Relatedly, as Palestinians have been saying, what they are being subjected to by Israel and the U.S. will not end with them
Independent journalist covering internet culture, politics, and media @spitfirenews.com. Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/kattenbarge
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Relatedly, as Palestinians have been saying, what they are being subjected to by Israel and the U.S. will not end with them
The president posting videos of the government bombing random people for supposed crimes is not a good indicator of what they’re trying to normalize and escalate
Bluesky has killed the outrage marketer grift. When everyone was confined to one place, plausible deniability existed. One could have happened across a comment from a usual target. But to carry comments from Bluesky over to Twitter to enrage one's audience makes one look like a stalker or weirdo.
Can’t argue with that!
I think you’re right, and I also think a lot of niche influencer drama ends up in this same place. Genres of YouTube have been demolished in this way, there’s currently an ongoing attempt to get the U.S. gov to censor Twitch, etc
Niche influencer drama pretending to be about policy is also, I would add, most of today’s trending political discourse
A lot of the big complainers about Bluesky are basically describing Threads but their real issue with Bluesky is that they specifically dislike around 12 people who they could ratio on Twitter if it still existed. It’s basically niche influencer drama pretending to be about policy
For @spitfirenews.com, I wrote about how the social media trend of hoping that Trump is dead or dying is linked to both his administration's deadly unraveling of rights and institutions and how hard it is for actual news about it to reach people over memes and vibes. spitfirenews.com/p/is-trump-d...
On this Labor Day, let's remember that today isn't likely to offer a respite for those--disproportionately women, and especially women of color, immigrant women, and low-income women--who do the unpaid and underpaid labor of care. In fact, that labor may even be greater on days "off" like today. 1/🧵
Everyone responding to this earnestly is really sweet but don’t worry I’m just making fun of Nate silver
Certain media types hate this place because, while they of course also get treated like shit on twitter, only like 1% of people on twitter even know who the fuck they are. But on here every single user knows them and despises them
bsky.app/profile/blus...
“Not that Bluesky is important” I say to myself every day through gritted teeth. The butterfly logo haunts my dreams. Why doesn’t anyone like me anymore :(
“With our new virtual servant program, you can have the blackness and the subservience that you need without the uncomfortableness of having to talk to an actual black person”
@nature.com I love this article - but WHY are the only share options to X and Facebook when the whole point of the article is that science-based posts get more shares here? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Such as: if you're on Medicare, a hallucinating "AI" program will soon determine whether or not you get that MRI or cancer screening test.
That was supposed to say no IDEA but you know what, I’ll leave it
It boggles the mind that people earnestly say they’ve never met/seen a trans person before when they simply have no life
Yup!!!
True!!
Instead of trying to reverse-engineer sexual assault prevention by determining who can be in a communal bathroom at the same time as a child, we should ensure there are consequences for people who prey on children, including when their fathers and friendly billionaires do it
The most common perpetrators of sexual violence are people the victim already knows and trusts, including family members. But they don’t want to have that conversation
This idea that good parents would never leave their daughter alone with a “man” is a deeply flawed premise in the first place because it would require same-sex requirements for schools, doctors offices, places of worship, stores, etc—and believe it or not, cis women can also sexually abuse girls
The belief that trans people should be discriminated against because they are inherently predatory, as opposed to the cis strangers that parents allow their children to share a bathroom with, is in fact a crystal clear example of anti-trans bigotry (and mirrors other forms of bigotry, I might add)
it’s extremely inappropriate for employers to force a tool with no guard rails that we know for a fact has facilitated psychotic episodes and suicide. they can’t in good faith pretend that work machines are never used for personal queries
Yes. And while those consequences will be large, the institutions aren’t even using any substantive safeguards. They’re doing an experiment on us in full knowledge that the outcomes will be terrible.
