A sick nation

Literally a week ago Musk said that falsely labeling people as Nazis "should be treated as incitement to murder." And here he is (falsely) labeling the EU as Nazis.

GD seems terrified about #BBC report on using WW1 chemical agent in #Tbilisi during protests -- as shown by spending $600+ on advertising their version of events, compared with less than $100 on their other messages. To them it's the single most important issue in #Georgia right now.

Georgian doctor / researcher, Konstantine Chakhunashvili, who published a study (www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...) on symptoms resulting from the tear gas, and whose comment featured in the BBC article, has been summonned for interrogation to "the Cheka", i.e. State Security Service of Georgia

Not all heroes wear capes

Via Euronews: Italian companies operating in Russia funnel €1 billion in taxes to the Kremlin war machine www.euronews.com/business/202...

Imprisoned journalists Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia have been awarded the European Parliament's 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Seda Suleimanova, who had the "audacity" to reject an arranged marriage in Chechnya and fled, was kidnapped by her relatives with the help of Chechen authorities and most likely killed in November 2023. Kadyrov and his abhorrent establishment need to be held accountable youtu.be/whD9JXsOsPI?...

A good starter for a layperson to understand the Georgian security apparatus which has become a repression machine: “The SSS, in particular, has evolved into a sprawling surveillance and enforcement body. The MIA, through its department of special tasks, has led violent crackdowns on protesters.”

#OpenAccess from @nationalitiesp.bsky.social - Tilting at Windmills Opportunistically: The Case of Georgian Far Right - cup.org/3IWYZIh - @gelovanishota.bsky.social #FirstView

An open letter to @hhu.de requesting that the university distances itself from the repressive policies of Irakli Kobakhidze, their former doctoral student and the current Prime Minister of Georgia, elected by a one-party parliament following rigged elections. Click the link to sign the open letter.

Today is the day where everyone in US & Europe & 🌎 who can afford a penny should give as much as they can to 🇺🇦 defenders! Think about what truth, decency, lives & a rules-based international order are worth to you. Let’s show Ukrainians that we will never leave them alone. war.ukraine.ua/donate/

Via Euronews: Does China operate the Panama Canal? Trump's inauguration speech fact-checked www.euronews.com/2025/01/21/t...

Timeline of repressions carried out by the Georgian government throughout the past year and into 2025

Trying out Rednote out of curiosity. After getting a photo of "melancholic Hitler" as the very first post in the Explore tab upon registration, now there's an overwhelming number of videos promoting Alice Weidl. Interesting place for PolComm folks, but wouldn't recommend it to a friend...

In tausenden Fällen hat #Telegram allein im vergangenen Jahr Nutzer:innen-Daten an Behörden herausgegeben, Tendenz steigend. Die meisten Auskünfte erhielten demnach Behörden aus Indien – und Deutschland. netzpolitik.org/2025/nach-du...

What are the main challenges for the researchers studying citizen-produced political text? Data collection difficulties, steep learning curve, and more. Read more in our piece with a wonderful OPTED team of Amanda Haraldsson, @michelesdv.bsky.social, @benteka.bsky.social, and Karolina Koc-Michalska.

Read Evan Gershkovich's first article after his swap/release

You saw the headline, now look at what happened when scientists actually evaluate the headline

An interesting interview with Stephen Jones, who reminds us (1) just how much Georgia's political elites are detached from the woes of the people who elected them and (2) that the electorate will keep voting for them provided they back the dominant religious/nationalist/conservative rhetoric...

Meanwhile, speaking of Elon, he fell for some propaganda from Tucker Carlson, got Community Noted, then claimed that it was a "honey pot" to find those "gaming" Community Notes... and got Community Noted again calling bullshit on Elon's claim. 😂

I am looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join my team at the Chair of Digital Governance, Technical University of Munich. - 3 years - Focus: online toxicity, experiments, causal inference - Deadline: January 7 - Starting: April 2024 polisky Commsky csssky More portal.mytum.de/jobs/wissens...

A little bit of PolComm on Kurzgesagt. This Ground News thing seems interesting. Has anyone used it?

Are you a postdoc working on European social research? Then join us as the MZES as Visiting Fellow! Apply 📅 until 3 Dec 2023 to work at the MZES for 2-4 weeks. Funding for accommodation, travel, daily allowance. Interested? 👉 www.mzes.uni-mannheim.de/d7/en/news/i... polisky #sociology #socialpsyc