Technologist/podcaster @rabble.nz calls Roundabout, our new local community app in closed beta, “the Good Place version of Nextdoor.” In an interview with Bluesky’s @jay.bsky.team, they talk about how New_ Public is moving from research & critique ➡️ building flourishing digital public spaces.

So much great thinking in @niemanlab.org’s 2026 predictions, especially about the role journalism orgs and practitioners play in local media ecosystems around the country. Here’s a playlist of great pieces:

Reminder: we’re still collecting responses to our annual survey for folks who read our newsletter or follow us on social media. What feels worth paying attention to? What do you want to know more about? Where should we be directing our focus? Hint: Don’t comment here, answer the survey :)

Is this an inflection point for algorithmic choice on social media? Threads, TikTok, Instagram, and Bluesky are all experimenting with features that allow users to fine tune their feeds, based on interests. Experts and users are demanding “good defaults, visible controls, and meaningful choices”

Let’s talk about one of the most fundamental aspects of social media: ad incentives. Nothing on social media is by accident. Everything from the “someone liked your post” notification to the algorithms pushing polarizing posts is there to juice engagement, growth, and profit. Here’s how it works:

With Roundabout, our new local community app, we’re reimagining a lot of familiar surfaces and features of “social media.” Here’s how Roundabout is different: Let’s dive in! 🧵

New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social writes about the underlying incentives that have warped social media towards the twin evils of extraction and surveillance. To have any hope of building a more prosocial and public-spirited internet, we need new business models.

New_ Public advisor Catherine Tait how public media can double down on its advantage with local reporting and build closer to digital-first audiences. “I think there's an enormous opportunity right now to be the morels that grow from the roots of the scorched earth." youtu.be/zbnzbSXxcS8?...

Imagine if librarians could only issue fines. That’s what many online platforms have reduced the job of “moderator” to: punishment. We think community stewards (as we like to call them) are capable of a ton if they’re supported and empowered — curating info, forging connections, and much more!

Can’t stop thinking about this quote: “At first it was amazing to be able to find people like you anywhere in the world. Then we got so wrapped up in the internet that we lost touch with our neighbors. Now, it’s time to build technology that connects us where our feet are.”

Social media feeds amplify stuff that’s “engaging” (i.e. controversial, polarizing). On Roundabout, our new local community app, we’re experimenting with Highlights, a feature where trusted stewards curate relevant posts for the community. Let’s see if they’re better recommenders than algorithms!

@slaby.bsky.social interviews New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social in his new interview newsletter series, The Exchange. Eli and Michael go deep on Roundabout, local media, the new pope, and much more! Worth subscribing! insightsbymurmuration.substack.com/p/building-d...

We’re building Roundabout, an app and website for neighbors to connect. As we build, we’re grounded in research about what people actually want, and we’re working hard to deliver that. But what DO people actually want? newpublic.substack.com/p/introducin...

Anthropologist @eselster.bsky.social argues parents have tried so hard to insulate their kids from offline harms, that they're forced to seek unstructured independence in online spaces. But Big Tech often puts profits over child safety, leaving kids without safe places to play online or off.

In communities across the country, we’re hearing from everyday people that they are hungry for a new way to connect with neighbors online. Our team at New_ Public, a nonprofit focused on building digital public spaces, is creating Roundabout, a new social app and website, now in closed beta. 🧵

It’s a big day for our team – @newpublic.org is starting to test out our new community platform Roundabout with real people. I’m excited to share more with everyone in the coming months. We're still filling a funding gap for the project, so reach out if you have leads — we need your help to grow.

This is one of the best deliberative democracy projects we’ve seen in a while: @engaged-california.bsky.social asked Californians affected by the LA wildfires to weigh in on the recovery process. Now they’ve synthesized that data, and they’re presenting an action plan to elected officials.

Social media researcher @taliastroud.bsky.social (New_ Public and @engagingnews.bsky.social) presents our new nationwide poll results on how Americans really connect with their neighbors online — and the surprising gaps that deserve more attention. Watch here 📹

We are thrilled to be a small part of a much larger movement for designing and building digital spaces that feel like the parks, neighborhoods, and libraries we love. Check out our revised and expanded Healthy Digital Spaces Starter Pack, and let us know who we’re missing! bsky.app/starter-pack...

What would a 100% Canadian social media platform look like? The team at @gandersocial.bsky.social is about to find out. By giving Canadians control over their data, their feeds, and more, they’re hoping to offer a viable alternative for American social media.

Today, my campaign is releasing our first policy planks to root out corruption and self-dealing in government. cammieforcongress.com/article/camm...

On Nov. 19th, we’re co-hosting Eurosky Live in Berlin! Europeans need control over European social media infrastructure, and next week we’re gathering entrepreneurs, technologists, policy-makers, and others towards developing a new, public interest digital ecosystem for Europe.

Like many small nonprofits, we’ve been experimenting with using AI tools so that we can focus on our mission of reinforcing human connections, conversations, and communities. We remain mindful of the harms and risks of AI, and have developed a set of guiding principles grounded in our values.

There’s a big gap between how people talk to their neighbors online, and how they want to — I can’t wait to share this survey. Looking forward to this conversation with my @newpublic.org co-founder @taliastroud.bsky.social on November 20th. RSVP to join

Hey, if you (yes you) have 5 minutes I could use your help -- we are doing a project on how social conversation online will be reshaped in the next couple of years, and would love to hear what you're seeing/thinking about!

