Paul Byron

The Digital Intimacies Conference started yesterday with the presentation of the enriching work done by @jessicaringrose.bsky.social
Today @paulibyron.bsky.social is sharing “Rethinking mental health, care and friendship through Tiktok’s resonance”👏🏻
Follow us on Instagram for real-time updates!🩷

wow already received like 40~ suggestions. keep em coming!

What it's like to be a Middle East Studies professor in 2025 Basically, it sucks. Last week, Tuft's Dan Drezner and my GW colleague Dave Karpf published really good pieces on what it's like to be, respectively, a dean of international affairs and a professor o...

What it’s like to be a Middle East Studies Professor in fall 2025 - my new post surveys the field, and my colleagues.

Basically it sucks and it’s getting worse. But we haven’t given up.

abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/what-its-lik...

🔥 Excited to share some great news 🔥
Our article 'Teletherapy Matters – Mental health and materialities of care in domestic more-than-digital assemblages' co-authored by @dalupton.bsky.social & myself, has just been published in Social Science & Medicine. #OpenAccess link: doi.org/10.1016/j.so...

Columbia punishes students involved in pro-Palestinian protest It comes as Columbia seeks a deal with the Trump administration to reinstate millions in federal funding.

Columbia just expelled or suspended 80 students for protesting in favor of Palestinian rights. Suspended students can only be readmitted if they "apologize"--otherwise the suspension converts to an expulsion.

www.axios.com/2025/07/22/c...

New rules will radically change the way we use the internet in Australia – and not just social media | Sam Floreani A new age verification code will soon apply to search engines, with huge implications for privacy and inclusion

new writing from me about age verification and content moderation beyond social media. with endless thanks to @kgt.bsky.social @drwaus.bsky.social @katha.bsky.social @antmandan.bsky.social Zahra Stardust @lucinda-nelson.bsky.social whose research and advocacy continue to inform my thinking

For any mob interested, please participate.

Queer and trans influential peers: Negotiating platforms for community care - Paul Byron, Tisha Dejmanee, 2025 Many LGBTQ+ people offer community support on social media, including for young people facing mental health challenges. We interviewed five Australian queer and...

Pleased to share a new paper from me & Tisha Dejmanee on queer & trans influential peers. Thanks to @jngardiner.bsky.social for research support, @jinlee.bsky.social for encouraging us at ANZCA many moons ago, and our wonderful participants! ❤️ journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

"This is a call to health workers: betray your training when it demands cruelty. If it means someone gets what they need to live—betray your bosses, your licensing board, your EMR .. Care is not your credential, it’s your calling." @reallandsend.bsky.social blindarchive.substack.com/p/where-is-t...

This (completely anonymous) form was sent out by HHS for NIH staffers to fill out, asking them to report on any Biden-era DEI practices they felt were discriminatory. Does anyone have thousands and thousands of responses to this request? forms.office.com/g/HXGhXVdGKZ...

Digital Intimacies 11 The Love of Machines

CFP is out for the next (11th) Digital Intimacies symposium, hosted by @liksamchan.bsky.social at USyd, Dec 3-5. The theme is The Love of Machines & abstracts are due by Aug 29. I'm very happy to be part of the organising committee. Send us your abstracts! digitalintiamcies11.wordpress.com

My PhD framework is now LIVE!

We co-designed 5 recommendations for improving social media health communication to young people, with young people and health orgs📱

🔗: www.sydneyhealthliteracylab.org.au/social-media-comms-for-young-people-framework

#AcademicSky #PhDSky #PhDSky #PublicHealth 🦘🎓

To proceed to the survey, please check off the box and click the button below.

Alright everyone, one last push.

If you or anyone you know is:
- LGBTQ+
- 13-24 years old
- In the US

Trevor Project is recruiting responses for their survey on LGBTQ+ mental health.

It has HUGE impacts on policy, please take it and share widely if you can :)

trvr.org/survey2025

First, Israel cut Gaza’s last internet cable—blacking out 2.3 million people.

Then it bombed Iran with no UN approval, no imminent threat.

As eyes shift to Iran, Israel will escalate its ethnic cleansing in Gaza—and create more regional instability.

Join us for this upcoming virtual panel organized by INQYR! This event features Dr. Shelley Craig, Dr. Lauren McInroy, Dr. Dane Marco Di Cesare, Dr. Ignacio Lozano-Verduzco, Dr. Yael Perry, and Dr. Liam Cahill. Reserve your ticket at mobilizinghope.eventbrite.com (1/6)

Relooted on Steam Reclaim real African artifacts from Western museums in this Africanfuturist heist game. Recruit crew members, plan escape routes, acquire the precious cargo, and bounce out of the joint as fast as you...

