Great work from Axel Bruns, Katharina Esau, Kateryna Kasianenko, @essideh.com, Tariq Choucair, Vish Suresh & Donald Johannessen who have published a new article further exploring the novel methodology 'practice mapping'. Available to read now!

Our latest episode of the Read Them Sideways podcast features Axel Bruns and Kateryna Kasianenko, speaking about the recently released second edition of The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics.

The Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics 2.0 w/ Axel Bruns & Kateryna Kasianenko (#46)

Read Them Sideways · Episode

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Congratulations to PhD Candidate @dannno0o.bsky.social for receiving zero revisions, and two nominations for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award! Dan's thesis on the cultural, social, and political impacts of Large Language Models can be read here: eprints.qut.edu.au/266867/.

Dan@dannno0o.bsky.social · 3w ago

Hello, if anyone is interested, my PhD thesis "Envisaging Simulation and its Limits: Large Language Models from Architecture to Interface to Ideology" is available to read here: eprints.qut.edu.au/266867/ Thanks to everyone who has supported my candidature @qutdmrc.bsky.social @admscentre.org.au !

Research Fellows Dr Kateryna Kasianenko and Ned Watt spoke with the SBS Examines podcast on the topic of fact-checking on social media platforms, and how effective it is. You can listen at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts!

How do social media platforms fact-check content, and is it working?

Meta's recent decision to flag correct information about an attack on Kyiv as false has raised questions about the fact-checking mechanisms used by social media companies.

sbs.com.au

Congratulations Prof Axel Bruns and PhD Candidate Laura Vodden on their new paper in Political Communication Report. Their work explores the challenges of working within a 'clean room' environment, now that academic access to research data has been limited. Check it out now!

Congratulations to Dr Aimee Hourigan who, as part of a larger visiting fellowship to the UK, recently spoke on information resilience and youth media literacy at the University College London's Knowledge Lab. Aimee also contributed a blog post, which you can read here: reflect.ucl.ac.uk/re...

Congratulations to Luke Pearson (pictured left) on passing his Confirmation Seminar last week! This is an important milestone that PhD students complete one year into their candidature. Luke's project is entitled, "IndigenousX as a tool for promoting racial literacy".

Together with two sport sociologists from Griffith, the DMRC's Kateryna Kasianenko has a timely article in The Conversation today, discussing Trump hosting a UFC event at the White House, ostensibly to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Independence / his birthday.

The White House UFC event is a perfect storm of fight culture and US politics

Joe Rogan calls it a ‘gimmick’ but Donald Trump says it will be ‘great for America’. Welcome to the White House UFC event.

theconversation.com

Another excellent piece from Kateryna Kasianenko and former DMRC member, Erin O'Brien. In this article, out now in International Political Science Review, they analyse practices of calling for the boycott of Russia on Twitter. You can read Kateryna and Erin's paper here: journals.sagepub.com...

Our latest episode of the Read Them Sideways podcast is a discussion between postdoctoral research fellow, Phoebe Matich and host Sebastian Svegaard. They chat about Phoebe's recently completed PhD, with a focus on misinformation and truth claims in Australian journalism.

Journalism, Misinformation and Truth Claims w/ Phoebe Matich (#44)

Read Them Sideways · Episode

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Congratulations to @shirweinbrand.bsky.social for her second article out this week! This paper conducts a discourse analysis on Google's AI Overviews - read Shir's great summary below or you can check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Framing the future of search: A discourse analysis of Google’s AI Overviews - Shir Weinbrand, Ashwin Nagappa, Daniel Angus, 2026

This study investigates how Google’s AI Overviews (AIOs) – a major shift in the search engine landscape – are discursively framed by three key actors: Google, t...

journals.sagepub.com

Shir Weinbrand@shirweinbrand.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Excited to share that my article, co-authored with @ashwinnag.bsky.social & @antmandan.bsky.social, is out in Discourse & Communication! If you work in digital media, AI, journalism, SEO, or just spend a lot of time Googling things, you'll want to give it a read.

Congratulations to Sebastian Svegaard on his new article: "Voice on video: Music, affect, and communication in campaign videos in the Australian Voice to Parliament referendum". www.mediekultur.dk/a...

EOI: Postdoctoral Research Associate The QUT Digital Media Research Centre is currently seeking applicants for a 12-month Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) position to contribute to an ARC Laureate Fellowship project. Applications close 19 June 2026. research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/wp-cont...

Associate Professor Stephen Harrington has a new piece out in Crikey Australia, discussing the decline of the American conservative outlet The Daily Wire. Great work, Stephen!

Slow death of Ben Shapiro's Facebook juggernaut shines light on right-wing media's vapourware

Whipping its audience into a frenzied outrage with stories of societal decay and selling 'leftist tears' mugs, the Daily Wire is a story of trumped up success — and the fracturing of the American right.

crikey.com.au

Congratulations to Prof Axel Bruns (Axel Bruns) and our colleagues at the University of Edinburgh on their new article! This study analyses the various important Twitter conversations around the 2022 FIFA World Cup, finishing with an assessment of online third spaces. journalqd.org/articl...

