@disconetwork
Envisioning an anti-racist + anti-ableist digital future. Housed within @umichdigital.bsky.social. PIs: @lnakamura.bsky.social, Rayvon Fouché, @remiyergeau.bsky.social, & @steelecat717.bsky.social https://linktr.ee/thedisconetwork
Today! Remi will be reading responses for me and I’ll come off mute for Q+A. This helps me retain my voice because I have laryngeal spasms. Really grateful for conveners that took my access needs into consideration so that I could participate in my first panel since 2023. ❤️
Last call y'all! Join us this afternoon at 4:00 PM [ET] ‼️
To register and learn more about each of our panelists, visit: myumi.ch/R35pz & hey! If you're coming in-person, four of our DISCO staff just walked several boxes of sandwiches down State Street-- come on by and get some food 🥪🥤
Anita Say Chan writes incisively about the ledger in Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future. luminosoa.org/chapters/225...
This event will be held both in-person on U-M's Ann Arbor campus and online via Zoom, for more info: myumi.ch/n1zqb
As always: we strive to make our events accessible, if you find yourself needing assistance or accommodations reach out to Eric Mancini @ dsi-administration@umich.edu
Two weeks from today! @umichdigital.bsky.social
Interested in exploring the throughline between the 19th century's anti-immigration & eugenics movements and today's sprawling systems of surveillance & algorithmic discrimination?
Join the conversation at 3:00 PM [ET] on Tuesday, March 24th
Tried power mapping with my big lecture class and was pleased with the way it went. The assignment is here if you're interested in the logistics of it. docs.google.com/presentation...
New paper: "Opportunities, challenges, and conspicuous absences: An integrative review of the social work literature on artificial intelligence." For a special issue of critical perspectives on technology and social work. Check it out: anzswjournal.nz/anzsw/articl...
#SocialWork #SWTech #CriticalAI
Rediscover pioneering works of feminism from leading writers including Kathi Weeks, Vron Ware, and Michele Wallace!
Feminist Classics are 30% off until March 13th.
We can't wait for this afternoon's talk 🪩❤️🔥 Wanted to hop into this thread to add: no worries on not being able to join today, Terri! We'll be posting a full recording with captions and links to referenced materials/resources on Tuesday, March 24th!
(our YouTube channel: @ DISCONetwork 📽️🎬)
JSTOR article page displayed on a tablet against a red background, with accessibility settings open showing text size set to 16px and a screen reader toggle option.
What does #accessibility look like across higher education right now?
In our latest blog post, Jennifer Saville explores how public colleges and universities are preparing for ADA Title II and embedding accessibility into everyday digital workflows.
Read the full post: https://bit.ly/4sMPmO7
Call for International Doctoral Students: Short-Term Research Visit at the Social Media Lab socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/24/c...
"Join Our Research Team! @SMLabTO is Hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow" socialmedialab.ca/2026/03/04/p...
Sad you couldn't make it to this event? Wish you could hear specific quotes again? 🔥💫 The full recording will be posted on our YouTube channel (DISCONetwork) on Thursday, March 12th at 11:00 AM [ET]!
Graphic for "Content Creation & the End of Social Media," each half of the title is in bolded white text in the upper righthand and lower lefthand corners. Four video call participants' windows are in a staggered formation against abstract gold starburst shapes and a dark blue gradient background. Clockwise from top left: a person with long black hair and hoop earrings appears thoughtful, listening while cupping their chin; a person with long brown hair sits in front of shelves arranged with rainbow-colored books; a person smiles widely with their tattooed hand resting under their chin, seated in front of a floating bookshelf; and a person with dark hair in a bun speaks in front of a wall filled with colorful, decorative garlands.
To all who attended "Content Creation & the End of Social Media" last week, ty for such an insightful afternoon w/ Crystal Abidin, @brookeerinduffy.bsky.social @kelechnekoff.bsky.social & @steelecat717.bsky.social!!
