Absolutely loved this piece by @cyberlyra.bsky.social on how financialization and gamblification have transformed the video game industry and gameplay itself.

Public Books @publicbooks.bsky.social · 2w ago

“It was a thrill to rediscover play as I was—as it was—in 1989.” New at PB: Janet Vertesi discusses the delights of retro gaming. www.publicbooks.org/retro-gaming...

Cornell Arts & Sciences is hiring up to 5 postdocs on AI in Social Sciences and Humanities: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/327...

Today is Pub Day for "Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census"!!! ::bounce:: Please support me by buying a copy of the book or asking your library for a copy! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

Want to see how Dan Bouk plays virtual Jenga? I do. Join Dan, Janet Haven, and I for a virtual discussion on protecting democracy's data on WEDNESDAY September 23 at 1PM ET. datasociety.net/news-events/...

Protecting Democracy's Data - Data & Society

Join us as professor, researcher, and Data & Society founder danah boyd discusses her new book and its implications with historian and author Dan Bouk, in a conversation moderated by Data & Society Ex...

datasociety.net

PhD students (& new PhDs): I'm hiring a postdoc at Cornell (Ithaca) to conduct a novel study at the intersection of political economy and tech. Applications are due Oct 16. There are a LOT more details in the job ad so make sure to read it thoroughly: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32502

PhD candidates/new grads: Postdoc opportunity with me focused on political economy and tech. See details here: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32502

"Data Are Made, Not Found: A Story of Politics, Power, and the Civil Servants Who Saved the US Census" comes out in one month! Please pre-order the book if you can (or ask your library for a copy). You can choose French or English, audio, e-book, or hardcover.

We’re hiring at @yale.edu! The American Studies Program seeks an open-rank faculty member in U.S. Cultural History and Cultural Studies, starting July 1, 2027. Apply by Oct. 15, 2026 for full consideration: apply.interfolio.com/188467

Check out the final program for the SKAT Today Conference on Aug 7 at CUNY Grad Center, exciting line up! Link here: bit.ly/skattoday

Just out! My introduction to a new special issue in @sciasculture.bsky.social on "Tech Oligarchy" - go check it out and the papers in the special issue (under "Latest" articles) #techoligarchy #assetization #techbro #bigtech www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Tech oligarchy

Published in Science as Culture (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

ASA member Juliet B. Schor @julietschor.bsky.social @bostoncollege.bsky.social discusses her latest research, which shows the benefits to workers and employers of shaving one day off the workweek. @21st.show @ilpublicmedia.bsky.social

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

bit.ly

We love basically everything about @cyberlyra.bsky.social @zephoria.bsky.social @alex-taylor.bsky.social @bshestakofsky.bsky.social manifesto arxiv.org/abs/2604.16106 - with 1 exception. Several JCE authors have been working on this stuff for a while. It’s a whole field not just a few authors

Reckoning with the Political Economy of AI: Avoiding Decoys in Pursuit of Accountability

The Project of AI is a world-building endeavor, wherein those who fund and develop AI systems both operate through and seek to sustain networks of power and wealth. As they expand their access to reso...

arxiv.org

“That’s why the students are booing, I think. They’re experiencing AI in realtime as a forecloser of futures; as the cruel new face of hyper-scaling capitalism, as the prime agent moving a world that’s become a deck stacked against them.” — @bcmerchant.bsky.social really nails it, as usual

AI as the new avatar of American capitalism

Why "AI populism" is just "populism"

bloodinthemachine.com

I was lucky to write the lead article for a special issue of Academe on AI in the Corporate University. In "What does AI do?" I offer a provisional balance sheet of this technology's effects on our work, our finances, and our management, in a moment of rising fascist attacks on higher education.

What Does AI Do?

The economic and political problems of “cost disease” in education have created a powerful incentive for the adoption of AI.

aaup.org

Follow along as we do the 21-day #cybercleanse week-by-week! This weekend, ditch #Chrome, #Safari, or #Edge and move to a privacy-centric alternative. Already on #Firefox? There is a long list of easy, free, and freeing new ones to try! #optout #bigtech www.optoutproject.net/better-brows...

Day Two: Better Browsing

According to statcounter.com, Google's Chrome browser currently enjoys over 68% marketshare, with Apple's Safari not even a close second at…

optoutproject.net

Smart as a City drops May 5th and on April 27th I’m hosting a launch event at UMass with some of my favorite thinkers in critical tech studies & ethnography. If you're anywhere in Western Mass or on the East Coast, I'd love to see you there! RSVP here: forms.gle/vthGWYE5Pp1A...

