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Matthew Johnson

@matthewfjohnson.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.4K following 799 posts

Director of Education for MediaSmarts, Canada's centre for digital media literacy. He/him. Open to correction.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Matthew Johnson
Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Seems like it should be part of the "are phones ruining the kids" debate that every marker of teen mental health has improved since 2021 www.cdc.gov/yrbs/youth-h...
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Shayan Sardarizadeh @shayan86.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Thread: Two different versions of this AI-generated image purporting to show President Trump and his assistant Natalie Harp kissing went viral this week, generating millions of views across multiple platforms. Despite being fake, this wasn't a straightforward AI image to debunk. I'll explain why.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 24/09/2026
ATTENTION THE BEST THING ABOUT AUTUMN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED IT IS TIME FOR TINY DOGS IN TINY SWEATERS
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I am convinced that at least 60% of people's worry about DEET is due to confusing it with DDT.
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petersuber @petersuber.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026
Turns out there are "positive tipping points" for the #climate, not just negative ones. The ongoing and accelerating shift to clean electricity is one of the positive tipping points. www.theguardian.com/environment/202…
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The White Hatter @thewhitehatter.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This deeply personal reflection explores regret, reconnection, and why stepping into our children’s digital world may be one of the most important investments we make in our relationship with them. www.thewhitehatter.ca/post/dad-do-...
thewhitehatter.ca
Dad, Do You Want to Play?: The Question I Wish I Had Said “Yes” to More Often
There will always be another email, deadline, project, or reason to say, “Not right now.” But one day, your child stops asking. Looking back as a 61-year-old father, there’s one question I wish I had ...
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Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The University of Alberta’s free online critical thinking and science literacy course to help people differentiate science from pseudoscience: www.ualberta.ca/en/admission...
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Rene Corbeil @utrgv-edtech.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"Much of the research used to warn about screens is correlational. Researchers compare estimated technology use with health or academic outcomes and identify an association." #edtech #ILoveEdTech #ImFutureReady #elearning
theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com
Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: Stop Saying the Research Says All Screens Harm Children. It Doesn’t.
"Research about social media, cell phones, distraction, and excessive use is too often used to condemn every screen students encounter. That is not what the research says."
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Stephanie Baker @stephabaker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Covid in 98% of airport air samples. A reminder that you can wear an n95 when you travel, even if you don’t wear one all the time, and why wouldn’t you want to avoid getting sick while you’re on a trip?
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Our Teen Fact-Checking Network member Lukas joined @globalnews.ca to talk about the #TFCN program and the importance of fact-checking: globalnews.ca/video/120566...
globalnews.ca
The importance of fact-checking posts | Watch News Videos Online
Watch The importance of fact-checking posts Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
*10 year olds* with such crippling gambling addictions, they need an intervention. Gambling has always existed but little kids were not gambling at the bingo hall, the casino or underground poker games. The ease and accessibility of gambling, especially sports gambling, is a menace to society.
theglobeandmail.com
Gambling-related ER visits have almost doubled since Ontario opened market to private companies, study finds
Jump was most acute in the 10 to 29 age group, which saw a startling 154% increase in admissions
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John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
There’s a lot of doom & gloom around how AI is affecting higher education. To a certain extent, I get it. AI is making some things harder. But I’ve found that AI has in some ways greatly enhanced my teaching. For one, it’s opened up applied activities that weren’t possible before. One example: 🧵
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Who wore it better?
Two photos side-by-side. On the left, Mariska Hargitay holds her arms upraised at the Emmy Awards. On the right, one of the costumed members of Angine de Poitrine holds their arms in a similar pose.
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Roger Langridge @hotelfred.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I might be the only person professionally connected to both of these properties.
A drawing of Popeye punching a Dalek, saying, "I ain't gon'er be exterminapated!"
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🏳️‍🌈 Ms. Marya E. Gates 🦩 @oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
A look at the films directed by women that are playing at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. Read: oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/p/directed-b...
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ODLAN @odlancanada.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Online dating scams are a growing concern, especially for older adults. For rainbow seniors, navigating online dating can come with unique risks. 🌈 Want to learn more? Visit lnk.bio/s/SafeguardingRainbowSeniors #2SLGBTQIA #DatingPlatforms #LGBTQIA #OnlineDating
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Micah @rincewind.run · 05/09/2026
the intro to Batman: The Animated Series is one of the single best bits of storytelling ever done in any medium, an absolute masterpiece of character and atmospheric development achieved in a single minute with no dialogue
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Roger Langridge @hotelfred.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Happy 50th Anniversary to the Muppet Show!
Drawing of the Electric Mayhem band from the Muppet Show, with Doctor Teeth in the foreground playing a keyboard and the other band members playing behind.
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
As someone with a black cat whose name actually is Boo, I endorse this message
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Just in time for the 2026-2027 vaccines, a new review shows that COVID19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization across all age groups, including kids. Pregnant women were also protected, as were their babies. Don’t forget to schedule your vaccination!
jamanetwork.com
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Safety for the 2026-2027 Respiratory Season
This Special Communication aims to identify and summarize the most recently published evidence evaluating the effectiveness and safety of US-licensed COVID-19 vaccines and report on the epidemiology o...
