I had a chat with ABC News yesterday about the Victorian One Nation leader’s endorsement of the utterly stupid conspiracy theory surrounding the ‘15-minute city’ concept. (Perhaps they _want_ people to waste an hour on their daily commute ? More time for toxic talk radio ?)

'Noose is tightening': One Nation's new Victorian leader promoted conspiracy

The new state One Nation leader warned of a debunked "globalist" plot to control Australians.

abc.net.au

Officially graduated last night, joined by many great colleagues and friends, and my wonderful PhD supervisors @snurb.info and @essideh.com, who played no small part in me getting the Outstanding Doctoral Thesis award. Grateful also to my research participants, mentors, and collaborators.

⚡️Update: 9 killed, 23 injured in Kyiv as Russia launches 2nd major attack in 48 hours. In the Darnytskyi district alone, seven people were killed and another 14 were injured, the State Emergency Service reported.

9 killed, 23 injured in Kyiv as Russia launches 2nd major attack in 48 hours

At least nine people have been killed and 23 others injured in the ballistic missile attack, including a 17-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy, authorities reported.

kyivindependent.com

🗺️ Extremely pleased to say that my @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleagues and I have now published our article on #practicemapping to detect destructive polarisation in a special issue of Network Science, edited by Luca Rossi and Matteo Magnani.

📻 My great @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleague Kateryna Kasianenko and I have had a chat to the Read Them Sideways podcast team about our new 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

open.spotify.com

"My only ‘crime’ was that I am Crimean Tatar. I am Ukrainian, born in Crimea. And I refuse to take a Russian passport." Leniie Umerova spent nearly two years in a Russian prison before turning 26.

I am helping @ashwinnag.bsky.social with an important project trying to understand what makes decentralised platforms like Bluesky prosocial. Anyone who sees this message and cares about the state of online platforms is eligible to participate - we'd really appreciate your help.

Ashwin Nagappa@ashwinnag.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Interim update on the Group concept-mapping study for the Decentered Social project. decenteredsocial.info/1dyd We are now sorting and rating statements from the brainstorming phase. If you have the capacity and are keen to participate, please use this link to join: forms.office.com/r/mMbjjvXgXB

People of Kyiv, saving the most valuable ❤️‍🩹 after Russia bombed a residential building in Kyiv this morning

At least 4 people were killed in Kyiv by a Russian attacks last night, and at least 23 others were injured.

In Kharkiv, five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed while extinguishing a fire after a repeated Russian strike. At least five more were injured‼️ Double taps are the deliberate murder of first responders. Russia does it on purpose.

An analysis from great colleagues and me on the politics behind Trump's #UFCFreedom250 event. theconversation.com/the-white-ho...

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

‘Thank you for not forgetting about us’ says a Ukrainian that just returned from Russian captivity today . He’s crying while saying it . ‘Can’t believe I am really calling you’ says another one while talking to his mother .’ I haven’t heard your voice in 4 years’ + English subtitles

Boycotts on social media are a pathway for action against distant crime, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Scholars often dismiss them as expressive, but @erinobrien.bsky.social and I show that their motivations have a strong instrumental element. Read for more: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

The Russians deliberately struck an ambulance in Kherson.

russians doing russian things.

Kate from Kharkiv@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A Russian strike hit a playground in Kherson‼️ A mother and her two little girls, ages 3 and 6, were injured. The father is reported to have been killed‼️

Happy Birthday #NAFO. We raised millions of euroes. funded drones, trucks and other help for the Ukrainians. We are a force of nature. Slava Ukraini. Keep pushing. #NAFO #Fellas

📺 Fascinating analytical deep dive into key Voice to Parliament referendum campaign videos by my @qutdmrc.bsky.social colleague @svegaard.bsky.social, just out in @mediekultur.bsky.social: www.mediekultur.dk/a...

🚨 UPD: The death toll from a Russian strike on Kyiv has risen to 24 people, including three children.

Consequences of the attack - russian drones hit residential buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk (west). The drone attack continues - waves heading towards Kyiv

Maksym Polyakov 🇺🇦🌻@maksympolyakov.bsky.social · 3mo ago

💥 This is the largest russian drone attack so far - 753 strike UAVs of the Shahed type in 10:30 hours, of which near 95% were shot down/suppressed

A 26-year-old paramedic Khrystyna Slavska was murdered by Russians while saving lives in Sumy💔 So young..🙈 Rest in peace, Heroes never die 🫡🙏

📢 Call for Interview Participants for PhD Project 🗣️ I am seeking interview participants who 💫 currently hold or have previously held beliefs that could be called conspiracy theories 💫. I am assessing how knowledge and belief systems are formed online.

Any psychologists able to explain why russia always aims for kindergartens and maternity hospitals? Clearly they also bombed the Mariupol theater not despite but because of "ДЕТИ" written in front of it.

MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🇺🇦❗️A kindergarten guard was killed in a strike on a Sumy kindergarten. The kindergarten building was damaged by two UAVs and a fire broke out on the spot. There are two injured women, they were hospitalized. The kindergarten was out of order.

🆕 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...

Hello world, I'm moving down to Melbourne in a couple of weeks right around the time I lodge my thesis for examination. If you're an Australian-based academic looking for an RA with expertise in AI, literary/critical theory and digital media, please get in touch!

Five people were killed in Kyiv. Among them was a child. Almost every attack, russian forces kill children. At least 48 people were injured, including a 9-year-old boy, three police officers, and four medics who had arrived to provide assistance. Kyiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Cherkasy💔

💔 In Odesa, thus far it is confirmed that 8 people have been killed , and another 16 people are injured after russias attack on the city. As a result of the attack, several residental buildings as well as port- & critical, infrastructure were hit & damaged.

⚡️Update: At least 3 dead, nearly 30 injured in Russian missile attacks against Ukraine. Russia attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles overnight on April 16, hitting residential neighborhoods in Kyiv and Dnipro. Children and first responders are among the victims.

Russia slams Kyiv, Dnipro in mass missile attack overnight

The attack has killed at least two people, including a child, in Kyiv, and one victim in Dnipro. Over 20 others have been injured.

kyivindependent.com

Are you active on Bluesky, Mastodon, or similar platforms? We want to hear your opinions on safety and trust in these spaces and would be grateful for your thoughts in an asynchronous brainstorming session led by @ashwinnag.bsky.social

Ashwin Nagappa@ashwinnag.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Whether you use, develop, or moderate decentralised social media, your ideas for making these spaces safer and more welcoming matter. Join our ongoing asynchronous brainstorm and share your thoughts. Signup form here forms.office.com/r/mMbjjvXgXB Project details here tinyurl.com/44adp9cx

It was an honour helping @carforukraine.bsky.social with their important work. 🫡

Car for Ukraine@carforukraine.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Kateryna, a Ukrainian from Kherson, and her partner Fintan from Australia - now living in Australia - joined our fundraiser this winter and raised funds for a vehicle. Today, they arrived in Lviv from London, personally delivering the car for our military 🇺🇦 🇦🇺 True support has no borders. Thank you!

Re-posting this again in case it has not come to your attention. Also looking forward to hearing about the cool stuff happening at #ATmosphereConf See project details and sign up here tinyurl.com/44adp9cx

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