Never Met a Science

Never Met a Science explores the intersections of political communication, social science methodology, and the impact of the internet on society. It covers themes like the attention economy, technological development, social media's influence, algorithm critiques, and the evolution of digital culture, while also examining broader societal shifts and the role of information in social change.

Political Communication Social Science Methodology Internet and Society Attention Economy Technological Development Social Media's Influence Algorithm Critiques Digital Culture Information Society Quantitative Methodology

The hottest Substack posts of Never Met a Science

And their main takeaways

Images are Biased

77 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Media Communication Data Images Information
  1. Images are a biased form of communication compared to text because they inherently introduce bias by conveying more context and extra-textual information.
  2. Different communication modalities like images and text convey different amounts and types of information, impacting how we understand and interpret data and knowledge.
  3. Understanding the rise of visual communication technologies can lead to a deeper comprehension of the effects of information technology on society and help in decision-making for the future.

“The Algorithm” is the only critique of “The Algorithm” that “The Algorithm” can produce

77 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Critique Social media Technology Communication
  1. The concept of 'The Algorithm' serves to mask larger systems at play, pushing us to believe in a singular cause for societal issues.
  2. Anxieties about algorithms reflect a broader issue of how technology governs our lives in ways we don't fully understand.
  3. The influence of social media and quantified audience feedback has transformed communication, shaping our interactions and content consumption.

What was Drake?

22 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🎭️ Culture Music Philosophy Politics History Literature
  1. Drake's approach to music, devoid of street cred, emphasized personal confession over braggadocio, making his music relatable through authenticity.
  2. Poptimism influenced the creation of pop-rap, with Drake embodying the move towards more universally palatable music, detached from local rap scenes.
  3. Taylor Swift, in contrast to Drake, creates subjective histories through her music, allowing fans to relate to themselves and construct their own identities.

Building the Society We Want

88 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Social media Morality Population Growth Ecology
  1. Social media has greatly influenced society and its bans would bring rapid change.
  2. Technology developments must be considered with an understanding of values, tools, and actions in achieving societal goals.
  3. Lessons from historical movements like Romanticism and Ecology can guide discussions on technology and society today.

Searching for Forgotten Thinkers

61 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture History Literature Philosophy
  1. The history of ideas can be complex and dynamic, defying simple narratives.
  2. The influence of thinkers can rise and fall dramatically over time, often influenced by societal trends.
  3. Proper nouns provide a fixed point for tracking intellectual history, but data analysis has its limitations.
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On Social Media, Demand Slopes Upwards

66 implied HN points • 15 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Social media Economics Algorithms Consumers
  1. In the attention economy of social media, demand can increase as supply increases, leading to an unsustainable positive feedback loop.
  2. The attention economy operates differently from traditional market economies, with attention being a key commodity rather than money.
  3. Consumers, producers, and algorithms play unique roles in driving the positive feedback loop of the attention economy, which can have far-reaching implications.

Nobody likes the present situation very much

16 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture History Social Issues Media Technology Politics
  1. There is a feeling of unease with the current state of things, particularly due to rapid technological change.
  2. Historical parallels from past technological revolutions show that significant changes can lead to societal disruptions and the need for new forms of governance.
  3. The pace of change is outstripping our ability to adapt and traditional institutions struggle to keep up, leading to societal challenges such as urban alienation, online communities, and political instability.

Into the Universe of Technical Images

38 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Social media AI Academia Communication
  1. Deleting social media accounts can lead to feeling much better mentally and emotionally.
  2. Transitioning from written content to technical images can be a powerful way to communicate complex ideas.
  3. Exploring new mediums like video lectures can enhance the reach and impact of academic research beyond traditional formats.

The Tragedy of Stafford Beer

50 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Cybernetics Information Technology Social media
  1. Stafford Beer led a remarkable life, from running Project Cybersyn in Chile to advocating for cybernetic socialism.
  2. Beer's book, Platform for Change, showcased his radical ideas for societal reform but faced commercial failure.
  3. Beer emphasized using communication technology to enhance human freedom while avoiding centralization for preserving human agency.

Against the Labor Theory of Science

11 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🔬 Science Social Science Theory Machine Learning
  1. New social scientific processes are being developed for more efficiency and improved knowledge production.
  2. Centralization of knowledge production can lead to significant gains in efficiency on both production and consumption sides.
  3. Machine learning algorithms can extract high-dimensional knowledge, reducing the need for human translation and potentially improving accuracy.

