Joshua Tucker

Platform-independent experiments on social media Changing algorithms with artificial intelligence tools can influence partisan animosity

@jennyallen.bsky.social and @jatucker.bsky.social
add a fantastic Perspective piece on the importance of platform-independent experiments on social media's impact on us: science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Strongly agree!

Joint work with @tiziano.bsky.social, @jiachenyan.bsky.social, Jeff Hancock, Jeanne Tsai, @mbernst.bsky.social

Link: doi.org/10.1126/scie...

And a very thoughtful perspective by @jennyallen.bsky.social and @jatucker.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1126/scie...

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New in Science: Reranking partisan animosity in algorithmic social media feeds alters affective polarization www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Key from @jennyallen.bsky.social @jatucker.bsky.social: (1) important new paradigm (2) but not clear why results differ
www.science.org/doi/full/10....

As generative AI becomes more accessible, synthetic political images are reshaping how people see and interpret events. One question remains: Do AI labels help the public navigate this environment?

Our new preprint, It Works When It Works, tests exactly that.
🔗 osf.io/preprints/so...

Two happy updates:
🎓 Defended my PhD at @eui-sps.bsky.social. Grateful to committee @eliasdinas.bsky.social, Dominik Hangartner,
@jatucker.bsky.social, and to my supervisor @mgoldenprof.bsky.social!
🇺🇸 Now in Palo Alto, starting my postdoc at Stanford CDDRL
@stanfordcddrl.bsky.social

So incredibly proud of my immensely talented daughter, who got a short story published!

whatiwanted.org/tucker.html

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🚨 What if intro political science textbooks were better and cheaper?

We built one:
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Help us spread the word! @rudalev.bsky.social & I are the editors!

Logo of JEPS with the hashtag OpenAccess, featuring large white text on a dark blue background.

#OpenAccess from @jepsjournal.bsky.social -

How Language Shapes Belief in Misinformation: A Study Among Multilinguals in #Ukraine - cup.org/4myrgDM

- @aaronerlich.bsky.social, @kevinaslett.bsky.social, Sarah Graham & @jatucker.bsky.social

#FirstView

AAUP President Denounces Planned Cuts at the University of Oregon The AAUP stands with the United Academics of the University of Oregon in protesting the administration's plan to slash multiple departments and programs and fire faculty.

AAUP President Todd Wolfson denounces planned academic cuts at the University of Oregon, laying out several concerns.

@uauoregon.bsky.social

🧵

Fascinating work from @jatucker.bsky.social and @csmapnyu.org looking at the effect of labeling images as AI on people’s beliefs about the provenance + veracity of that image. They also explore the implications of AI images not being labeled after seeing labeled images #PaCSS2025 #polnet2025

Research article "When Does Fame Not Matter? Examining Gender Differences in Politicians’ Social Media Experiences" by Maarja Lühiste, Stiene Praet, Sebastian Adrian Popa, Yannis Theocharis, Pablo Barberá, Zoltán Fazekas and Joshua A. Tucker, Abstract begins: Past research alerts to the increasingly unpleasant climate surrounding public debate on social media. Female politicians, in particular, are reporting serious attacks targeted at them. Yet, research offers inconclusive insights regarding the gender gap in online incivility. This paper aims to address this gap by comparing politicians with varying levels of prominence and public status in different institutional contexts. Using a machine learning approach for analyzing over 23 million tweets addressed to politicians in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we find little consistent evidence of a gender gap in the proportion of incivility.

📣Out on #FirstView 📣

In "When Does Fame Not Matter?" @maarja.bsky.social, Stiene Praet, Sebastian Adrian Popa, @yannistheocharis.bsky.social, Pablo Barberá, @zoltanfazekas.bsky.social & @jatucker.bsky.social conduct a cross-national study on online incivility.

polisky gendersky
buff.ly/vkcPI2Y

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Tired of overpriced political science textbooks?

We were too.

So we built A Political Science Experiment—a low-cost, high-quality, modular text for intro and comparative courses - edited by me and @rudalev.bsky.social

💻 All digital
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🌐 www.politicsexperiment.com
#HigherEd

I remember this one too!

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It’s not just cheaper. It’s smarter.

Our goal: lower barriers to high-quality political science education, everywhere.

Explore the text (and sign up as an instructor):
🌐 www.politicsexperiment.com

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Political Participation
🗳️ Elections, protests, and engagement across regimes
✍️ By S. Erdem Aytaç (Koç Univ.) & Susan Stokes (UChicago)

Clear frameworks + global examples = a must for intro courses.

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Political Economy
💰 How economics and politics shape one another
✍️ By Darin Christensen (UCLA) & Francisco Garfias (UCSD)

A tight, teachable chapter on development, inequality, and institutions.

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Check out some of our amazing chapters!

Ethnicity & Ethnic Politics
🌍 Identity, conflict, power
✍️ By Bethany Lacina (U. of Rochester)

Accessible enough for first-years, rich enough for upper-level debates. A sharp, relevant guide to group politics.

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You can teach a whole intro course—or just mix in chapters that work for you.

Instructors register free.
Students buy chapters for $1 each or get the full book for $14.

Institutions? Bulk purchasing available via @VitalSource or RedShelf.

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What makes it different?

✔️ Written by leading scholars
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It's affordable, flexible, and designed for real classrooms.

🌐 www.politicsexperiment.com

1/
Tired of overpriced political science textbooks?

We were too.

So we built A Political Science Experiment—a low-cost, high-quality, modular text for intro and comparative courses - edited by me and @rudalev.bsky.social

💻 All digital
📘 Just $1 per chapter
🌐 www.politicsexperiment.com
#HigherEd

‪@tiagoventura.bsky.social‬ + CDS-affiliated Jonathan Nagler & @jatucker.bsky.social tested a WhatsApp deactivation during Brazil’s 2022 election—blocking auto-downloads of images & videos reduced misinformation recall by ~0.4σ, but didn't change beliefs or polarization.

www.nyu.edu/about/news-p...

It was an honor and privilege to be part of this project. If you are teaching introductory courses in political science or any undergraduate courses, this is the textbook for you!

Congratulations to Dr. David McGrath!!

Thanks so much! Let us know if we can be of any help!

My textbook with Gwen Sharp and Patrick Sharkey is on its third edition. This fall our team is launching a Political Science book, edited by Josh Tucker and @rudalev.bsky.social

Thrilled to have this out in the world! Check it out (sociologists might find some of the chapters useful for teaching)

Amazing! Thrilled to hear it. Let us know if you have questions!

Thanks @alessandronai.bsky.social! Let us know if you have any questions! We're really excited about it as well!

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This isn’t just a cheaper textbook.
It’s a new model for teaching political science.

Affordable, expert-written, modular, and global.
Already being used in classrooms around the world.

🌐 www.politicsexperiment.com

#PoliticalScience #HigherEd #BlueSkyAcademic #TextbookReform

6/ 📺 Media & Political Info
By Christian Vaccari (Loughborough) @profvaccari.bsky.social

Two standout chapters on how media shapes political attitudes & behavior. A must-read for the digital age.