the disease—it is the response to a revanchist movement seeking to roll back sixty years of social progress.
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John Light @johnalight.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Census Bureau tells staff not to talk publicly about its new rule, which would dramatically shift how the survey is conducted and redistribute political power from blue states to red ones.
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Census Bureau Directs Staff to Keep Quiet During Comment Period for Controversial New Rule
Leadership at the Census Bureau has ordered staff to halt all external...
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I feel like it's a little too realistic (UE5-ish) generally, but the only things that are actively bothering me are how reflective the models are and the young Link/Zelda faces. Still hopeful the game will be great. I'm wary of remakes but this would be a reason to finally think about a Switch 2.
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Johannes B. Gruber @jbgruber.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New #rstats 📦: mediacloud2 (happy about name recommendations). Since the exitsting R packages were stale and I needed data, I wrote a new package. MediaCloud is an amazing resource for getting news media data, especially if you rehydrate the articles (e.g., through paperboy).
jbgruber.github.io
MediaCloud API (v4) Wrapper
A simple wrapper for version 4 of the MediaCloud API, which provides programmatic access to the MediaCloud archive of online news content (<https://www.mediacloud.org>).
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Reposted by Gavin Ploger
Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
We need to change norms around sexual harassment Yesterday Tessa West spoke up about a sexual harassment complaint she filed against John Jost. Not only is he a senior colleague in the dept of psychology, but he is one of the most prominant figures in the field of social and political psychology.
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Verasight @verasight.io · 13/07/2026
We see minimal to basically no impact on the whole in switching the author to a computer. That’s pretty disconcerting.” @snsoroka.bsky.social of UCLA on his student Jun Luo's paper “Beyond Credibility: How News Topic and Cognitive Processing Shape Responses to AI-Authored Journalism.”
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Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
“Writing is hard.” Thrilled to share that this simple idea led to a new paper in Political Analysis! Where most text methods focus on content, I test if expression is also effortful action. I find simple measures like character counts reveal attitudes and predict voting. cup.org/4cUmoXi 1/
Text as Behavior
Text as Behavior published in Political Analysis

by Omar Wasow

Abstract

Text analysis typically focuses on content—such as sentiment or topic—but expression is also a form of effortful action. Building on this insight, I propose using simple features of open-ended tasks to study text as behavior. This approach treats expression, such as writing, as cognitively, emotionally and temporally “costly” for subjects but inexpensive for researchers. I show basic statistics like the number of characters can approximate effort and significantly improve estimation of quantities of interest, including candidate choice, the probability of turning out to vote and psychological states about which a subject may not be fully aware. Further, these methods can convert nonresponse into informative data; validate survey instruments; serve as mechanism checks; be hard for a subject to “game”; work across different languages and analogize well to real-world situations. In sum, text as behavior can help address a range of issues related to quantifying attitudes and actions.
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Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
We're hiring a Post-Doc (3 years) at the @hertieschool.bsky.social for a @scripts-berlin.eu project on authoritarian influence in the video games industry (I am soooo excited about this project)! More details here (deadline 31 May): hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com
Postdoctoral Researcher - Narrative, Power, and Control (gn) full-time (40 hours/week)
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Álvaro Canalejo-Molero @canalejoalvaro.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
🧵 1/3 The Department of Political Science at the University of Lucerne 🇨🇭 is hiring a postdoc (Oberassistent*in, 50%, up to 5 years) at the Chair of Prof. Dr. Alexander H. Trechsel! Focus: political behaviour, public opinion, and/or political communication.
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Francy Luna Diaz @francy-lunadiaz.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Congratulations the the newly minted Dr. @shaylafolson.bsky.social who just defended her dissertation titled “Sacred Commitments, Racial Convictions: Religion, Identity, and Racial Attitudes in American Politics.” It was such a treat to watch her defend! I’m so excited for all her future work!
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Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · 23/04/2026
Social media is no longer social. Most of it is passive viewing of videos and pictures from people we've never met. But we're still studying social media like it's 2010. We've entered the post-social media era — and research needs to catch up. osf.io/preprints/so... preprint w/ Richard Rogers
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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The sky is not falling; high-quality platforms (Prolific, Verasight, CR Connect) have low rates of apparent bots. osf.io/preprints/ps... But also not zero; vigilance is very much needed!
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Alexander Kustov @akoustov.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
🚨 Please share widely! 🚨 I'm hiring a postdoc (from Aug 1) to help build a new research program on politically sustainable immigration policies at Notre Dame. Looking for a social scientist with strong quant skills, familiarity with new computational tools, and interest in public-facing research.
