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J. Nathan Matias 🦣

@natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy
190 followers 6 following 634 posts

Social & computer scientist who works alongside communities on science for a safer, fairer, more understanding Internet. Founder, Citizens and Technology Lab · Prof […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ social.coop/@natematias, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 29/10/2026
On my way back to Boston, a moment of comic relief in the airport as a single ham sandwich with perfectly sliced bread slowly toddles down the conveyor belt, balancing on a suitcase as it approaches the maw of an impending x-ray machine. Uproar, laughter, and disruption are followed by a […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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Reposted by J. Nathan Matias 🦣
Laura James @laura.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 27/10/2026
Finally finished my notes from the #FestivalOfCommoning at the start of October. It was a good event, in beautiful surroundings in Stroud, following 2 previous events - forming a trio of very different events in focus and tone. Intrigued to see what happens next! […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 25/10/2026
Here in Barcelona for #MozFest, I had a wonderful ride today out to the Abbey of Montserrat. Riding the 10th century Montserrat Pilgrimage Path on the way back, I reflected on the countless millions of people who have taken this journey over the last millennium […] [Original post on social.coop]
Orange-hued stone buildings are illuminated by the afternoon sun, as the Montserrat mountain looms behind under a blue skyThe sharp edge of the Montserrat mountain juts out against a blue sky near the top, with the river valley to Barcelona stretching out belowTwo sides of a canyon glow around the gravel road they frame, with a tall hill stretching out in the background under a blue sky in Catalonia south of MontserratA red bicycle perches against a railing at the edge of the Abbey of Montserrat in Catalonia, with the afternoon sun set above the jagged mountaintop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 23/10/2026
This is the work, folks.
glammr.us
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Bastian Greshake Tzovaras @gedankenstuecke.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy · 21/10/2026
Depending on your fedi timeline the reaction to php2shell you might either have seen are: Either, celebrating an enormous and thankless effort to fix things, done by people who on average are probably paid close to zero for this. Or, the world's worst peanut galleries saying "Well, *I* would […]
scholar.social
Original post on scholar.social
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 23/10/2026
How are middle powers leading on tech policy? Grateful for the chance to catch up on Canadian tech policy with the global conversation at the Attention 2026 conference here at McGill University. Grateful also for the ride up Mount Royal at sunrise 🌅
Skyscrapers in Montreal rise up behind a foreground of trees and shrubs in all colors of the spectrum from green to yellow, orange, and redA group of people, silhouetted against the sunrise skyline of Montreal from Mount RoyalA speaker stands onstage in front of a slide that reads “the Canadian Model” (of tech policy)
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 21/10/2026
Who else is going to be at the "Attention: Democracy, Rebuilt" conference in Montreal? Looking forward to seeing folks- I arrive at the end of the day today. Planning to do intervals on Mount Royal if anyone fancies a chilly bike ride tomorrow morning! […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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pixelfed @pixelfed.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/10/2026
PHP is releasing an update tomorrow to fix two major vulnerabilities. Admins are advised to update ASAP. www.php.net/index.php#2026-10-20-1
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rOpenSci @handle.invalid · 20/10/2026
✍️ [blog] Celebrating 15 Years of rOpenSci: Then, Now & Next by Yanina Bellini Saibene, Steffi LaZerte and Noam Ross. Reflections and ideas shared by participants across the two special gatherings named "rOpenSci Community Celebration: Then, Now & Next" […]
hachyderm.io
Original post on hachyderm.io
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Martin Paul Eve @mpe.hcommons.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/10/2026
So proud of what my colleague and friend, Prof Caroline Edwards, is doing. She is building the diamond OA funding structure, at scale, of which we dreamed when we established OLH: OJC. www.openaccessweek.org/theme-profil… Just to note, of course, that OLH owed […]
hcommons.social
Original post on hcommons.social
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Reposted by J. Nathan Matias 🦣
Doctora Malka Older @older.bsky.social · 19/10/2026
support independent media globalvoices.org
globalvoices.org
Global Voices · Local perspectives for a global audience
Global Voices is an international, multilingual community of writers, translators, academics, and digital rights activists.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 19/10/2026
"Whatever we build will one day come to dust. Yet we build. Because it’s also in us to make something handsome to behold."
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026
"The remaining farm walls we see today signify not the confidence of yeomen farmers investing their labor for generations to come but the last desperate measures of people trying to stave off Appalachian hardship and failure before heading out West." […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026
Movies about social change & organizing don't often have dramatic spreadsheet scenes where someone made a difference in the world through responsible financial projections, but if they did, my morning would have been epic.