Generalizing Knowledge of Twitter to "X"

38 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
🔬 Science Research Prediction
  1. Scientific knowledge of social media platforms needs constant updating due to their fast-changing nature.
  2. The traditional scientific method may not be sufficient for studying rapidly evolving subjects like social media platforms.
  3. There is a need for meta-scientific improvements in how we approach research and knowledge synthesis.

Could this be damnation? Could this be salvation?

66 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Literature Philosophy Technology Art Religion
  1. Flusser aims to make his work more accessible and well-known by mimicking popular media styles and engaging with contemporary culture.
  2. For those interested in Vilém Flusser, 'Communicology: Mutations in Human Relations?' is a recommended starting point.
  3. Flusser's writings explore deep philosophical questions, blending religion, existentialism, and social analysis.

Mark Zuckerberg Wants You To Think That His Algorithms are All-Powerful

50 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Social media Algorithms Research Content creation Digital Platforms
  1. Temporal validity in social media experiments may be challenging due to the fast-paced nature of platforms like TikTok.
  2. Social media companies emphasize the power of their algorithms to drive ad revenue, but may be cautious about influencing elections.
  3. The interaction between producers and consumers, influenced by social feedback, plays a crucial role in the dynamics of social media content.

Ban LLMs Using First-Person Pronouns

72 implied HN points • 22 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Policy Language Law
  1. Large Language Models like ChatGPT pose risks by blurring the line between human and machine.
  2. Banning LLMs from using first-person pronouns can mitigate emotional and financial risks for users.
  3. Reforming LLMs' language use can pave the way for harnessing the benefits of the technology while minimizing downsides.

Tyler Cowen is an Information Monster

44 implied HN points • 23 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Media Philosophy Ideology Information Politics
  1. Tyler Cowen is viewed as an information monster due to his exceptional capacity to process vast amounts of information and his focus on information density in media.
  2. Cowen's ideologies and arguments should be understood in the context of his information consumption habits, which prioritize speed and quantity over control and deliberation.
  3. There is a debate on whether society should prioritize consuming more information at a faster pace, as emphasized by Cowen, or slowing down to regain control and promote thoughtful decision-making.

The Audience Does Not Exist

55 implied HN points • 15 May 23
🎭️ Culture Art Technology Media Audience Social media
  1. The concept of audiences is constructed through measurement and influenced by technological determinism.
  2. Social media provides an explosion of public audience measures, leading to anxiety and self-assessment.
  3. Creators of online content receive specific feedback, shaping their content based on quantitative metrics and engagement measures.

The United States Should Ban TikTok

50 implied HN points • 23 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Regulations Social media Geopolitics Elections Legitimacy
  1. The United States should consider banning TikTok due to concerns about data privacy and national security.
  2. TikTok, like other social media platforms, may not be secure in handling user data, raising questions about their responsibility.
  3. Banning TikTok could be a strategic move against Chinese influence and may lead to more regional internet platforms.

Facebook is Other People

223 HN points • 28 Jun 21
  1. Social media's attention economy drives polarization by allowing us to observe and engage with other people.
  2. The internet exposes the misery and loneliness of many Americans, impacting their behaviors online.
  3. Online communication has democratized information access, including voices of social outcasts, impacting the online information environment.

Ultima Ratio Twitterum

16 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Social media Internet Communication Digital Platforms Online Communities
  1. Twitter has become overrun by bots, spammers, and harmful content, making it unusable for meaningful communication.
  2. Institutions like APSA and AEA have failed to adapt to the internet era, hindering effective communication and reform.
  3. Addressing online challenges requires creating new platforms that prioritize effective communication, moderation, and community needs.

Wither, Economics

61 implied HN points • 24 May 21
  1. Economics has a dominant position in social science, but it may not be using its resources efficiently.
  2. The prestige of Economics has been declining since 2000, impacting its adaptability and relevance in social science research.
  3. Economists are publishing in diverse areas, but the current system may hinder overall knowledge production and hinder interdisciplinary collaboration.

Meta-Science is Actually Pretty Hard

27 implied HN points • 16 Jul 21
  1. Meta-Science involves empirical research and building new institutions for social science reform.
  2. Critics argue for a rigorous scientific approach to peer review and addressing its frailties.
  3. Peer review process is arbitrary and brutal for young scholars, with long delays in making career-affecting decisions.

