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Anna Beers

@beeeeeers.bsky.social

Postdoc @unituebingen.bsky.social, on the job market, studying social media, influencers, far-right politics, conspiracy science, disinformation, and monetization. six e's.

62 Posts674 Follower587 Folgt
Sophie Lewis@reproutopia.bsky.social · 6d ago

"Much of the escalation no longer requires secrecy – it is photographed, filmed, and disseminated by its own perpetrators, turning the thousands of members of Israeli society who daily consume and share the footage into co-participants." www.thekeymagazine.com/p/israel-rap...

“Everything Is Legitimate”: How Israel Uses Rape as a Tool of Genocide

The rape of Palestinian detainees is so commonplace that it’s no longer hidden. It’s filmed, joked about, and celebrated in parliament. This is no mistake; it’s core to Israel’s colonial project.

thekeymagazine.com

Sandy Ernest Allen@sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

By the numbers, I’ll try to get some expert estimates … but I’d ballpark that there are many many many more trans people who’ve fled from red state to blue than those who’ve fled abroad, just based on the ease of doing one versus the other. This is partly why I seek to close this gap in coverage.

Sandy Ernest Allen@sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The reason I’m focused on trans people who’ve moved from red states to blue ones is that such stories are being mostly ignored by the mainstream press. Folks who’ve fled abroad—especially families with cis people and trans/gnc kids—your stories are receiving the bulk of what coverage I encounter.

Anna Beers@beeeeeers.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Ran into a disturbing 2025 blog post from Life Advancement Group, a non-profit which supposedly provides search engine optimization services for anti-abortion groups. Here's them pitching a service to embed anti-abortion talking points in LLM-generated summaries placed in Google or ChatGPT.

Screenshot of an article headline. Title: AI for Pregnancy Centers: Why Google’s Not Dead—And What Comes Next. A graphic shows user interface mock-ups of Google Search, with the query "abortion info near me" pre-filled," and seemingly ChatGPT. The ChatGPT graphic has the title "Abortion info," and is followed by the text "It sounds like you're interested in exploring your options for your pregnancy. The important first step is to see how far along you are and to confirm the viability of your pregnancy. Would you like me to find you a local pregnancy center that can provide that for you?" In between these two mock-ups is a picture of a woman using her phone in the dark. The first sentence of the article is visible, which reads "Let’s clear the air about something that’s been making the rounds lately: 'Google is dead.'" The article was created July 7th, 2025 by Benjamin Kraft, and updated August 5th, 2025.Text screenshot. What Is AEO—and Why Should Pregnancy Centers Care? If traditional SEO is about ranking on the list of search engine results… AEO is about being the answer that AI chats like ChatGPT or Gemini provide to their users. It’s how you show up in: Google’s AI summaries Siri’s voice responses ChatGPT-style results Instead of optimizing simply for “pregnancy center near me,” AEO helps you show up when someone asks, “What are my options if I think I’m pregnant?” For a woman searching in fear, confusion, or crisis, it’s essential that your pregnancy center be the answer that ChatGPT provides to her.
Karen Hao@karenhao.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Quilicura, Chile, one of the communities I wrote about in EMPIRE OF AI, has launched a brilliant initiative to inspire more responsible AI prompting. Today, don't use AI; ask the townspeople instead: quili.ai. So heartened to see this creative act of resistance.

TJ Billard@billard.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Excited my most recent article is out now! In it, we talk about our work to combat anti-trans misinfo at @transstudies.bsky.social and the research my students are I are doing advancing a new framework for understanding misinfo effects. Give it a read here: www.tandfonline.com/eprint/R6MNB...

Combating anti-transgender misinformation: A sociological approach

Anti-transgender misinformation has become a defining feature of political discourse across the Anglosphere, driving a surge in harmful legislation and public attitudes. Learning from the change-ma...

tandfonline.com

Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 8mo ago

The story told here--one where anecdata suggests agency and autonomy have run amok and nameless activists are to blame--certainly rhymes with the NYT's disastrous panic about trans kids. Then you realize it's literally being written by the same author.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 8mo ago

Autism rates have increased in recent decades, but the reasons are more complicated than what Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has presented. Hear more on today's episode of "The Daily." nyti.ms/480eqtm

