Ozean Political Blog
A political blog about digital media, data, research and consulting.
Federalist 10: The TL;DR in Gen Z Slang
Spend any time in academia, especially in higher ed, and you'll see that LLMs have taken over. Most students don't use them as aids. They use them as full replacements, outsourcing the work entirely. It's rampant. There's also a growing gap between students who can...
The Disapproval Dilemma: Why Unhappy Voters Don’t Always Switch or Hold Politicians Accountable
A conversation I recently had with a friend who is exasperated with the current political scene: "Politician X has abysmal approval ratings! Why don't they seem to care? Why aren't they terrified of the voters? Why does nothing change when voters clearly...
Do You Have a Nose for Nonsense? Science Says Some People Fall for ‘Pseudo-Profound Bullshit’
Ever scroll through social media and come across a post that sounds incredibly profound, only to read it again and realize it makes absolutely no sense? You're not alone. These are examples of what researchers call "pseudo-profound bullshit." (like a quote over a...
Mind Over Masses: Why Your CRAZY Uncle Won’t Change His Mind, But the Country Might Shift Opinions
I am told that the best political discussions come while sharing a beer. Let’s test that theory. I was having a beer with a political science student, and the topic was how difficult it is to change minds in the hyper-partisan atmosphere. We went through the...
Social Media, Deepfakes, Lies and the Perception of Truth: Why We Believe Deepfakes
Deepfakes are more than Donald Trump's foot fetish for Elon or Joe Biden playing video games with a hall of Presidents; they are way more than just some Internet novelty act. These AI-generated videos (the subject of this week’s study, mimic people, making them...
Using AI to Simulate Congress – It’s a Whole New World
A recent discussion about AI and virtual agents led to an intriguing question: Could they be trained to predict public opinion? There are companies attempting to train agents by census data, voter files, and other assorted data then spinning them up and polling the...
Fake News and the Sleeper Effect: Why Misinformation Lingers in Memory
Ever shared a post only to realize later it was fake news? You’re not alone, and psychology explains why. The “sleeper effect,” a phenomenon where a message’s influence grows over time as its source fades from memory, has gained new relevance in the age of social...
Preparing the Political Environment Before Introducing A Policy Change
When I was a young, student leader at the University of Florida, I had an eye-opening experience during a meeting with a Congressperson in D.C. I had meticulously prepared my case for a legislative change affecting students and felt confident as the discussion...
Campaigns, Ads, and Experiments: How Political Science Meets Persuasion
The new edition of the American Political Science Review (Feb 2024) published a study that I was extremely excited to read. It explores political ads and persuasion—those annoying little things on which millions of dollars are spent, and for the most part, are written...
The Audacious Public Affairs Playbook: What Bold Tactics Are Being Used
In political theory, two dominant models attempt to explain how power and public policy are shaped within a democracy. The first is pluralism, the idea that a diverse array of interest groups competes within the political arena, with policies emerging as a compromise...
Can AI Change Minds in a Polarized Electorate?
Rarely do I read an academic study that terrifies me. Well...unfortunately my colleague sent me a study that sent chills down my spine. The future is here, and we aren't likely to be prepared for it. As we have written before, persuasion is hard. If you’ve ever...
The Hero’s Journey in Politics: Lightsabers, Wands, and Brooms
"Ok, enough about polarization. Got anything else?" Leave it to a friend to let you know when you’ve beaten a dead horse. Fine, I went to see Wicked last weekend with my daughter, wife, and another 50 or so theater kids. As is tradition, I leaned over during the show...