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Tierney Lorenz @tierneylorenz.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
“Epistemic monocropping” is a great phrase www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
AI is turning research into a scientific monoculture - Communications Psychology
The rush to study generative AI is producing a feedback loop of topical and methodological convergence, flattening scientific imagination and crowding out the pluralism needed to keep research adaptiv...
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Stuart Soroka @snsoroka.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
“Hostile commenters are more likely to cross boundaries by targeting opposing news stories and exhibit weaker echo chamber structures.” Check out this new paper on the cross-cutting nature of hostile news commentary, lead-authored by @shnoh.bsky.social (who's on the market!). doi.org/10.1177/1940...
doi.org
Engaging to Oppose: Cross-Cutting Patterns in Hostile News Commentary - Seonhye Noh, Stuart Soroka, 2026
Prior work shows that passive news engagement, such as selection and consumption, exhibits strong news selectivity. Far less attention has been given to more ac...
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Andrew Trexler @atrexler.com · 12/02/2026
Very excited to see this out at @bjpols.bsky.social! In this article, I show that contemporary political news coverage makes it challenging for readers to learn information that is helpful for democratic accountability, even for very politically engaged audiences. A brief summary:
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28 Days Lehner 🪦 @danlehner.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
this is hands down the most confusing graphic I have ever seen, I’ve been staring at it for like five full minutes
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Jenn Agiesta @jennagiesta.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Check out our new CNN poll deep dive into who political independents are, how they engage with politics and what they think about the current political moment. The classic swing voter appears to be a thing of the past. www.cnn.com/interactive/...
cnn.com
What does an independent mean in politics?
New CNN poll results identify five distinct types of independents.
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Alton B.H. Worthington @abhw.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
A disappointing decision, made in a (reputedly) disappointing way. www.michigandaily.com/news/researc...
michigandaily.com
UMich to close CSCAR, longtime statistical consulting service
The University of Michigan disclosed it will phase out the Consulting for Statistics, Computing and Analytics Research unit.
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Elizabeth C. Connors, PhD @elizabethcconnors.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Can embarrassment of one's party dampen partisanship and polarization? One would think. In a forthcoming paper at @poqjournal.bsky.social, Taylor Carlson, @stevenwwebster.bsky.social, and I examine what we call "partisan embarrassment," including looking at the ramifications of these feelings...
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Dan Hiaeshutter-Rice @dhrice.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Also Mia is on the job market and you should hire her, she’s an amazing scholar!
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Andrea Jacoby @ajacoby.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Hi all, I'm still collecting data for my dissertation. If anyone has any thoughts on the Vine app in the year 2025, I would be deeply happy to hear you talk for a bit!
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Melissa Baker @melissabaker.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Nebraska, Rutgers, Indiana, and Michigan State faculty senates have now voted in favor of creating a mutual defense compact amongst Big 10 schools. www.chronicle.com/article/thes...
chronicle.com
These Faculty Senates Are Trying to Band Together to Stand Up to Trump
The idea of a compact among institutions is based on the idea that there’s strength in numbers, and it comes amid frustration that few presidents are speaking out against the administration’s actions ...
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Michelangelo Landgrave @landgravephd.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
We'll be hosting an REP mini conference on September 19 at Boulder. We're hoping to provide an alternative option for REP folks who can't attend APSA in person. CFP and further details TBA.
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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Yet another example of the lesser-ranked schools taking the stand that the bigger schools are too scared to. Here: even as Ann Arbor caves on DEI, Eastern Michigan does not. The courage of the smaller schools is laudable. The refusal of the bigger schools is frustrating.
wemu.org
EMU has no plans to close its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
While sadness and anger are being expressed down the road in Ann Arbor, Eastern Michigan University says its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will continue. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert has this...
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Dominik Stecuła @stecula.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
In light of the immigration crackdown on graduate students and professors with documented legal status in the United States, here is an open letter to APSA which you can sign to show support to our colleagues facing tremendous uncertainties. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Open Letter to the Leadership of the American Political Science Association Regarding Concerns Over the Vancouver Annual Conference and Immigration Risks
To the Leadership of the American Political Science Association, As political scientists, our scholarship often interrogates the interplay between policy, politics, and their real-world impacts. It is...
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Daniel Laurison @daniellaurison.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
The more people who sign the less risky it is for all of us. We're over 900 in just about 13 hours since we first posted it. Share with your colleagues, your friends, your list servs, your professional associations, your department and campus email lists - bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEd
bit.ly
Speaking Out for Democracy and US Higher Education
Speaking Out for Democracy and US Higher Education To add your name to this statement, go to https://bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEdSign We publicly affirm our commitment to the enterprise of higher educ...
