@axbom

Swedish communication theorist born in Liberia • Writing about wellbeing, ethics and human rights in digital culture • https://xitter.cf/t.co/ces0N4LWWK

 Stockholm, Sweden
axbom.com/twitter/
Joined January 2007
  • Tweets36.2K
  • Following3.4K
  • Followers13.6K
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You're all special and make me a better person. But the algorithm really, really doesn't. I'll see you when I see you. Take care.❤️ axbom.com/bye-bye-algorithm/

Bye, bye algorithm

Saying goodbye to Twitter, LinkedIn et al.

axbom.com
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#5 Autonomous drone
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. A drone with a camera is hovering above them. Panel 1. Impala: Check out my new autonomous drone that can follow and take pictures of me! Panel 2. Elephant: Can it decide not to take pictures of you? Impala: Uhm, no? Panel 3. Elephant: So not very autonomous then… and where do the pictures end up? Panel 4. The drone says ”Smile!”. In the sky in the distance one can also now see a communications satellite. The impala looks surprised at the reader.

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. A drone with a camera is hovering above them. Panel 1. Impala: Check out my new autonomous drone that can follow and take pictures of me! Panel 2. Elephant: Can it decide not to take pictures of you? Impala: Uhm, no? Panel 3. Elephant: So not very autonomous then… and where do the pictures end up? Panel 4. The drone says ”Smile!”. In the sky in the distance one can also now see a communications satellite. The impala looks surprised at the reader.

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A thread 🧵of content I've written, spoken, produced or hosted. I'll keep adding to it as I create new or remember more of the old. 😊 First out, as it can relate to most other things I’m making these days, is The Elements of Digital Ethics: axbom.com/elements/

The Elements of Digital Ethics

A chart to help guide moral considerations in the tech space.

axbom.com
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I’ve been blogging for a long time. It’s a privilege, and sometimes cringeworthy, to be able to revisit things written many years ago. In this post from 1999, while still very naive, I think I was on to something. 😉 axbom.com/misinformation/

Gross Misinformation on the Net

AS THE POPULARITY of the Internet increases, it has become quite common to turn to the Internet for information. One tends to favor the Internet because it is becoming easy to use and can provide...

axbom.com
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In a stroke of inspiration I started drawing a comic strip a week ago. I haven’t decided on a schedule going forward but I got four strips done in the first week. Mastodon: social.axbom.com/@WildExploi… Twitter: @WildExploits Web: we.axbom.com/
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#4 A familiar face
Wild Exploits by Per Axbom. Four panels. An impala (African antelope) ”Pala” speaking to an elephant, ”Ellie”. Panel 1. Pala wearing a shirt with many different deer faces. Pala says ”Check out my new shirt, Ellie. I’m taking a stand against facial recognition.” Ellie says ”Nice.” Panel 2. Ellie standing under the sun. She says ”So the idea is that the system will be confused by all the different faces?” Panel 3. Pala responds ”Exactly! Well I’m off to a concert now. Smell you later!” Ellie says ”Bye” Panel 4. Pala standing in a jail cell speaking into a phone on the wall. It’s night-time. Pala says ”Uhm, Ellie, can you come bail me out? One of these faces was wanted for jaywalking…”

ALT Wild Exploits by Per Axbom. Four panels. An impala (African antelope) ”Pala” speaking to an elephant, ”Ellie”. Panel 1. Pala wearing a shirt with many different deer faces. Pala says ”Check out my new shirt, Ellie. I’m taking a stand against facial recognition.” Ellie says ”Nice.” Panel 2. Ellie standing under the sun. She says ”So the idea is that the system will be confused by all the different faces?” Panel 3. Pala responds ”Exactly! Well I’m off to a concert now. Smell you later!” Ellie says ”Bye” Panel 4. Pala standing in a jail cell speaking into a phone on the wall. It’s night-time. Pala says ”Uhm, Ellie, can you come bail me out? One of these faces was wanted for jaywalking…”

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Replying to @axbom
Wohooo my first follower! Thanks To your article I joined the linux.pizza social and the interactions I have there give me so much joy :). Finally finding people that are as odd and awkward as me 😂
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I don't think I can do this site anymore. It's insane how clearly the algorithm messes with us once you go algorithm-free. Chilling. 😬
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To be clear: I'm also not naive. It's a system where people talk to each other and sometimes anonymously. There will be trashfires. Tip: choose a small instance or run your own. Avoid large ones that naturally carry more noise. At least trashfires aren't algorithmically rewarded.
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I've just updated my Mastodon guide with a list of instances at the bottom, as a first quick reference for people having a hard time choosing. Perhaps easier to browse a decently short list than search among thousands 😁 (You can always move later) axbom.com/mastodon-guide/

A Brief Mastodon Guide for Social Media Worriers

Tips and advice for getting started with Mastodon. Especially if you're used to Twitter.

