Thanks so much to @360info_global for the opportunity to publish this article, which is the second in a series of contributions from the @qutdmrc that set the scene ahead of the #ausvotes 2025 election. The first was this by @antmandan and @markandrejevic, and more are coming:
https://360info.org/dark-ads-challenge-truth-and-our-democracy/
Political inaction and big-tech’s reluctance to protect users leave Australians vulnerable to a murky world of digital misinformation going into the election. The rise of ‘dark advertising’ — personalised advertisements increasingly powered by artificial intelligence that evade public scrutiny — means Australians face a murky information landscape going into the federal election. It’s already happening […]
So, let nobody say we didn't warn them. But of course robust evidence and considered advice tends to lose out against a well-manufactured moral panic fanned by the media and exploited by politicians. Which reminds me – Stephen Harrington, @phoebematich, @antmandan, Eddy Hurcombe, @nadia_jude, and I also have a new article in Media International Australia:
'Twas the night before Xmas (meh, close enough), and over on the blog I've just posted my traditional update of what the team and I have been up to these last few months.
✅ Polarisation
✅ Practice Mapping
❌ Stupid Metaphors
❌ Even Stupider Policies
Been a busy year...
Still struggling for words, except these:
To all my friends in the US: much sympathy and love, and strength for the months and years to come. 💔
To everyone else: let’s renew the fight against fascism in all its forms wherever we see it rear its head in our own countries. ✊
👋 I have a fun unintended-batman 🦇 story of my friend to share:
There is a bank in Czechia that is known for its incompetence and bad customer service. But let's keept it anonymous and just call it Reiffeisen.
This bank is so bad that they closed my friend's personal account once because his name was also attached to a business account of one entity that decided to move to another bank.
The same friend eventually decided to go through the hassle of moving a bank and closed his account for good (voluntarily this time). He's been not their client for more than ~5 years when our story started.
*Phone rings
🧔: Yello
🏦: Hello, this is Raiffeisenbank. You've been our client at one point.
🧔: Correct, and I've never been happier since closing my account at yours.
🏦: Nice. So now we've been trying to open an account with a new client of ours, but our systems show that their phone number X is registered to your old account.
🧔: Yup, that's possible. I've given up that number years ago. So maybe it got recycled and someone else got it.
🏦: And now since the number is still registered to your account, we can't use it to setup new account for this client of ours.
🧔: Ok, sooo?
🏦: So would you be so kind and remove it from your account?
🧔: So you're telling me that if I don't do this, then this person won't be able to bank with you?
🏦: Exactly!
🧔: Excellent. If this is the only good deed I can do this year, then I'm more then happy to help with it!
🏦: So you're...
🧔: Absolutely never going to remove that phone number from my account. Preventing that poor soul from the dreadful experience of yours. Bye!
* Hangs up
#Banking #Banks #Reiffeisen #ReiffeisenBank #customerservice
Reflections after an epic #AoIR2024
People I cite in my work are real. With real people strengths and weaknesses, ups and (more often) downs.
Publications are conversations at a given time, exploring something we are curious about or taking small steps towards big changes.
Right now, we are all striving to build bridges for a good digital future. While we carry the ghosts of our past on our shoulders
Axel Bruns
Tama Leaver
Michal Bryxí 🌱
Ashwin Nagappa