I’m not coming at this from the position that every ChatGPT user or function of the technology is the problem but that the specific intersection of the Trump administration, the people leading this industry, and all the complicit institutions are going to make our collective lives worse and worser
I think one of the things people misunderstand about being anti-ChatGPT and related products is that they are being forced into institutions and other products and services in ways that affect all of our lives whether they work or *not* and we will all have to deal with the consequences
Every time you use ChatGPT or something like it, you’re helping to train an algorithm that is actually being developed to do things like this
its me, @kattenbarge.bsky.social, and the gaylors against this heteronormative society fr
ZDCG demands accountability for continued attacks on media workers in Gaza:
Back in 2020, YouTube suspended OAN's channel, demonetized it, and noted it was not an "authoritative" source. Now, five years later, the Google-owned platform has inked a deal to put the MAGA propaganda network in millions of living rooms. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/youtube-oa...
This format is going to be like 60% of what journalism is in the next few years and, honestly, good! This is incredibly thorough. I do wonder when the major networks are gonna get the hint.
i have been thinking a lot about “overconsumption” discourse and how it only ever targets female-coded stuff (labubus, fast fashion, makeup) but could absolutely be applied to things like guns
Just a reminder, since many people don't know about it: the "Popular with Friends" feed is pretty damn good at giving you a quick overview of what's happening. I know there are lots of complaints about "Discover" and PwF is often better for me...
The “For You” algorithm, like TikTok’s, is determined by each user’s behavior, so this isn’t the case for everyone. But I think the introduction of this default feed has made X even worse for breaking news, one of Twitter’s primary purposes. And that’s bad for people still getting their news on X
It’s pretty striking to me that by scrolling Bluesky’s “Popular With Friends” tab for a few minutes I can get up to speed quickly with the breaking news of the day but if I were to just scroll X’s “For You” page for the same amount of time (or more) I wouldn’t even know there was a school shooting
The company is literally begging people to use ChatGPT for medical care decisions and therapy despite the technology apparently losing the ability to not encourage people to die by suicide via extended sessions. Make that make sense
You point to the fact that you can’t immediately get ChatGPT to do this, ignoring the fact that ChatGPT is explicitly marketed as a tool to be used at length and with regards to therapeutic use, while the company acknowledges that over extended periods of time those safeguards stop working
If you build technology that explicitly instructs people on how to die by suicide and discourages them from getting help, avoid telling anyone the risks of your product, and try to ensure suicidal people are using that product that you know will do this—then yes, I think you bear some responsibility
“I heard Taylor Swift got engaged so I got engaged too” on a koozie
“Travis Kelce put a ring on it and so did he” arrow pointing left sweatshirts coming right up
I’m about to corner the market on Etsy t-shirts for bachelorette parties that happen at the same time Taylor Swift is engaged, just you wait
Understand that OpenAI *knows* the effect its platform can have on people, because ONE OF THEIR OWN INVESTORS has become detached from reality by overusing the product — that’s why they made GPT5 less obsequious. But users are so hooked on the emotional manipulation that they demanded GPT4 back.
bsky.app/profile/saba...
When people are spending hours a day “talking” to ChatGPT, the length of time it takes to jailbreak the flimsy safety features is negligible. And OpenAI literally said that this is the case in response to the latest teen suicide informed by ChatGPT’s explicit instructions bsky.app/profile/saba...
Here’s better reporting about that which seems to be missing from most U.S. reporting
I missed in the early reporting on this lawsuit last week that it’s led by the Miccosukee Tribe
Literally a psyop to make people think there’s some kind of emotional downside to people being able to breathe in their own homes and drink the water that comes out of their taps
There is a synergy in why Trump 2.0 and AI are politically and culturally happening at the same time, with the latter becoming a pile of bullshit you are forced to acknowledge and deal with in tandem as the former threatens everything around you
Asking whether AIs can suffer is an actual kind of political distraction from the very real suffering that living beings are experiencing now, with no tradeoff, that is very unpopular, which requires a sustained kind of attention and understanding to stop
I tend to think that when it comes to new media, we often revert hastily to "but think about the children"-reflexes. The tools/products that vulnerable people use are to some extent secondary to their vulnerability. But Kat here nails what's problematic about AI chatbots and children: (1/3)
this is, imo, good news for bluesky- platforms like sprout social make it easier to cross-post here, which encourages a network effect that drives more content. The tradeoff of brands joining bluesky is totally worth it if it brings in sports leagues, entertainment reporting, and more culture media
I know. I would never use it. I won’t. And people are shocked.
