A Tweet Before Dying

The revolutionary internet is over, and we don’t have much to show for it. A new start is out there, somewhere.

Dark Hours

Whether tonight is worth going out for, when to go, and which way to look.

Dark Hours

Whether tonight is worth going out for, when to go, and which way to look.

Everything to know about this week's solar eclipse : Short Wave

During a total solar eclipse the world around you is very different. The sun gets totally blotted out and suddenly, it feels like night time. The temperature drops. Birds stop singing. These surreal celestial events happen every year or so around the globe – including tomorrow. To get you prepped, we’re talking to eclipse chasers about what makes these few minutes of darkness worthwhile and break down how to view an eclipse. That includes using special specs, so we’re linking the American Astronomical Society’s list of trustworthy eclipse glasses. To nerd out even more, check out NASA’s eclipse website.Interested in more space news? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org and we may cover it in an upcoming segment.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

[010] Theseotomy - Dreaming at the Edge of the Apocalypse

Wednesday 3 September 2025

Will McGugan on Twitter / X

I'm writing up a blog post about Markdown streaming, because I think it is an interesting topic.I reckon there will be almost a dozen people who agree with me! pic.twitter.com/T4VhTwvoma— Will McGugan (@willmcgugan) July 22, 2025

Shifts in U.S. Social Media Use, 2020–2024: Decline, Fragmentation, and Enduring Polarization

The social media ecosystem appears to be in flux. Twitter’s rebranding to X has come to symbolize a broader reorganization of online publics – political reshuffling, user attrition, and uncertainty over the role of legacy platforms. Simultaneously, the shift from text-based, networked feeds toward algorithmically curated, short-form video has accelerated, with TikTok setting the pace for the wider ecosystem [18, 14, 16]. At the same time, everyday communication increasingly migrates from large, open networks to semi-private spaces such as group chats and messaging apps. Commentators describe a digital public sphere in transition: smaller, more fragmented, less dominated by traditional social networking sites, and rise of more broadcast-oriented forms of media – with some even suggesting that we are seeing the beginning of the end of the social media era.

My 2024 thoughts on the state of social media

I see a continued fragmentation of social media as people leave X(Twitter).

Digital News Report 2026

As the world changes at accelerating speed, news media report and update on these events around the clock, jostling for a share of the four to five hours each day that people devote to their smartphones. For some, this means new opportunities to stay close to news stories as they unfold; for others, it risks creating a sense of overload. 

Firehose 451Hz - tweets per second

Lead them to paradise.

My top Bluesky feature requests for 2024

In 2023 my social media consumption changed dramatically after I DM'd a random mufo on what-was-then-called Twitter for a Bluesky invite. At the time, I was floating between Twitter itself and Mastodon for my primary daily social media experience. On one hand, I loathed Twitter (and