Submission deadline extended to April 15th! ASA Pre-Conference: Science, Knowledge and Technology Today, 8/7 in NYC: asaskat.com/SKATtoday/

2026 Pre-Conference

Science, Knowledge and Technology Today: Meeting the Moment, Engendering Just Futures The Science, Knowledge & Technology (SKAT) section of the American Sociological Association (ASA) will host…

asaskat.com

New in @finandsoc.bsky.social: ‘The non-death of Adam Neumann’, unpacking the return of WeWork’s disgraced founder. It’s about Silicon Valley’s ambivalence to failure & fraud, and how venture capital rewards already-powerful, ruthless and deceptive serial founders. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

With the cover now finalized, I am pleased to announce my forthcoming book: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. Available this October from @ucpress.bsky.social s. 🧵 1/4

Janet Vertesi on the ways in which the pursuit of space is the new railroad fantasy. Yay for dreams of domination! ::groan:: www.techpolicy.press/in-the-twent...

In the Twenty-first Century, Space is the New Railroad for Billionaire Ambitions

Billionaires are playing a game of orbital Monopoly, writes Janet Vertesi.

techpolicy.press

For this year's @4sweb.bsky.social I'm organizing an open panel on Remaking the State: Moral Economies of Gov-Tech and Automated Governance. Do you work on data infrastructures, tech vendors & automated governance? Submit a 250-word abstract; deadline April 30: www.4sonline.org/accepted_ope...

Postdoc job! I'm looking to recruit a postdoc to work on a project about research evaluation & metadata. More info here: www.yorku.ca/research/wp-... Salary: CDN$70,000 (+ benefits) Location: Toronto, ON (can be remote in ON) Length: 18 months Deadline: 31 March 2026 Start date: 1 July 2026

🎉 Just published in @bjsociology.bsky.social Tech entrepreneurs are increasingly reshaping society and politics, but how do they justify their advantageous positions? My article analyses and unpacks dominant narratives in the world's most famous and elite startup accelerator: YCombinator

Entrepreneuring Legitimacy: A Case Study of the Cultural Codes and Boundary‐Makings of the Tech Elite

How do those who are pulling away economically justify their advantageous positions? This issue has acquired salience in the context of rising inequalities and propelled a reflourishing of sociologic...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

An incredible contribution by @loicriom.bsky.social and @taschn.bsky.social to our Forum on Tech Oligarchy. 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Thinking tech oligarchy through venture capitalization

Published in Science as Culture (Ahead of Print, 2026)

tandfonline.com

Tanja Schneider@taschn.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Venture capital doesn’t just fund tech. In a new article, @loicriom.bsky.social and I explore venture capitalization: how ideas and technologies are made investable, and how this process fuels tech oligarchy—not just as economic power, but as a force that reshapes culture, values, and truth.

@catherinebracy.com I don't think I ever reached out to let you know how much I enjoyed your book! And it's great for undergrad classes! I taught a chapter today alongside a chapter of The Power Law to draw out the contrasting perspectives.

this one's a banger (no mash)

Devika Narayan@devikanarayan.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I have a new one on cloud infrastructure and capitalist instability out! doi.org/10.1080/0197...

They're not really pilots but they're always gonna be there. I like how Gray & Suri call this the last mile problem for automation. With us since the putting out process in textiles and early food factories. The question is always "who gets automated and who does the cleanup afterwards."

Sarah May@sarahmay1.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Not satire cybernews.com/news/waymo-o...

I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures". Open panel submissions portal is open! ls! Deadline: 2nd February 2026 www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...

Just two weeks to go to submit your application for the @berkeleyischool.bsky.social and @oii.ox.ac.uk Summer Doctoral Programme 2026. Join us for a fantastic fortnight of study, collaboration and mentorship whilst building lifelong connections. Apply today! www.oii.ox.ac.uk/study/summer...

OII | Summer Doctoral Programme

Researching the internet or technology? This annual programme brings together outstanding doctoral students from across the world for a fortnight of study.

oii.ox.ac.uk

Oxford Internet Institute@oii.ox.ac.uk · 9mo ago

Don't miss an opportunity to spend two weeks studying in Oxford this summer as part of the @berkeleyischool.bsky.social and OII Summer Doctoral Programme! More information and application link here: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/study/summer...

🧵 Trump administration AI policy is widely described as deregulatory. This description is misleading. What's happening is not the absence of governance but its rearrangement--intensive state intervention operating through mechanisms we don't typically call regulation. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The mirage of AI deregulation

One of the most interventionist approaches to technology governance in the United States in a generation has cloaked itself in the language of deregulation. In early December 2025, President Donald Tr...

science.org