Really can't emphasize enough that Character.AI is a predatory company profiting off of vulnerable children and if you're a teacher using the platform - or other LLMs - to "talk" with fictional or historical figures just stop.
@mattsalzano
π¨βπ« Asst Prof of Communication at Stony Brook University π¨doctor of communication available for rhetorical emergencies π³οΈβπ he/him π Long Island π» matthewsalzano.com π’ views my own!
Really can't emphasize enough that Character.AI is a predatory company profiting off of vulnerable children and if you're a teacher using the platform - or other LLMs - to "talk" with fictional or historical figures just stop.
Iβve heard some stories recently of people complying with fascistsβ demands after they were threatened.
As a violence researcher (and someone who has received a good deal of threats), everyone should know that complying will not save you. It only teaches the threatener that threats work.
π¨ New Research Monograph
Excited to share that my new monograph βThe Mobile Social Network Ecology: Migrant Voices, Organizational Perspectives, and Unveiling Public Mobility in Qualitative Social Network Analysisβ is now available π
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
wow!
Should I become a LinkedIn influencer?
@drledford.bsky.social this could be your entry point back into the humanities
I was like this is great for four people flying internationally! then realized it was buffalo<>boston π
AI folks: come work with me! PRODIG+ Fellow in Critical AI: apply.interfolio.com/160274
TV! Hulu. 2019 I think
But what about Normal People????
I have been married to @zeiler.bsky.social for two years as of today! β€οΈ They have been the best two years of my life.
myles! are you the target audience?
Just spent the morning interviewing the founding research director of PBS. Amazing how closely connected public broadcasting was to early communication departments.
who is buying delta airlines holiday merch?
You can also win a copy of both books as part of the Digital Rheotric Social Hour
Come hear about these great books!
yes, the Alf dong has been covered at length (ha, ha) at this point
4. All the reactions reminded me of early days (like 2007) on Twitter, which was a blast if a little overwhelming: I learned a lot about the platform, its users and memes, and it made me want to begin the full switch here and off of X/Twitter. Long live Bluesky, for now?
5/5
I couldnβt disagree more - heβs curious and entrepreneurial beyond the classroom and he is an advocate for viewpoint diversity and dialogue on campus. He is a great example of why I like being an educator.
4/x
3. Plenty expressed animosity toward the student: he must be a Nazi/idiot/never been on Bluesky. As far as I know, heβs neither of the first two, and Iβm not sure heβs been here (Iβll have to ask). Some suggested he was a snowflake/bad sign of kids these days.
3/x
2. Most assumed the student was right-wing, and didnβt want to interact with smart liberals! I thought this was fascinating. The opposite was the case: the student worried that only elites were on these platforms, which would make them limited for progressive coalition building and organizing.
2/x
At risk of restarting the discourse, I wanted to point out what I noticed from the reactions to this:
1. ~2/3rd of replies were: no, weβre still plenty dumb. Another 1/3rd was like, yes, weβre much smarter/less awful than Twitter. (It seems the latter group must not meet the former often!)
1/x
cheers! π
thanks!! I would love to be included please π
πββοΈ me please! thanks for putting it together!
I actually think this student is trying to account for how a platform that facilitated/hosted too much intellectual posturing could be bad for progressive politics (especially after the latest US election)
I shall make an alt and return ππ«‘π₯΅
Threads is maybe worse than LinkedIn (hot take?)
after today, I will! and I think he may be happy to hear it.