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Bastian Greshake Tzovaras @gedankenstuecke.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026
During my time at Turing we co-designed a survey to understand what patients' biggest concerns for fairness are when it comes to deployments of 'AI' in healthcare/clinical settings. The results are now out: We found that the biggest concerns for negatively impacting fairness were a lack of […]
scholar.social
Original post on scholar.social
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 17/10/2026
“The Tioga is going to go from dead to being a trout river, and not a little trout river,” he said. “The Tioga River is going to turn into a destination fishery.” capitalandmain.com/once-a-bucolic-p…
capitalandmain.com
Once a Bucolic Pennsylvania River, the Tioga Is Now All but Dead
Two centuries after the coal miners arrived, residents are racing to save the stream and bring back the trout.
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Robert W. Gehl @rwg.aoir.social.ap.brid.gy · 16/10/2026
I am being just overwhelmed with amazing research on #alternativeSocialMedia during an #AoIR2026 panel right now. The work happening now is going to resonate for years.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 15/10/2026
It's now a cliche to say that the tech industry is more innovative than scientists. But often the tech industry does things that scientists pointed out were bad a decade ago
hachyderm.io
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026
TFW you post to friends to say you narrowly escaped a huge fire and Meta upsells you on reaching more of your friends with the update by paying extra.
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Bastian Greshake Tzovaras @gedankenstuecke.scholar.social.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026
In a just published post for Wikimedia's diff, we have shared how our collaboration between the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science Nairobi and the Wikimedia Kenya User Group helped with mutual learning and forging collaborations — by bringing together scholars, technologists, and […]
scholar.social
Original post on scholar.social
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026
Our report is in conversation with New York's RAISE Act, which creates a new agency called DIGIT to regulate and monitor critical AI incidents. It's an important step forward for safer AI. It also has some key gaps associated with recent developments in model efficiency & AI agents
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026
As more efficient, capable AI models are given more power and autonomy in the form of agents, how can we notice when they go wrong and prevent catastrophes in the future? @pandainthewoods & I have written a new report on incident reporting for open models & agents […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
@dangillmor I have been thinking about this. Given that we function in a hierarchy of inequality that requires some people to spend time in very bad places for their job, I think there’s an opportunity for folks to offset the moral cost of contributing to platforms that support the sexual […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
In the US, people who speak indigenous languages are often left out of important civic information and rarely benefit from the power of the press. That's why I'm so inspired by El Timpano, a nonprofit Bay Area paper that publishes stories & video in Spanish *and* Mam. www.eltimpano.org
eltimpano.org
Home
El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of Latino and Mayan immigrants of Oakland and the wider Bay Area.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
Indigenous genomic data is in demand from people trying to extract bio data without reciprocity or sovereignty. The Native Biodata Consortium is changing that, with a data repository & research center that advances indigenous health & tribal self -governance. Here on Mastodon, @kstsosie is a […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
First, many indigenous people are in a fight to maintain our language & cultures in the long story of colonization. @risingvoices at @globalvoices brings voices from communities speaking endangered/indigenous languages to the global conversation rising.globalvoices.org
rising.globalvoices.org
Rising Voices · Helping the global population join the global conversation
Rising Voices aims to extend the benefits and reach of citizen media by connecting online media activists around the world and supporting their best ideas.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
How is everyone else respecting indigenous people's day today? I know many of you will use it to catch up with work & family away from the office, and that's wonderful. As a Guatemalan-American of Mam heritage, here are indigenous projects I admire. Maybe take a minute today to learn & donate?
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
In case you're wondering about the future of art in the era of AI, today I learned about Scarlet Deer Inn, a videogame where the characters were animated with *embroidery* scarletdeerinn.com
A sewing machine embroiders an animation of a girl running, from the game Scarlet Deer Inn.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026
Catching up on LudoNarracon, a virtual festival of story-rich games www.ludonarracon.com
ludonarracon.com
LudoNarraCon
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 11/10/2026
Looks like I'll be going to MozFest this year and am looking forward to meeting all sorts of new folks and old friends. Also if anyone wants to ride bikes in the mountains around Barcelona - perhaps out to Montserrat - ping me!
