Abstract
What would social media look like if it were designed for sensemaking rather than engagement? We’re exploring this question with Semble, a platform where researchers curate shareable collections, create knowledge trails that others can build on, and discover relevant work through their network’s collective attention. Built on the AT Protocol, the open social networking protocol behind Bluesky, Semble offers researchers data portability and an open API designed for extension. We’ll discuss how Semble enables new kinds of research tooling, from living semantic citation graphs to collaborative review and annotation. We’ll also share how ATProto’s open data layer creates unique opportunities for studying and designing epistemic infrastructure — from observing how knowledge trails form across a network to experimenting with platform affordances that support collective sensemaking.
