Michael S. Daubs, PhD
@mdaubs.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Media, Film and Communication at the University of Otago. Co-Director for Kōtaha: the Internet, Social Media and Politics Research Lab at Te Herega Waka - Victoria University of Wellington | 🇨🇦 in 🇳🇿 (he/him) | @[email protected]
Shortsighted, if not idiotic. The National Library and Archives are key institutions. AI is not capable of understanding history or culture. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Almost 50 jobs could go at National Library and Archives, PSA warns
A proposal to cut 12 percent of the workforce at the National Library and Archives NZ will decimate both organisations and have a significant impact on service levels, says the Public Service Associat...
www.rnz.co.nz
September 2, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Shortsighted, if not idiotic. The National Library and Archives are key institutions. AI is not capable of understanding history or culture. www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...
Just a friendly reminder to my Aotearoa New Zealand-based friends to doublecheck or update your voting enrolment: vote.nz/enrolling/en... #nzpol
August 2, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Just a friendly reminder to my Aotearoa New Zealand-based friends to doublecheck or update your voting enrolment: vote.nz/enrolling/en... #nzpol
Wherein I give meandering reckons on the media spectacle that was the FIFA World Cup 2026: acmesmokescreen.substack.com/p/acme-accum...
July 31, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Wherein I give meandering reckons on the media spectacle that was the FIFA World Cup 2026: acmesmokescreen.substack.com/p/acme-accum...
My friend and colleague Claire Henry and I make the case for exploring an online safety regulator in New Zealand rather than just focusing on potentially harmful and ineffective age-based social media bans in a new article in The Conversation.
theconversation.com/the-jurys-ou...
theconversation.com/the-jurys-ou...
The jury’s out on social media bans. Here’s a better idea NZ can borrow from Australia
A version of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner could be a better way to tackle the online harm experienced by under-16s – and New Zealanders of all ages.
theconversation.com
July 29, 2026 at 7:51 PM
My friend and colleague Claire Henry and I make the case for exploring an online safety regulator in New Zealand rather than just focusing on potentially harmful and ineffective age-based social media bans in a new article in The Conversation.
theconversation.com/the-jurys-ou...
theconversation.com/the-jurys-ou...
For no particular reason, I feel the need to reiterate that the term "broadcasting" originally came from farming, i.e., the spreading of seeds, and so never 'only' meant television and radio.
May 6, 2026 at 3:33 AM
For no particular reason, I feel the need to reiterate that the term "broadcasting" originally came from farming, i.e., the spreading of seeds, and so never 'only' meant television and radio.
Had the pleasure of working with @andrewlensen.bsky.social, @andrewtychen.bsky.social, @ethanplaut.bsky.social and @srhastraea.bsky.social on this piece about New Zealand's chance to lead on Responsible AI. theconversation.com/could-nzs-ne...
Could NZ’s next Christchurch Call be a push for fairer, safer AI?
Kiwis are using artificial intelligence in growing numbers, but trust is low. Could the push toward safer, more responsible AI offer NZ an economic opportunity?
theconversation.com
April 7, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Had the pleasure of working with @andrewlensen.bsky.social, @andrewtychen.bsky.social, @ethanplaut.bsky.social and @srhastraea.bsky.social on this piece about New Zealand's chance to lead on Responsible AI. theconversation.com/could-nzs-ne...
Despite a recent Stuff story that suggested we had opposing views on the topic, Cassandra and I are in complete agreement. Go read her excellent article in the Post!
ICYMI find me in yesterday's Press or Post talking about the lawsuit against Meta and Google, and what it might mean for NZ. Is the tide turning against the tech bros? #nzpol
www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/...
www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/...
April 1, 2026 at 2:55 AM
Despite a recent Stuff story that suggested we had opposing views on the topic, Cassandra and I are in complete agreement. Go read her excellent article in the Post!
Can’t emphasise this enough. I once did a media interview where the interviewee said he was “tired” of hearing about the benefits of online communities and this post helps show why his exhaustion doesn’t matter.
really tired of conversations about how we need to get people to spend more time offline that don't acknowledge that one of the reasons people ARE online is their access needs aren't being met in physical spaces. This is especially true for queer people and disabled people.
March 5, 2026 at 3:45 AM
Can’t emphasise this enough. I once did a media interview where the interviewee said he was “tired” of hearing about the benefits of online communities and this post helps show why his exhaustion doesn’t matter.
In case people in the back didn’t hear her, @smittermeier.bsky.social has an important point here.
The absolute mindnumbing idiocy of humanities professors admitting to the public that their work can be done by an LLM, at a time when facists and neolibs are happily defunding us and declaring our work useless… it‘s not that you‘re just bad at your job you‘re handing them everything they need.
March 4, 2026 at 11:18 PM
In case people in the back didn’t hear her, @smittermeier.bsky.social has an important point here.
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
A ban isn't radical. A real radical approach would be to no longer accept the governance and economic model that social media platforms rely, which we can and should regulate instead.
February 3, 2026 at 6:46 AM
A ban isn't radical. A real radical approach would be to no longer accept the governance and economic model that social media platforms rely, which we can and should regulate instead.
CFP for a special issue of Interface: a journal for and about social movements on "Transnational repression and
social movements" available at www.interfacejournal.net/wp-content/u.... Deadline for initial submissions to this issue, to be published in
October/November 2026, is 30 March 2026.
social movements" available at www.interfacejournal.net/wp-content/u.... Deadline for initial submissions to this issue, to be published in
October/November 2026, is 30 March 2026.