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Alton B.H. Worthington @abhw.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
in case you missed it, here or on the other place, here's the Sad Dad Bands thread, from the top
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Josh Pasek @joshpasek.com · 21/02/2025
For faculty who are wondering about the steps of putting together a teach-in on what is currently happening, I threw together a quick guide based on some of what we did at Michigan - Feel free to pass it around and open to any suggestions - docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Planning a faculty teach-in on current events
How to plan a current events teach-in Drafted Feb 21, 2025 Josh Pasek - Generated with AI assistance Key tasks/questions Determine what your teach-in will look like Identify people who can be part of ...
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paolo @paolopalma.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
deviation from pre-registration: i cried too much with the more complicated model bc it wasn’t working and idk why
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Jeremy C. Young @jeremycyoung.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Some higher ed organizations who are loudly circling the wagons against federal funding cuts were oddly silent or circumspect about the earlier attacks on CRT and DEI. I wish there was a better understanding that these attacks are coming because we failed to repel those.
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
It's a "post pictures of my cat on social media" kind of day
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Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
New timeline, same problems, same solution
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Jen Mercieca @jenmercieca.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
From Patrick Fealey, very much worth your time. www.esquire.com/news-politic...
esquire.com
My Life As a Homeless Man in America
An extraordinary firsthand account.
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Claes de Vreese @claesdevreese.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Impressive - and fast - analysis of the US elections: (social) media, voters and the campaign. 88 crisp analyses. Great lineup. Open access. Democracy commsky polisky @polcomm.bsky.social www.electionanalysis.ws/us/
electionanalysis.ws
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Thanks for setting this up! I'd like to be added.
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eric gonzalez juenke @egojunk.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
This is one of the few outlets I autopay each month. Just do it and forget about it. This is some of the most important work being done on elections in the U.S.
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
Corsair K70 core. Just picked it up a week or two ago 'cuz my old one gave up the ghost. Like many keyboards, the new one is a keyboard, and that's about all I need it to be. It does have a silly little knob on it to change volume though, so that's fun.
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 05/11/2024
I can get on board with this
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Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · 09/09/2024
Vanderbilt Political Science is hiring! Assistant Professor in American Political Behavior. The group is fabulous and they're open to considering psychologists with relevant research. The psych & polisci buildings are neighbors and we chat often. #PsychSciSky #polisky apply.interfolio.com/152973
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 07/09/2024
The American Political Science Association has some explaining to do. #APSA2024 open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
open.substack.com
What is the Claremont Institute doing back at APSA?
Institutional cowardice is not a good way to run a professional association.
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Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 06/09/2024
Oh hey so it turns out that #APSA2024 quietly decided to invite the Claremont Institute back to the conference. Cool. Coolcoolcool. Yeah the discipline of Political Science should absolutely be supporting these Project2025 motherfuckers. That's nice. admin.allacademic.com/one/apsa/aps...
admin.allacademic.com
APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2024
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Christina Wolbrecht @cwolbrecht.bsky.social · 29/08/2024
Just got my Covid booster and flu shot too! Was able to schedule same day at CVS. Consider this your nudge to do so as well.
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Weverthon Machado @weverthon.com · 24/07/2024
📊When teaching or giving a talk, do you like presenting plots step by step, revealing e.g. one group at a time? This is often useful for walking through complex results. I made a R package that makes it extremely easy to do this! ggreveal: Reveal a ggplot incrementally #rstats #dataviz #ggplot2
weverthon.com
Reveal a ggplot incrementally
Provides functions that make it easy to reveal ggplot2 graphs incrementally. The functions take a ggplot2 object and return a list of plots showing data incrementally by panels, layers, groups, the va...
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Chokely Carmichael🥋 @stewartcoles.bsky.social · 01/03/2024
🚨New pub alert! 🚨 Out now in Communication Theory, I introduce a model for how media users evaluate media texts as politically relevant, leading to cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes bearing a variety of consequences. A 🧵... (1/10)
Screenshot of abstract for the article "Conceptualizing evaluations of the political relevance of media texts: The Politically Relevant Media Model," found at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/qtae004
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Gavin Ploger @gavinploger.bsky.social · 07/02/2024
Thank you to the many many people who supported this project. Special thanks to my advisor, @snsoroka.bsky.social, who helped make this paper (and the rest of the diss) pretty dang cool; and to @ajacoby.bsky.social for putting up with me while I talked about measurement and order effects for months.
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