We felt connected, learned so much, & sincerely appreciated everyone who joined 🌐🌌
#OutNow in #iCS
In this article, Catalina Farías analyses TikTok beauty filters as part of platformed racism, tracing how Latinidad is stylised, normalised, and contested in algorithmic environments.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Of course! More than happy to help 🪩🌟
Our Critical Data Studies group at @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social has a few talks this semester:
March 27th: Jonathan Gray: Public Data Cultures
April 1st: Amelia Acker: Archiving Machines: A Material History of Data Storage
April 29th: Sophie Bishop: Influencer Creep
See eventbrites below
Yes indeed they are!
All of our panels in this series (Voices in Protest, full playlist linked below) are edited and posted to YouTube with captions
"Content Creation and the End of Social Media" will premiere on our channel on Thursday, March 12th
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Yes indeed they are!
All of our panels in this series (Voices in Protest, full playlist linked below) are edited and posted to YouTube with captions
"Content Creation and the End of Social Media" will premiere on our channel on Thursday, March 12th
youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Last call everyone-- register and join us on Zoom for a conversation about "Content Creation and the End of Social Media" later this afternoon at 4:00 PM [ET]
🌟🎤 moderated by DISCO's own @steelecat717.bsky.social (Director, @bcatlab.bsky.social)
🔗💻 myumi.ch/g3Xxq
Join us online TODAY at 12 pm ET! (Please note corrected time)
🌿 The Digital X Climates network has officially launched 🌎
Led by colleagues in the Department of Digital Humanities, the network advances research and public engagement on the entanglements of digital technologies with environmental, social and political ecologies.
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/digital...
As always:
This event is open to the public; we encourage all interested faculty & under/graduate students to attend!!
We strive to make our events accessible to all participants. CART live-captioning services will be provided. If you anticipate needing assistance, please email chericec@umich.edu 📩
☀️🪟 Happening Tomorrow! 🪟☀️
Is social media still social? Where is the space for sociality in social media?
Is content creation a business, political strategy, pastime, or somehow all of the above at once?
Explore these questions w/ us tmrw on Zoom at 4:00 PM ET
Register/info: myumi.ch/g3Xxq
Can you believe it? Our upcoming community panel "Against Surveillance & Spectacle" is just TWO WEEKS AWAY! ❤️🔥🌟
We're very much looking forward to hearing this remarkable group's insights on building resistance to tech-mediated oppression-- join the conversation on Zoom 🖥️
More info: myumi.ch/R35pz
Following a successful pilot cycle in 2025, the open call for applications will launch in June 2026.
🔗Learn what the CGCF grant program supports, who can apply, and how to prepare for the open call: ow.ly/VFBq50Yl9gV
#CommonGoodCyberFund #Cybersecurity #DigitalSecurity
Update: so sorry folks, but we've received word this event is no longer happening this afternoon!! ❌🗓️ We apologize for the short notice & will provide updates as we receive them, thank you for your grace & @michacard.bsky.social for working w/ us
At the top, a dark blue banner with bold white text reads "meet the speakers." Below that is the main section, featuring a photo of Crystal Abidin, a person with long, straight hair smiling and standing against a white background. Three paragraphs to the right of her photo detail Abidin's professional background. At the bottom, another dark blue banner reads, "Crystal Abidin is Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University and Director of the Influencer Ethnography Research Lab." The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a mustard yellow box with the text. Transcribed text: Abidin is a digital anthropologist and ethnographer of vernacular internet cultures, researching influencer cultures, attention economies, and social media pop cultures especially in the Asia Pacific region. She has published over 250 articles/chapters, 16 special issues, 5 authored books, and 4 edited books, including Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online (2018, Emerald Publishing), Instagram: Visual Social Media Cultures (co-authors Leaver & Highfield, 2020, Polity), and tumblr: Curation, Creativity and Community (co-authors Tiidenberg & Hendry, 2022, Polity). Her newest books are TikTok and Youth Cultures (2025, Emerald Publishing) and Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame (2025, Polity).