African developers make a game where African characters steal back actual artefacts that are actually kept in Western museums and private collections while teaching you about the artefacts. This looks awesome.

Every person on Bluesky should know:
* Every post on Bluesky is PUBLIC forever
* Every post on Bluesky is archived by ICE, NSA, and many other agencies
* Even if you delete a post, it’s already been captured
* Judges don’t care if you were “kidding” or being ironic

www.404media.co/the-200-site...

PDF zine: But what can I do? How to fight the trans panic This is the latest version of a zine I have distributed at wormboys gigs over the last couple of years. I’ve recently updated it to address recent events, including the April 2025 Supreme Cou…

I made a new zine! It's full of advice on how allies can work alongside trans people to take action in the current moment, lovingly cut-and-pasted over the words of my enemies. Plus lots of nice pictures and memes.

Available as a free PDF! Read online or print your own copy! Share with everyone!

Research Fellow - School of Psychology - 105743 - Grade 7 The post holder will create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within a specific research project funded by the NIHR Research Programme for Soci...

🚨 We're recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an NIHR-funded study exploring mental health help-seeking among care-experienced young people in England.

📅 Deadline: 01/06/2025
🔗 More details here: shorturl.at/EK0YD

Please share with your networks!

🥳📣 Call for abstracts: Special Issue of JQTSIE:
"Critical Approaches to Queering STEM Education"
edited by @drjgutz.bsky.social & @ftmathteacher.bsky.social!
Abstracts are due SOON: May 30, 2025! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
www.jqtsie.com
@kamdenstrunk.bsky.social @drantonioduran.bsky.social @sashelton.bsky.social

Have a writing project you're working on? If you'll be at #ICA25, let's chat!

I'm offering 20-minute meetings to talk about your writing project. You can schedule yours right now!

The link is below in my last newsletter and is free with a signup ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

www.indeliblevoice.com/newsletters/...

In awe of the bravery of college students standing up for Palestinian lives in their graduation speeches knowing they can have their degree withheld for the apparent sin of asserting that human beings shouldn’t be murdered indiscriminately

Gaza Faces Worsening Famine as Israel Allows Only 9 Aid Trucks out of 500 Needed Daily After 80 Days of Siege - Quds News Network Israel will allow only nine aid trucks into Gaza after nearly 80 days of total siege, Israeli media reported Monday. The decision comes as more than 2.4 million Palestinians face worsening famine. Gaz...

Israel will allow only nine aid trucks into Gaza after nearly 80 days of total siege. The decision comes as more than 2.4 million Palestinians face worsening famine.

Gaza requires over 500 trucks of humanitarian aid every day to meet basic needs.
qudsnen.co/gaza-faces-w...

I Used 'Cover Your Tracks' to See What's Following Me Online, and Yikes Cover Your Tracks is a website created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to test your browser's privacy protections. I thought I was pretty private online, but this test showed otherwise.

When @lifehacker.com’s Jake Peterson used EFF’s Cover Your Tracks to find out how his browser stacked up, he was surprised to find out that his super-private setup wasn't as anonymous as he thought.

Job Opportunity at the University of Lincoln: Research Assistant - Discovering Liveability Project An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Assistant (plus PhD tuition fees) to join the Discovering Liveability: Co-producing alternatives to suicide prevention project. You will be joining an...

Job Opportunity!💡We’re looking for a Research Assistant to join the #DiscoveringLiveability team in Lincoln 🔍 In addition to a salary, this 5 year role is accompanied by tuition for a part-time Social Sciences PhD programme at the University of Lincoln. To find out more, click on the link below:

Google Worried It Couldn’t Control How Israel Uses Project Nimbus, Files Reveal Internal Google documents show that the tech giant feared it wouldn’t be able to monitor how Israel might use its technology to harm Palestinians.

NEW: I obtained two internal Google reports that indicate the company has little control over Project Nimbus, its contract with the Israeli gov/military, and is largely in the dark about how it's being used. theintercept.com/2025/05/12/g...

The DIY Dumbphone Method In Jan 2024, I gave my smartphone a lobotomy. Here's the how and the results.

from @caseyjohnston.bsky.social, worth considering

Class War Reading List In celebration of May Day—international workers' day—and the radical history of the working class, we've put together this Class War Reading List. All of these books are 40% Off until the end of ...

We made a class war reading list for you.

Introducing our keynote speakers! 🎤

🌈 Paul Byron (UTS, Sydney) explores digital cultures of care, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth.

📚 Professor Jessica Ringrose (UCL, London) researches teens, social media, and postdigital feminism.

We can’t wait to hear their insights!
#DIGIT2025 #Conference

This event is happening tomorrow! Make sure you don’t miss out on this amazing conversation by registering at lu.ma/opzbgs46