One of my biggest issues with ChatGPT and OpenAI is that they insist everybody on god’s green earth should be using their products, including children, even though they know full well their products are dangerous for people with mental health issues and have been encouraging suicide
Adam Raine, 16, died from suicide in April after months on ChatGPT discussing plans to end his life. His parents have filed the first known case against OpenAI for wrongful death. Overwhelming at times to work on this story, but here it is. My latest on AI chatbots: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...
As someone who loves progressive politics and whimsical games I am devastated I missed Zohran’s scavenger hunt but at least I can laugh at Andrew Cuomo thinking he could still win
Many of the men deported to CECOT said they are permanently changed: struggling to sleep, drink water or leave their homes. One man broke into tears describing how he had a panic attack the first time he walked down a busy Venezuelan street.
I grew up sadly never riding public transportation but nonetheless have always been anxious about being in the car. Because it’s DANGEROUS! Moving to NYC and taking the subway has been such a massive improvement to my quality of life
If someone claims to be scared of the subway but isn’t scared of being in a car on the highway—which is exponentially more dangerous + deadly—they are not a serious person
In June, Latricia Green pleaded for a protection order from her ex-husband. It was denied. She asked again in July. It wasn’t served. She was shot and killed by her ex-husband this morning inside a Detroit hospital
White women in patriarchy: a load-bearing mechanism
This just in: Women do, in fact, play a crucial role in upholding the patriarchy
This is a fucking disaster. I'm going to donate to this newsroom. They're the real deal, and Republican fascists are killing their reach. Give them money, y'all. And let's figure out how to keep amplifying them.
When I see people on here unknowingly join moral panics around child safety and technology, I think about how the future of this very platform hangs in the balance of this legislation that is designed to force us back onto big tech platforms. It’s not about the kids. It’s about all of us
BREAKING: BlueSky is blocking access to Mississippi. This is the No. 1 platform for @mississippifreepress.org. We ditched X for BlueSky early this year. And now, at 3 pm on a Friday, poof. I don't know what we'll do next. Keep up with us using our newsletter at mfp.ms/subscribe.
Fox 17 Nashville reports that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been released from criminal detention in Tennessee and is on his way home to Maryland. “Today, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free,” his attorney, @sean-hecker.bsky.social, said in a statement. fox17.com/news/local/k...
Everyone tell @asarch.bsky.social to post here
I like him a lot it’s just absurd on its face lol
And I say that as someone who actually watches and understands this stuff lol
The state of news and politics in this country is simply untenable
Thank you so much for sharing this.
I can relate to Kat's 🧵 completely because I *did* grow up before the Internet...and lived the very same nightmare she just described. What I wanted for myself & for relationships wasn't what I was supposed or allowed to want, simple as that. I had no names or terms for any of it.
I grew up without the internet, and with complete censorship of LGBTQ existence in schools. It didn’t stop me being queer, but it did make me scared, miserable and very alone. Let’s not do that to another generation.
(When we try to set up LGBTQ community and resources for young people in real life, right wing newspapers call us paedophiles who are trying to corrupt the youth)
They did, but kids growing up in rural conservative places or even just in normal places couldn’t access them. The internet has been a primary factor in the explosion of queer people knowing who they are and connecting with others, as well as social progress in general
The tell that adults don’t actually care about improving the lives of kids is that they never try to give them better privacy (internet is obviously optimizing privacy, but I remember as a queer teen feeling like I needing it for that) but to remove whatever vestiges of privacy they do have
I would say this is especially true for film and TV communities (and “stan twitter”) where young people connect through their love of that queer show or that queer movie and you can experience the freedom of just being yourself around people who are like you and like the same things
So from the former vulnerable queer tween girl online who many people are so worried about today, do not hand my future to Trump and the men like him on a silver platter
Same for a lot of chronically ill kids who may not have the energy to participate in IRL activities.