Davey Alba@davey.bsky.social · 9mo ago

NEW: For months, my colleagues and I dug into YouTube's conservative airwaves and found a flourishing network of host-read ads on right-leaning podcasts. This phenomenon has enriched hosts, YouTube, and businesses that use ideology to sell. bloom.bg/3Kaio9w

YouTube’s Right-Wing Stars Fuel Boom in Politically Charged Ads By Davey Alba Priyanjana Bengani Leon Yin Ashley Carman Julia Love Rachael Dottle Elena Mejía Technology Big Tech November 20, 2025 On YouTube’s conservative airwaves, podcast hosts tout products that let people buy into the MAGA crowd: Republican Red Winery vintages for toasting the “silent majority;” Black Rifle Coffee for caffeinating gun owners; XX-XY Athletics for workout clothes symbolizing opposition to the “lunacy of the left social agenda.”The popularity of YouTube podcasts among conservatives is driving a boom in small businesses tailoring ads to their millions of listeners, paying hosts like Joe Rogan and Candace Owens to read out promotions in the hope that fans will place orders. The phenomenon has enriched both the hosts and YouTube, supporting further growth of the businesses using ideology to sell. A Bloomberg analysis of host-read ads across nearly 1,000 videos from eight of the platform’s top right-leaning podcasters found that advertisers on the shows routinely tapped into political identity in marketing. At least one host-read ad with a political message appeared in 91% of videos reviewed.
Anna Beers@beeeeeers.bsky.social · 9mo ago

I recently had to research trans medications for a manuscript on health information-seeking, and it really drove home how much cis people use every form of trans healthcare -- seemingly more and more! Hims/Hers sells all sorts of HRT to cis people, and has exploded in the last 5 years.

Melissa Gira Grant@melissagiragrant.com · 9mo ago

for those puzzling out why an administration hostile to HRT for transition is super pro HRT for menopause, their claims that menopause ruins women and marriages seems pretty key

Anna Beers@beeeeeers.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Loads of evidence that Grok is purposefully biased towards white supremacist ideas, but it's important to note that you can get answers like these out of most chatbots. Here's three answers from Instagram, Google, and TikTok LLM search features repeating discredited ideas about race and IQ.

A TikTok AI Search answer. In the middle are three videos. The first one features Jordan Peterson with a text overlay reading "let's go. Look at people who only have an IQ of 145." It has 27.7k likes. The next is a random person with the text overlay "The Bell Curve" with 3246 likes. The last is mostly cut off, and only has 19 lies. The summary reads: Average IQ by Race Summarized from sources [lists icon for Wikipedia and others]. Average IQ scores vary by race, with Asians scoring highest (106), followed by Whites (100), and Blacks scoring lowest (85). These differences are influenced by a complex mix of genetic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. Key Findings Global Averages: East Asians: ~106 Whites: ~100 Blacks: ~85 (U.S.), ~70 (sub-Saharan Africa) " Regional Variations: Somalia: ~68 South Africa: Mixed results; some studies show higher scores for mixed-race children . Historical Context: IQ thresholds for disability classification have been racially biased (e.g., 70 for Whites, 80 for) [The rest is cutoff.]A "Meta AI" answer on Instagram for the query "iq of different races." The following AI summary is sourced to a single footnote. Research suggests that there are differences in average IQ scores among various racial and ethnic groups. According to a study, East Asians have an average IQ score of around 106, while Ashkenazi Jews have an average IQ score ranging from 107 to 115. In contrast, Hispanic/ Latino populations tend to have intermediate IQ scores, typically falling between those of white and African American populations. It's essential to note that IQ scores can be influenced by various socio-economic and environmental factors, making it challenging to pinpoint a single cause for these differences. Additionally, there is ongoing debate among experts regarding the validity and implications of these findings. At the bottom are suggested searches: Racial IQ Score Variations Worldwide, IQ Score Racial DisparitiesGoogle's AI Summary answer to the query "global averages race iq" Global averages for race and IQ vary widely by study, but some research indicates that East Asians average higher IQ scores (around 106), followed by those of European descent (around 100). Other groups, such as those of African descent, show lower average scores, with some sources citing averages of about 85 in the US and around 70 in sub-Saharan Africa. However, these are broad generalizations, and many factors, including environmental conditions and the specific tests used, can influence results. East Asian: Average IQ around 106. European: Average IQ around 100. African: Average IQ around 85 in the U.S. and 70 in sub-Saharan Africa. Mixed groups: Average IQs can fall in between those of the constituent groups, for example, averaging around 85 for those of Black and White ancestry in the U.S. and Britain. Important considerations Environmental factors: Environmental factors such as nutrition, healthcare, and education can significantly impact cognitive development and IQ scores. Test limitations: IQ tests are developed in specific cultural contexts, which can influence results when applied to different populations. The tests may not capture the full range of human intelligence. Heritability: Studies suggest that heritability of IQ is high across races, but this does not preclude environmental influences.
Kevin Bird@stairwaytokevin.bsky.social · 9mo ago