Theorizing TikTok

44 implied HN points • 26 Jul 20
  1. TikTok is a social media platform focused on young users, offering customizable short videos and algorithmic recommendations.
  2. Political communication on TikTok is influenced by high information density, ease of posting, algorithmic rewards, and the use of sounds as embodied memes.
  3. Memes on TikTok are encoded in the platform's sounds, shaping political messages through shared jokes and emotional appeals.

Meta-Science is Political Methodology

38 implied HN points • 17 Jul 20
  1. The quality of quantitative political science research must be evaluated based on its real-world impact, not just on appealing to previous literature.
  2. The focus on producing credible estimates of local treatment effects has been a necessary corrective to decades of poorly executed quantitative work.
  3. The biggest problem in quantitative methodology is external validity - how knowledge generated in one context informs action in a new context.

In Favor of Quantitative Description

33 implied HN points • 23 Jul 20
  1. Transportability requires rich covariate adjustment for quantitative knowledge.
  2. Causal knowledge is costly in a complex world, emphasizing the need for quantitative description.
  3. In social science, there is a shift towards prioritizing causal knowledge over quantitative descriptive work, but the latter is crucial and needs more institutional support.

Bringing technological determinism back in

27 implied HN points • 09 Sep 20
  1. Technology allows us to do many things, but it doesn't determine what we choose to do.
  2. The internet has had a significant impact on politics, economics, and culture, continuously evolving.
  3. Older generations may struggle to grasp the deep changes the internet has brought to how humans process and understand information.

Media Effects are Cumulative

22 implied HN points • 15 Jan 21
  1. Media effects are cumulative, meaning they build up over time.
  2. Social science research needs to adapt to focus on specific areas to make meaningful progress.
  3. Current research on media effects may not reflect the complexity and rapid changes in digital media consumption.

And I got bored when I didn't have a blog / And so I started a blog, man.

27 implied HN points • 17 Jul 20
  1. Twitter is not the ideal platform for social scientists to collaborate and share knowledge.
  2. People have a fondness for blogs due to the exclusivity and specialized nature they offer compared to social media platforms.
  3. Demand influences the supply of media, impacting academic conversations influenced by Twitter, leading to the creation of alternative platforms like blogs.

Opportunity Cost of Rigor in Econ Publishing

16 implied HN points • 10 Jun 21
  1. Econ publishing faces challenges in allocating rigor effectively
  2. Reformers in Economics are focused on improving institutional incentives and practices
  3. Consideration of Twitter discourse and temporal validity can impact the circulation of knowledge

Never Trust an Academic Journal Over 30

16 implied HN points • 12 May 21
  1. Institutional sclerosis affects academic journals over 30
  2. Meta-scientific work focuses on improving social science knowledge
  3. Legacy academic journals may have flaws that impact scientific progress

GPT-3: Informational Hyper-Inflation

22 implied HN points • 20 Oct 20
  1. GPT-3 is a powerful AI model that can generate vast amounts of text on any topic from little input.
  2. Human communication is primarily about understanding social interactions and intentions.
  3. GPT-3 poses a risk of information fraud by creating text that appears human-generated but lacks real intentionality.

Friction Flattens the Curve of Information Diffusion

22 implied HN points • 12 Oct 20
  1. Adding friction to social media interactions can encourage more thoughtful engagement.
  2. News credibility on social media is built on numbers and personal connections.
  3. The pace of knowledge dissemination by non-professional actors has accelerated faster than professional journalism.

The Reserve Army of the Un-Verified

16 implied HN points • 26 Mar 21
  1. Social media platforms are not representative of the broader population.
  2. Twitter conflicts are shaped by the users who create the platform.
  3. The influence of Twitter extends beyond the platform into societal beliefs and organizations.

What Medium is Twitter?

16 implied HN points • 11 Mar 21
  1. Social media platforms like Twitter play a significant role in shaping political discussions among young generations.
  2. Twitter as a medium is characterized by information overload, social endorsements, and relational information.
  3. On Twitter, ideology and images are commodified, contributing to the cultivation of a vibe rather than rational deliberation in political discourse.

Streaming Chat and Connective Effervescence

16 implied HN points • 08 Feb 21
  1. Streaming chat brings back active audience engagement.
  2. Content moderation in streaming chat faces challenges due to fast-paced communication.
  3. Social media is evolving towards real-time, communal experiences like streaming chats and Clubhouse.