The focus tends to be on the kids, but access to screens and technology have also profoundly changed parents, too. Our Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social says it’s important to stress that these are tools and give kids the credit and confidence to understand the bigger picture.

In the spirit of learning in public, we’re opening the door to how New_ Public has been thinking about and using AI. We break down our understanding of the risks, the values behind how we're using it in our work, and explain why we’re choosing to take on this technology as critics and not skeptics.

For the past few months at @newpublic.org we’ve been doing some thinking about where and why to use – and not use – AI tools. This AI policy is a first attempt to set some guiding principles. Very curious to hear folks’ thoughts on this first iteration.

I spent some time this summer working out of the Villager, the cafe owned by The Midcoast Villager in my hometown of Camden, ME. It was very cool to see the mix of Mainers, tourists, and Villager staffers all eating, working, and engaging together.

I've been working on this with our amazing team for five months now, and we're getting very close to sharing more about what we've been up to. I'm so excited.

How fast is artificial intelligence actually progressing? Are AI companies going to become pariahs (like social media companies before them)? When will we really feel genuine disruption? A dispatch from AI conference The Curve, by New_ Public Co-Director @eli.bsky.social

It won’t be easy, but we’re optimistic. People will always use a bridge — literal or figurative — if it gets them somewhere they need to or want to go. Learn more here. There’s much more to come, soon!

As part of our mission, we’re committed to building new online infrastructure to foster community and civic health. But what does that actually look like? Our Co-Directors, @eli.bsky.social and @deeptidoshi.bsky.social, often turn to IRL public infrastructure for inspiration. In this case, BRIDGES

This is so exciting – at @newpublic.org, we're looking forward to building in collaboration with a rich ecosystem of open-standards-based tooling to support healthy online spaces for local communities, and @roost.tools is so inspirational in that regard.

If you’re looking for a boost, here’s New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social’s excellent essay about having the freedom to live the kind of life you want to live. Deepti presents a vision for the future where technology makes people feel hopeful and less alone.

As mainstream social media platforms move further away from local news and community connection, local newsletters are stepping in to fill the gap. Friend of New_ Public Logan Elmore started his newsletter in Chattanooga, TN with the intention of going beyond news and inspiring community pride.

Thousands of people opined on the recovery from the LA fires using California's new digital democracy tool Engaged California. From climate resilience to restoring utilities, residents and survivors set the agenda and now it’s time for the state to take action. Check out the results so far!

How do you build digital spaces that actually strengthen communities? In this webinar with Healthy Places by Design, New_ Public Co-Director @deeptidoshi.bsky.social explains the Civic Signals, a framework for flourishing digital public spaces.

Traditionally, showing up at a town meeting has been a cornerstone of participatory democracy. Today, in person engagement isn’t always convenient or realistic. But California is showing that when people have the right tools, they are ready to have civil, thoughtful, and productive conversations.

Public media organizations are facing an existential threat — how can they not only survive this moment but emerge stronger? If you’re at Attention: Govern or be Governed, Friend of New_ Public Catherine Tait will be tackling this with @camposmello.bsky.social & @emilybell.bsky.social tomorrow.

In the age of AI, @arctictony.com argues that journalists and media organizations must tap into “The Archipelago of Trust”: the group chats, newsletters, and private networks that are grounded in connection and trust. At the core of that archipelago? People.

Rebuilding Los Angeles after the wildfires is a massive undertaking, but California is finding ways to keep survivors at the center of decisionmaking. As communities look toward recovery, the state's government is giving the public a digital forum to share their priorities and shape their future.

Both humbled and energized by folks’ support for my campaign. Here we go! #NJ11 newjerseyglobe.com/congress/cro...

📊 We want to hear from you! Our newsletter explores topics related to our mission of reimagining social media and building better digital spaces. We’ve linked some examples in the thread below. If you’re already subscribed (as you should be!), what do you want to see more of? Comment below!

We see some key parallels in the rise of social media platforms. Will we retread the same patterns, and will AI be built to maximize growth, engagement, and profit at all costs? Will AI transform everything about the social internet unrecognizably, with entirely different incentives and outcomes?

It’s time we talked about the elephant in the room. How we talk to each other online, where we get news and information, and how the internet shapes our lives and communities, is rapidly changing. Generative AI might rearrange everything we’re working toward.

Don’t forget! Tomorrow, join New_ Public’s Kasiana McLenaghan at the Public Interest Technology Career Summit, hosted by @stanford.edu’s PIT Lab and the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society. Register now ⬇️

Friends of New_ Public Deborah Tien and Josh Nesbit talk about why bringing agency, consent, purpose to our digital relationships — and leaning into the weird — can deepen our connections with people around us. Another inspiring conversation from Sam Pressler in Connective Tissue 💜

Have five minutes? Our own @joshpkramer.bsky.social has a lightning talk on Public Spaces Incubator and reconnecting public media to the public: “When you give up on hosting the conversation, and you cede it to these companies, what happens when they go crazy?”

Social media changed the game, and we’re seeing parallels in generative AI's potential to disrupt and transform. In this excerpt of their new book, Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders make some predictions about AI's impact on our democracy and remind us we still have agency to shape the outcome.