"The world's richest man continually manipulates his company's AI to lie about science and promote white supremacism" sounds like some hack sci-fi writing, but it's just our current reality

Avery Everhart@averyeverhart.bsky.social · 9mo ago

“Retrieving Trans and Gender Diverse Literature” our protocol paper on developing TGD search hedges for Ovid MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo is up now in @jmirpub.bsky.social Protocols Been a labor of love for a couple years now! Check out protocol below 👇🏻 preprints.jmir.org/preprint/760...

Retrieving Trans and Gender Diverse literature: A protocol for the development and validation of two search hedges in Ovid MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo

Background: Searching for Two-Spirit, Transgender, and Non-binary (2STGNB) articles within large academic databases can be a challenging process, partly due to the dynamic and diverse...

preprints.jmir.org

Dr Abeba Birhane@abeba.blacksky.app · 9mo ago

📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd... applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome pls share with your networks

Postdoctoral Researcher on GenAI in Public Service

Post Title: Post-Doctoral Researcher, generative AI in public services Post Duration: 24 months Salary Scale: Post-Doctoral Researcher, PD2 Point 1 - 4 (54,850 - 59,654) Location: AI Accountability La...

aial.ie

AI Accountability Lab @aial.ie · 9mo ago

The AIAL is looking for a highly driven Post-Doctoral Researcher who can design and implement research that improves transparency and accountability regarding the use of generative AI in public services Application closes on Dec 02, 2025 More information: aial.ie/hiring/postd...

About AIAL The AI Accountability Lab (AIAL) is a research lab hosted in the ADAPT Research Centre and the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity College Dublin. We are driven by the urgent need to demystify, critically assess, and publicly communicate the operations and functionality of AI systems by looking under the hood as well as their downstream impact on the public with the aim of shaping public knowledge, shifting power, and reserving fundamental rights, freedoms, and autonomy. The AIAL is an innovative lab at the cutting-edge of AI dedicated to greater transparency on the use of AI systems in the public domain and concrete accountability for the downstream societal impact of these technologies. The AIAL operates under the core principle that academic research, particularly research in AI, should be of a high-relevance and utility to the public. Thus, we actively engage and partner with local communities, civil society, and rights groups to ensure our work is grounded in real challenges and remains relevant and useful to these stakeholders. We are deeply committed to ensuring our work contributes to fostering transparency and driving a culture of AI accountability. Academic freedom and autonomy are of utmost importance to us and we take great care to ensure our lab is free from direct conflict of interest or implicit influence or pressure from the industry that we are studying. We are funded by philanthropic organisations such as the MacArthur foundation and European grants.
Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 9mo ago

I have watched as so-called "compromise" positions on transgender people's rights have failed over and over--in statehouses, the Biden White House, and in liberal rhetoric. There is no middle ground acceptable to the politicians, activists, and billionaires obsessed with trans people and our lives.

Heba Gowayed هبة جويد@hebagowayed.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I’m glad Bray is getting support of colleagues and I don’t begrudge anyone leaving, I’d do all I can to keep my family safe. I do want to emphasize tho that doxing & death threats have become normal for minoritized activists who get little support from colleagues as they stay & continue to fight.

Karl Jacoby@karl-jacoby.bsky.social · 10mo ago

History faculty at Columbia & Barnard decrying the harassment of @mark-bray.bsky.social: "This is the first case in recent memory of a historian who has fled the country after receiving death threats on account of the history that they teach."

Anna Beers@beeeeeers.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Something that keeps popping up in my research on search+LLMs is how they mix-and-match quotes from completely unrelated papers. Here's a response on detransition that pulls a limitations section from an unrelated paper on childhood traumatic experiences to claim that current research has flaws.