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
There really is an awareness day for almost everything! We’ve rounded up the ones that work well for digital media literacy, along with free lessons and resources for the classroom: ow.ly/c7sy50ZFjOv
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Masculinity is like a tariff that we charge not just to other people, but to ourselves too
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Jay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Social media discourse is driven by false #polarization We find that: 1) ideologues post opinions more than moderates 2) extreme attitudes are posted more than moderate one 3) This replicates in 40 countries 4) Opinions that users post are more hostile than the beliefs they keep to themselves
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Make a band bigger The Goliath Beatles
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
American views are in fact almost exactly the same: www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
cidrap.umn.edu
7 in 10 US adults favor school vaccination mandates, but support for opt-outs rising
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
One hint that something may be a moral panic is that people come up with increasingly batshit reasons to justify it
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Ontario teachers: make digital media literacy part of your plans this school year! Explore our free online textbooks for Grades 1–9, with 20+ lessons in each: ow.ly/vejk50ZAB1L
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Dan Silverman @dmsilverman.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
This is a good 🧵, and in fact gets at how a lot of both misperceptions and prejudices are cultivated today Political “entrepreneurs” often avoid outright lying but instead focus on relentlessly (and selectively) raising the salience of true violations that drive their narrative
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Looking for ways to build critical thinking into your classes this year? Our Close Reading Media resources help students dig deeper into the media they see every day: ow.ly/Un4p50Zz3Ai
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Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
🚨 Yet ANOTHER study finds "NO evidence that rising numbers of undocumented immigrants are linked with violent crime." There has NEVER been evidence to support this racist BS❗ Undocumented migration does not raise crime rates, huge study finds www.nature.com/articles/d41... via @nature.com
nature.com
Undocumented migration does not raise crime rates, huge study finds
Analysis of neighbourhoods in more than 100 US cities finds no evidence that rising numbers of undocumented immigrants are linked with violent crime.
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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
With my colleague Roni Rabin, I dug into the evidence around Covid vaccine safety in pregnancy, and broke down a statistic about miscarriage that has been repeatedly debunked but was still widely circulated again this week.
nytimes.com
Covid Vaccines Are Not Linked to Miscarriage. Here’s How We Know. (Gift Article)
Prominent Republicans and others have falsely claimed this week that the shots are linked, despite years of data showing they are safe.
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Use these tips to talk to your kids about advertising: ow.ly/uVeL50Zy9kF
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Media are constructions Each medium is a unique aesthetic form #DMLKeyConcepts
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Ken Jennings @kenjennings.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I saw yesterday that some right-wing outlets were running stories about me, which I’m used to. But this time I’m going to say something about it, because these were framed to imply that I was aligned with their own transphobia. ⬇️
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The kind of sleep only available to a cat who has decisively defeated a rival for her people's attention
A long hair calico cat sleeping on a newspaper
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Happy World Wide Web Day! 🌐 There’s a lot to love about the online world. There’s also a lot we shouldn’t take at face value. Learn four simple ways to figure out what’s real online: ow.ly/Ly3H50ZuX9P
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Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
UPDATED STORY! Google has paused a tool that allowed users to briefly create deepfake AI satellite images with the click of a button. www.npr.org/2026/07/31/n...
npr.org
Google pauses AI satellite images, after fears of deepfakes in the sky
Journalists, human rights advocates and open source analysts recoiled in horror at the initial decision: "The opportunities for abuse and disinfo are literally boundless," said one.
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
New from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
That Grendel was one tough customer, I tell you hwaet
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
If you think it's bad for AI companies to buy books and then shred them, wait 'til you hear what publishers do with unsold books.
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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The conspiracy she’s referring to here is a Slack chat among scientists in 2020 where they went, “it could be a lab leak, let’s look into it!”
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
My personal private conspiracy theory is that nobody actually uses InDesign, there's just a longterm psyop to make people think it's possible to use it
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MediaSmarts @mediasmarts.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
2025 was a busy year for MediaSmarts! We reached more educators, families and young people with research, resources, workshops and national initiatives to build digital media literacy across Canada. See more in our 2025 Annual Report: ow.ly/cpbL50ZtY0H
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Wes Anderson's The Jumblies
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I remember this when it was Gell-Man Amnesia, which Michael Crichton invented so he could peddle climate denialism en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael...
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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
When crime goes up, the media cries out how rising crime hurts us. When crime goes down, the media cries out about how ... DECLINING crime hurts us.
ktvu.com
Auto glass repair businesses suffer as Oakland break-ins decline
A decline in car break-ins across Oakland is being welcomed as a public safety win, but it is also contributing to a downturn for some local auto glass repair businesses.
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Matthew Johnson @matthewfjohnson.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
This is a real photo showing the impact of the unprecedented wildfires in France, published by Agence France Presse and printed in the NYT, and identified as "Likely AI Generated" by an AI-checker. I'm sure no one will use these false positives to justify climate change denial!
A screenshot showing a photo of a beach with a fire cloud on the left, and a meter indicating it is "95% likely AI generated" on the right
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Bill McCarthy @billmccarthy.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
AI-generated maps of Canada's wildfires are circulating online, hallucinating details about the blazes' threat risk. Experts warned the fakes could deceive Canadians into fearing nonexistent fires -- or underestimating infernos that really are raging. factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....
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Curtis Dozier @curtisdozier.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I was interviewed (along with Rosa Andújar) for an article in @msmagazine.com about Nolan's Odyssey. Honored to make it into the pull quotes! msmagazine.com/2026/07/21/c...
Screenshot of the title page of the linked article, showing an image of Lupita Nyong'o playing Helen in Christopher Nolan's Odyssey
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