Dr Zahra Stardust shares her thoughts on the cancellation of RightsCon 2026, the world's largest conference on human rights in the digital age. www.srhm.org/news/defendi...

Promoting Global Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights | SRHM

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) is a trusted global leader in SRH, connecting researchers, policymakers, and activists through evidence-based knowledge and advocacy for sexual and reprod...

srhm.org

Congratulations to Dr Phoebe Matich on her first paper from her postdoctorate research! In this article, Phoebe, Prof Michael Richardson of UNSW and Dist Prof Jean Burgess discuss the role of AI-generated content and authenticity in witness media. journals.sagepub.com...

Congratulations to Axel Bruns (@snurb.info) and Alfred Hermida (@hermida.bsky.social) on their new special issue of M/C Journal, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of Twitter this year. A large number of scholars contributed various perspectives, and is absolutely worth a read!

Axel Bruns@snurb.info · 3mo ago

🆕 I am exceptionally pleased to announce the release of the 'twitter' issue of M/C Journal, which I co-edited with @hermida.bsky.social. This celebrates / commiserates / memorialises / laments the 20th anniversary of what used to be #Twitter. #mcjournal journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mc...

The Matter of Facts: A Special ABC and QUT DMRC Panel Event was put on last night and a great success. Moderated by ABC health & science reporter Tegan Taylor, w/ ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna speaking w/ Prof Michael Dezuanni, A/Prof Tim Graham, and Dr Aimee Hourigan. Photos: ABC Anna Levy

A reminder that Dr Ashwin Nagappa is seeking participants for this interesting study. If you're reading this, you're eligible to participate! Check out the flyer below for more information. 👀

Ashwin Nagappa@ashwinnag.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Are you active on platforms like Mastodon, Bluesky, Pixelfed, or Eurosky? Please consider participating in an asynchronous brainstorming activity to share your suggestions to make them safer. See project details and sign up here tinyurl.com/44adp9cx @qutdmrc.bsky.social @admscentre.org.au

Congratulations to PhD candidate Dan Whelan-Shamy on his article in AI & Society! This great read is available open access now. 📖 🎉

Dan@dannno0o.bsky.social · 4mo ago

So happy to have my first journal article published today! I argue that LLMs animate a paradox in which similarity only emerges through difference. I show how this paradox is operationalised by LLMs as they generate a natural language response (1/2) link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Great to see DMRC Director, Daniel Angus, quoted in this interesting and interactive explainer from the ABC today!

Your brain explained: Why it's getting harder to pay attention

If it feels harder to concentrate than it used to, it's not just you. Scientists say your brain is reacting exactly as it was designed to — but in a very different world.

abc.net.au

This week, Dr Sebastian Svegaard (@svegaard.bsky.social) from the DMRC was quoted in an article from The Guardian, reflecting on the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith and its potential to heighten cultural divisions.

Arrest of national war hero Ben Roberts-Smith cuts deeply to core of Australian psyche

Criminal charges against the Victoria Cross recipient now on remand has deeply divided a nation whose identity is often entwined with the exploits of young men on foreign fields

theguardian.com

A QUT Digital Media Research Centre study led by Professor Amanda Lotz has found Australians’ social media use is far more private, varied, and personalised than thought, and that YouTube now functions less like social media and more like a vast “video encyclopedia”. www.qut.edu.au/news?id=203994

Hosted by the QUT Digital Media Research Centre and moderated by ABC reporter Tegan Taylor, join leading QUT digital media experts and ABC Commissioning Editor Julie Hanna to discuss the many challenges posed by a post-truth digital world. Register here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-matter...

Scholarship now open for MPhil project to investigate the challenge of pluralistic AI alignment – the socio-technical problem of aligning LLM behaviour with multiple, potentially conflicting sets of values. Closes 3 May 2026 lnkd.in/gcNVSn-8 Image: Jamillah Knowles & Digit / betterimagesofai.org

This week's episode of Read Them Sideways podcast is another Summer School discussion, this time from Prof Patrik Wikstrom, discussing the 'For You' project on TikTok. Patrik Wikstrom discusses user experiences on TikTok and our highly individualised media systems.

TikTok recommender systems and the 'For You' project w/ Patrik Wikstrom (#43)

Read Them Sideways · Episode

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This week's episode of Read Them Sideways is the recording of a panel discussion from this year's Summer School from Prof Axel Bruns, which invites us to rethink our our everyday experience of public communication. Link below or listen wherever you get your podcasts!

Rethinking contemporary public communication spaces w/ Axel Bruns (#42)

Read Them Sideways · Episode

open.spotify.com

QUT Data Scientist | Expressions of Interest Seeking expressions of interest for a casual Data Scientist to support DECRA project Democratic Resilience Online: Strengthening Public Opinion Formation Amid Digital Threats. EOIs close 24 April. See details below: research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/wp-cont...

Associate Professor Tim Graham has provided commentary to the ABC regarding war propaganda and media manipulation.

Timothy Graham@timothyjgraham.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Latest commentary from me on war propaganda and media manipulation www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...