January 13, 2026 at 8:53 PM
CFP for a special issue of Interface: a journal for and about social movements on "Transnational repression and
social movements" available at www.interfacejournal.net/wp-content/u.... Deadline for initial submissions to this issue, to be published in
October/November 2026, is 30 March 2026.
social movements" available at www.interfacejournal.net/wp-content/u.... Deadline for initial submissions to this issue, to be published in
October/November 2026, is 30 March 2026.
A new issue of Interface: a journal for and about social movements (Vol. 15, Issue 1), is available now at www.interfacejournal.net/interface-vo.... Open access, as always!
January 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
A new issue of Interface: a journal for and about social movements (Vol. 15, Issue 1), is available now at www.interfacejournal.net/interface-vo.... Open access, as always!
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
This isn't just a casual observation. Fascism scholars have long made this point. It's why calling them "weird" was a more effective strategy than talking about the prices of eggs. Fascism is an aesthetic political movement - you need to make people feel embarassed and horrified by it.
one of the most effective weapons we have against fascism is mockery, especially when its really funny
It occurs to me all the yelling at ICE in MPLS isn't merely funny. Getting made fun of like this is awful for morale. ICE is losing field officers faster than it can wave them through training, and a big part of it is how little of this these little weasels can take.
January 12, 2026 at 5:54 PM
This isn't just a casual observation. Fascism scholars have long made this point. It's why calling them "weird" was a more effective strategy than talking about the prices of eggs. Fascism is an aesthetic political movement - you need to make people feel embarassed and horrified by it.
The answer to this is always yes. The same is true if the animal is dog, otter, sea lion, seal, squirrel, pig, cow… any animal, really.
do you want to see a bunny
January 4, 2026 at 6:35 AM
The answer to this is always yes. The same is true if the animal is dog, otter, sea lion, seal, squirrel, pig, cow… any animal, really.
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
Are these the same companies that told us the robot could do it?
December 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Are these the same companies that told us the robot could do it?
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
In the wake of the tragedy in Australia today, someone took the time to create a fake news website and made up a white “IT professional” named "Edward Crabtree" and claimed he stopped the Bondi shooting.
The real hero is a man named Ahmed Al Ahmed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
The real hero is a man named Ahmed Al Ahmed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
December 15, 2025 at 5:51 AM
In the wake of the tragedy in Australia today, someone took the time to create a fake news website and made up a white “IT professional” named "Edward Crabtree" and claimed he stopped the Bondi shooting.
The real hero is a man named Ahmed Al Ahmed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
The real hero is a man named Ahmed Al Ahmed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
December 14, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This is fucking grim. Somebody invented a white guy, an "IT professional" named Edward Crabtree, who stopped the Bondi shooting and spread it all over the internet, which was picked up by AI agents and slop aggregation sites.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
The real hero is a fruit stand owner named Ahmed el Ahmed.
I‘m starting to suspect the expectation will be that teaching at a university level is less about a researcher’s field of research and more about prompt engineering sooner rather than later.
Universities have just decided that their new mission is to create permanent consumers for mostly useless and harmful technologies.
December 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
I‘m starting to suspect the expectation will be that teaching at a university level is less about a researcher’s field of research and more about prompt engineering sooner rather than later.
Apropos of nothing, anyone remember that Safer Online Systems and Media Platforms discussion document? Good times.
December 8, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Apropos of nothing, anyone remember that Safer Online Systems and Media Platforms discussion document? Good times.
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 22, 2025 at 9:36 AM
🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
For lots of reasons, I don’t like LLMs and I don’t use them, but I know there are serious people working on ways to meaningfully incorporate them into education and I don’t doubt there are ways to do that productively. It’s probably obvious that “Have the LLM tell you the answer” isn’t one of them.
November 21, 2025 at 12:55 PM
For lots of reasons, I don’t like LLMs and I don’t use them, but I know there are serious people working on ways to meaningfully incorporate them into education and I don’t doubt there are ways to do that productively. It’s probably obvious that “Have the LLM tell you the answer” isn’t one of them.
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to contribute some information on the definitional challenges and ethical questions about 'digital wellbeing' to the latest edition of CPI's TechREG Chronicle. Thanks to the editors there, who were very kind and patient.
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/wh...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/wh...
Who Is Responsible for Digital Wellbeing? An Overview of Approaches, Threats, and Perspectives on Accountability | PYMNTS.com
The widespread availability and use of digital tools such as smartphones and social media platforms have led to extensive discussions about their social
www.pymnts.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to contribute some information on the definitional challenges and ethical questions about 'digital wellbeing' to the latest edition of CPI's TechREG Chronicle. Thanks to the editors there, who were very kind and patient.
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/wh...
www.pymnts.com/cpi-posts/wh...
🙌
Die Fans von Bayern München mit einer eindeutigen Botschaft - direkt hinter dem Tor, damit es alle im Fernsehen sehen: "Wer Antifa verbietet, der will Faschismus! Fuck Trump, Fuck Wilders and ... Make Antifa great again!"
September 28, 2025 at 9:10 AM
🙌
Reposted by Michael S. Daubs, PhD
They are saying 32% GST and 72 for retirement age so we will happily accept 20% GST and 68 for retirement age. Why don’t they say 5% wealth tax and 40% corporate tax on big conglomerates? No of course they won’t say that no siree.
September 25, 2025 at 1:01 AM
They are saying 32% GST and 72 for retirement age so we will happily accept 20% GST and 68 for retirement age. Why don’t they say 5% wealth tax and 40% corporate tax on big conglomerates? No of course they won’t say that no siree.