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 09/10/2026
[Sexual Assault] This spring, I wrote about the problems with the serial rapist model and why It's important to follow the evidence even when the data challenges our belief in a just world. The post is circulating again 💔 so I thought I would share it here […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 08/10/2026
Just ordered one of the last remaining Pace cycling caps in stock at a local bicycle shop. Grateful for their story and the quality of their work, even if the family business is no longer with us. theradavist.com/pace-making-cycling…
theradavist.com
Pace Has Been Making Cycling Caps Since the Late 70’s –
Pace Sportswear has been around longer than any other cycling cap manufacturer in the United States. So long that even Italian brands like Campagnolo used them back in the early 80's. The day I arrived in Los Angeles, Sean from Team Dream took me by Pace to see their operations. I know cycling caps aren't exactly saving the world, but when you think of domestic production, employee people and keeping an industry alive, it directly affects the US cycling industry. If and when I ever do caps, Pace will be my choice.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026
Sigh, more emails from prospective students who use chatgpt tracking codes in their emails asking about PhD programs. As a scientist who does participatory research, the idea at the heart of my work is the trusting human connection between people. I disregard such outreach from decisions in […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026
Me, a scientist: I want to live in a world where precise estimates matter Also me: that would be terrifying www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaicg1kYMk
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 06/10/2026
Deeply moved by the way that the Cornell community is coming together. I hope this catalyzes longer-term collective efforts for change. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/nyregion…
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 05/10/2026
[Sexual Assault] An update on the outcomes of the Cornell case. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/nyregion…
nytimes.com
How Cornell Punished Each of the 7 Men Accused of Sexual Assault
Summaries obtained by The New York Times offer a detailed look at the discipline meted out to the men accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student at Cornell University.
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 03/10/2026
Persimmons, parks, ponds, and pizza 🍁 #outdoormoments
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 03/10/2026
Huge news. David Robinson is one of the smartest, wisest, most principled, and most pragmatic people I know. The day he decides a problem is too endemic to solve from the inside, that is a day we need to notice and take action. cc @pluralistic […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2026
State Senator Lea Webb & others have proposed changing this law: "Bill S10632 would prohibit the use of intoxication of the victim as a defense in sex crimes where the victim is under the influence of any substance rendering them temporarily incapable of giving consent" […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2026
The 19th summarizes a New York law at the heart of the Cornell case. Many states hold that intoxication can prevent someone from consenting. Not NY: "if someone chose to consume alcohol... and then was sexually assaulted, it can be harder to pursue criminal charges" […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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Reposted by J. Nathan Matias 🦣
Daphne Keller @daphnek.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
X v CCDH oral arguments in Ninth Circuit today focused on CFAA, contracts, and jurisdiction over the Dutch civil society nonprofit (ECF). It did not go well for X, I’d say. X claims that by using scraped data from X to report on hate speech, CCDH became responsible for lost ad revenue.
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Prof Heino Falcke @hfalcke.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/09/2026
Today we had the most unusual PhD defense of my career. Leon Houben fell 15 m in the Alps, landing on his head and loosing his memory while working on his PhD thesis. When he met me again, he had to google me. He had to re-learn everything and wrote two more […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
"What we need to demand from universities far and wide is clear: Cease to be a place where sexual assault is often subject to less punishment than protesting and plagiarism." Kate Manne with an important call to action for Cornell & higher ed in general […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
You really can't get more New England than textile and bowling metaphors for how the world came into being. > Who made the seas its selvedge and it locks > Like a quilt ball within a silver box? > Who spread its canopy? Or curtains spun? > Who in this bowling alley bowled the sun?
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 30/09/2026
Reading Edward Taylor for no reason at all and realizing that the displacement theory of social media & mental health has deep roots in Puritanism: The idea that when we follow our instincts, those uses of time displace things that are better for us. For Taylor […] [Original post on social.coop]
The displacement theory in the poetry of Edward Taylor: 
"God, and His All,'s the Object of the Will:
All God alone can only it up fill."
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026
RE: mastodon.social/@SomeVeganCheeseIsO… Great question! We've seen a lot of folks ask about human-only social spaces. A lot depends on what you mean by "human-only" For example, automation is pretty important for reducing the mental health toll of moderating very […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026
In the article, @sarahgilbert points out how bots are poisoning the well at LinkedIn compared to elsewhere. "Why are Reddit and Wikipedia so much more human than LinkedIn? One reason is that they rely on the work of volunteer caretakers, known as moderators, who curate content & protect […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 29/09/2026
Wow, LinkedIn's algorithm really doesn't want people to read @sarahgilbert's article about keeping the Internet human in the era of AI Out of the 10,200 impressions the feed gave my posts last week, it only gave 65 to Sarah's *important* article in @techpolicypress As Sarah writes, "If AI […]
social.coop
Original post on social.coop
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J. Nathan Matias 🦣 @natematias.social.coop.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026
Today a social media algorithm showed me a post stoking outrage about the cost of a local library's holdings. One of the top comments was a thread started by a parent who whose child had donated those works to the library before passing away. What started as an argument continued as a tribute. <3
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