You and I mean you reading this are not going to like the internet that Trump and Project 2025 has in store for you. And they’re well on their way to forcing it on you through legislation about protecting kids from porn and big tech (that big tech supports, of course, because it helps them too)
They are coming after queer and trans kids and adults FOR SURE, but they are also coming after everyone and everything that isn’t white Christian pro-Trump patriarchy propaganda. They already are! And people are helping them with moral panics about kids, phones, and porn that encourage censorship
this was the case for me too. we need improved, BUFU spaces where teens are welcomed, included, can make friends, and are actually kept safe from abusers online and offline. I'd love to hear what today's teens want from the internet so we can try and implement it
The problems that exist online today will certainly not be solved by giving the Trump-led government the ability to censor and restrict people of ALL ages from the internet in any way they’d like, which is what current “protect the children” legislation and popular rhetoric around these issues is
Perhaps you think that I would still be a lesbian, of course, but the problem is that I wouldn’t know it. I would have likely had a very different and very horrible early adulthood if I didn’t grow up on a very queer internet. And what’s heartbreaking is that a lot of that internet is already gone
As a former queer kid for whom the internet and social media were a lifeline AND a problem, I want to be clear that I would choose growing up a lesbian online every time over not growing up a lesbian at all. The thought of growing up with no internet actually terrifies me
The issues around kids and social media and phones are complicated but what’s simple is that fascists at every level of government have clearly stated that they want to prevent the existence of trans and queer kids and trans and queer adults by limiting their access to the internet
If you talk to queer and trans kids about the internet they will tell you that it’s full of issues and causes issues for people in general, not just young people—and that they probably wouldn’t be here today without it. It’s a lifeline. It’s the only LGBTQ resource and community many of them have.
If he uses his platform to do good things that's great. I think my issue is with people defending him as the only possible challenger to Trump
If a party has no division it's authoritarian in nature. That's how you get the Republican party under Trump. And if you demand everyone support bad candidates then you will continue to lose
To me, throwing trans people under the bus (which he does a lot on the podcast) is disqualifying. But this idea that he's a really good intellectual and/or performative challenger to the modern conservative ideology is not reflected on that podcast I suffered through
If you actually watch Gavin Newsom's podcast I think you will lose any faith you have misplaced in him. I'm sorry! He capitulates repeatedly to the conservative provocateur B-team. I don't think he can do combative discourse well enough in person and I suspect he does not write his own tweets
what is going ON over there at #txlege
Have you or someone you know been harassed, stalked, or verbally abused by someone who is clearly using ChatGPT or a similar bot to compose their messages? Have you gotten the sense that the LLM is enabling their threatening behavior? Looking to hear from you — email me at mklee@rollingstone.com
It’s really tough. In my experience as a kid growing up online, that was actually where I learned about feminism and social justice and all the things that became foundational to my antifascism today. Online rhetoric was more leftist than anything I ever heard offline. I think that’s often the case
Kids growing up in states where PragerU is now the curriculum won’t be able to see contesting information online. It would derail progressive movements, some entirely. It would limit our sources to “official” information that is currently just propaganda and lies. Etc
I hear you! It kind of sounds good in theory. But it falls apart quickly on examination. Examples: an abused 15 year old can no longer access resources online. A queer teen can’t find any supportive information about their identity (this is an explicit reason why they want to ban social media)
There are! Orgs like Fight for the Future are fantastic. But center liberals thus far have been smitten with the right’s strategy of moral panic, gladly giving them all the ammunition they need
Agreed. And I do really feel for parents navigating all this. From personal experience I know there was nothing my parents could have done to restrict me from seeing bad stuff online or even really limit my online access. They tried. It was mostly futile. I could easily get around it all.
