Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has been quite divisive, and it’s sent many journalists fleeing to the hills. More than 1,300 journalists have set up a server on Mastodon, but dozens of servers have already blocked them. While the journalists want to reinvent what they had on Twitter, many existing Mastodon users consider their way of doing things to be toxic and an unwanted change to the server ecosystem. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