axbom.com
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Per has quite an experience over on Mastodon that makes me wanna try it out, especially given his quite strong wording here. And I trust him, he’s a person whose online experience and judgment calls I know are well grounded. Are you on Mastodon (yet)? If so - tell me ‘bout it!
Per Axbom@axbom11 May 2022
I don't think I can do this site anymore. It's insane how clearly the algorithm messes with us once you go algorithm-free. Chilling. 😬
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Replying to @uxpodcast @axbom @beantin
Guess, @VW should listen to this episode
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Do follow this one! So many fun takes on different subjects. Also, all the animals are cute! 👍
Wild Exploits@WildExploits9 May 2022
#3 Dodgy-coin investor
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: Vlad is telling me to invest in Dodgy-Coin before it’s too late. Panel 2. Elephant: Do you understand how Dodgy-Coin works or why it’s worth anything at all? Panel 3. Impala: No. Elephant: Why do you think Vlad is telling you to hurry? Panel 4. Vlad the vulture is standing in a tree above them, talking on the phone. He is saying: ”Mom? I need to borrow some more money.” The impala answers the elephant: ”Love?”

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: Vlad is telling me to invest in Dodgy-Coin before it’s too late. Panel 2. Elephant: Do you understand how Dodgy-Coin works or why it’s worth anything at all? Panel 3. Impala: No. Elephant: Why do you think Vlad is telling you to hurry? Panel 4. Vlad the vulture is standing in a tree above them, talking on the phone. He is saying: ”Mom? I need to borrow some more money.” The impala answers the elephant: ”Love?”

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#3 Dodgy-coin investor
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: Vlad is telling me to invest in Dodgy-Coin before it’s too late. Panel 2. Elephant: Do you understand how Dodgy-Coin works or why it’s worth anything at all? Panel 3. Impala: No. Elephant: Why do you think Vlad is telling you to hurry? Panel 4. Vlad the vulture is standing in a tree above them, talking on the phone. He is saying: ”Mom? I need to borrow some more money.” The impala answers the elephant: ”Love?”

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: Vlad is telling me to invest in Dodgy-Coin before it’s too late. Panel 2. Elephant: Do you understand how Dodgy-Coin works or why it’s worth anything at all? Panel 3. Impala: No. Elephant: Why do you think Vlad is telling you to hurry? Panel 4. Vlad the vulture is standing in a tree above them, talking on the phone. He is saying: ”Mom? I need to borrow some more money.” The impala answers the elephant: ”Love?”

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If you have @DuckDuckGo as your search engine you actually have more than 13,000 different search engines available from the address bar, just using ”bangs”. There is a bang for Wikipedia (!w), for Twitter (!twitter) and even google(!g). Check it out: duckduckgo.com/bang

DuckDuckGo !Bangs

Search thousands of sites directly from DuckDuckGo.

duckduckgo.com
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Follow @WildExploits, it’s brilliant
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#2 Pixel says hello
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: It’s creepy how all the shops seem to know what I’m looking to buy. Panel 2. Elephant: Is that an ant on your back? Panel 3. Impala: Yeah, they asked for a ride between stores. Panel 4. Close-up on the ant. It is wearing a headset and lightning is buzzing around its antennae, as if it’s communicating. The ant waves and says: What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Call me Pixel.

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: It’s creepy how all the shops seem to know what I’m looking to buy. Panel 2. Elephant: Is that an ant on your back? Panel 3. Impala: Yeah, they asked for a ride between stores. Panel 4. Close-up on the ant. It is wearing a headset and lightning is buzzing around its antennae, as if it’s communicating. The ant waves and says: What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Call me Pixel.

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#1 Vlad the know-it-all
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: How did Vlad see my chat conversation? It was peer-to-peer encrypted. Panel 2. Elephant: Did anyone take a screenshot of the conversation? Panel 3. Impala: It was peer-to-peer encrypted… Panel 4. A vulture is revealed to be sitting above them in a tree, controlling a camera on a tripod. The impala looks straight at the reader. The vulture says: Dude…

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: How did Vlad see my chat conversation? It was peer-to-peer encrypted. Panel 2. Elephant: Did anyone take a screenshot of the conversation? Panel 3. Impala: It was peer-to-peer encrypted… Panel 4. A vulture is revealed to be sitting above them in a tree, controlling a camera on a tripod. The impala looks straight at the reader. The vulture says: Dude…

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My second attempt in the comic series I’m now calling ”Wild Exploits”. we.axbom.com
Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: It’s creepy how all the shops seem to know what I’m looking to buy. Panel 2. Elephant: Is that an ant on your back? Panel 3. Impala: Yeah, they asked for a ride between stores. Panel 4. Close-up on the ant. It is wearing a headset and lightning is buzzing around its antennae, as if its communicating. The ant waves and says: What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Call me Pixel.

ALT Four panels. An impala (African antelope) speaking with an elephant. Panel 1. Impala: It’s creepy how all the shops seem to know what I’m looking to buy. Panel 2. Elephant: Is that an ant on your back? Panel 3. Impala: Yeah, they asked for a ride between stores. Panel 4. Close-up on the ant. It is wearing a headset and lightning is buzzing around its antennae, as if its communicating. The ant waves and says: What’s cookin’ good lookin’? Call me Pixel.

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