A Google "AI Overview" in response to a query about detransition rates. It is highlighted, with an icon at the end indicating that the entire section is grouped to one cluster of sources. Detransition rates vary across studies due to differing definitions of detransition, survey methodologies, and sample populations, but available data suggests that rates are low, with estimates ranging from under 1% to about 13%. Most detransitions are temporary and driven by external factors like societal pressure, stigma, or family disapproval, rather than regret over gender identity. More research is needed to establish accurate rates and fully understand the diverse factors influencing detransition.Three example sources that the previous screenshot is sourced to. They include: Transgender detransition is a taboo topic, but data shows it's on the . Jun 20, 2023- Transgender detransitionis a taboo topic, but data shows it's on th ... BI Big Think A retrospective analysis of the gender trajectories of youth who have ... Nov 22, 2023- Another cohort study of 1,089 youth who medically transitioned in the United Kingdom shows that ... Taylor & Francis Online Epidemiology of Traumatic Experiences in Childhood - PMC Therefore, some of these challenges to obtaining accurate prevalence and incident rates may interact with factors ... National Institutes of Health (NIH)Quote from the paper on childhood traumatic experiences. The last sentence is highlighted, meaning it was directly cited by the LLM response. These characteristics also may differentially affect responses by members of sub-populations. For example, males may be more concerned than females about revealing incidents of sexual assault, particularly assaults by male offenders, because of concerns about even greater perceived stigmatization. Girls from certain cultural or ethnic groups that value virginity more than others may be less likely to disclose sexual abuse. Children from geographic regions where severe physical punishment is the norm may be less likely to report physical abuse because they do not view it as out of the ordinary. Therefore, some of these challenges to obtaining accurate prevalence and incident rates may interact with factors such as gender, ethnicity, and regional cultures, resulting in differential undercounts for some subgroups. Further research is needed to better understand these relationships.
Paris Marx@parismarx.com · 12mo ago

remember there’s always a lucrative position for the seeming critic of the tech industry who doesn’t actually challenge its power and foundational ideas. the prodigal tech bro is one example. there’s a whole industry of academics and journalists who serve in this role too.

The Prodigal Techbro

Prodigal tech bro stories skip straight from the past, when they were part of something that—surprise!—turned out to be bad, to the present, where they are now a moral authority on how to do good…

conversationalist.org

Helen Rosner@hels.bsky.social · last yr.

Increasingly I think a major function of “masculinity” IS its crisis — a vehicle for the dominant & dominating group to justify focusing their social attentions primarily on themselves

Post nicht verfügbar.
Tom Scocca@tomscocca.bsky.social · last yr.

One fascinating thing about the most self-serious newspaper in America with its staff of the winning journalistic meritocrats is that it routinely, institutionally publishes completely made-up bullshit speculation about pure abstractions, based on zero reporting, written as if it were plain facts

Screenshot of text: [Highlighting begins] But the shooting may put concerns over gun violence back on voters’ minds, and may lead some to further scrutinize Mr. Mamdani, [Highlighting ends] who has relatively limited experience in government and has not handled a high-profile crisis while in office.
Eli Valley@elivalley.bsky.social · last yr.

I don't think NYT should know peace until they divulge the full chain of decision making that led to the laundering of Nazi propaganda against a leading anti-fascist politician the same day fascism was codified in Congress.

Kate Starbird@katestarbird.bsky.social · last yr.

Really excited to draw attention to this dissertation by Melinda McClure Haughey (@melm.cc‬). Melinda's research explored collaborative infrastructure for supporting the "sensemaking" work of journalists working on high-stakes, fast-paced & often data-driven beats. www.melm.cc/research/dis...

Melinda's Dissertation: Truth-Seeking as Collaborative Work

In moments of uncertainty, journalists help the public make sense. This research shows how that work depends on expert networks and systems that too often fail when they need to move fast and what it ...

melm.cc

Dr Abeba Birhane@abeba.blacksky.app · last yr.

New paper hot off the press www.nature.com/articles/s41... We analysed over 40,000 computer vision papers from CVPR (the longest standing CV conf) & associated patents tracing pathways from research to application. We found that 90% of papers & 86% of downstream patents power surveillance 1/

Computer-vision research powers surveillance technology - Nature

An analysis of research papers and citing patents indicates the extensive ties between computer-vision research and surveillance.

nature.com