Since there's a new wave of #AoIR folks on board, maybe it's time for a re-#Introduction. I'm Rob, and I've been studying alternative social media -- like the fediverse -- for over a decade now. I've published journal articles and op-eds about the alternatives. I've also written books about social media, the dark web, and disinformation/hacking. I live in Canada by the Great Lakes and I go to Michigan to be by... the Great Lakes. I like the lakes!