At the top, a dark blue banner with bold white text reads "meet the speakers." Below that is the main section, featuring a photo of Brooke Erin Duffy, a person with dark brown hair smiling, facing the camera at a three-quarters angle against a gray background. To the right of her photo, four paragraphs detail Duffy's professional background. At the bottom, another dark blue banner reads, "Brooke Erin Duffy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University." The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a mustard yellow box with the text. Transcribed text: Duffy is a member of the Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies faculty. Her research interests include digital and social media industries; gender, identity, and inequality; and the impact of new technologies on creative work and labor. She's the author of two monographs on gender and cultural production, including (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love: Gender, Social Media, and Aspirational Work (Yale UP, 2017), which draws upon research with fashion bloggers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers to explore the culture and politics of digital labor. In addition, she is co-author of the newly released book Platforms & Cultural Production (Polity, 2021).
At the top, a dark blue banner with bold white text reads "meet the speakers." Below that is the main section, featuring a close-up photo of Kelechi Okafor, a person with short dark brown hair and gold hoops. To the right of her photo, five paragraphs detail Kelechi's professional background. At the bottom, another dark blue banner reads, "Kelechi Okafor is a British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist, writer, presenter, actor, and political commentator." The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a mustard yellow box with the text. Transcribed text: Kelechi is the creator and host of the podcast Say Your Mind, with more than 280 episodes exploring self-reclamation through an unflinching critique of society. Kelechi has written books for children, young adults, and adults, often engaging themes of Black identity, power, surveillance, and systemic injustice. Her work extends beyond literature and media into political commentary and social advocacy, with a particular focus on issues affecting Black women. She is known for her sharp critiques of institutional racism and performative activism, consistently calling for material change and accountability. In 2025, she released her speculative novel Awakened. Her upcoming young adult novel, Are You Still Watching?, will be published on 10 September 2026. Through her artistic and social practice, Kelechi continues to create transformative spaces, challenge dominant narratives, and amplify marginalised voices.
At the top, a dark blue banner with bold white text reads "meet the moderator." Below that is the main section, featuring a close-up photo of Catherine Knight Steele, a person with short curls wearing a black turtleneck and smiling widely up at the camera. To the right of her photo, three paragraphs detail Steele's professional background. At the bottom, another dark blue banner reads, "Catherine Knight Steele is an Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland - College Park." The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a mustard yellow box with the text. Transcribed text: Steele was the Founding Director of the Andrew W. Mellon funded African American Digital Humanities Initiative (AADHum). Her research focuses on race, gender, and media, with a specific emphasis on African American culture and discourse in traditional and new media. She examines representations of marginalized communities in the media and how groups resist oppression and utilize online technology to create spaces of community.
More about our talented group of panelists below, we're looking forward to connecting virtually & hearing all of their insightful commentary about the end of social media 🪩🌐
@brookeerinduffy.bsky.social @kelechnekoff.bsky.social @steelecat717.bsky.social @bcatlab.bsky.social
Promotional graphic for DISCO's event "Content Creation and the End of Social Media" on Thursday, February 26, 2026, 4:00 - 5:30 PM EST on Zoom. The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a nighttime highway scene. A starburst shape in the bottom right includes text announcing the featured speakers: Crystal Abidin, Brooke Erin Duffy, and Kelechi Okafor in conversation with Catherine Knight Steele. Dominating the center of the poster is the event title in bold white text. Two logos for the DISCO Network and BCaT Lab feature in the upper righthand corner.
At the top, a dark blue banner features bold white text reads "about the event." Below that, the main body of text includes the full description centered in white. At the bottom, another dark blue banner states, "This event is virtual only." The background consists of subtle grid lines and small dots overlaying a mustard yellow box with the event description. Transcribed text: Is social media still social? With the spread of content creation as a business, political strategy, and pastime across platforms, where is the space for sociality in social media? This panel examines the role of engagement farming, influencer culture, misinformation, disinformation, and AI in reshaping social media as a creator economy. In a digital landscape where we all serve as content creators and/or unwitting sources of valuable data, we explore whether social media is still a desirable avenue for forming and cultivating community, engaging in organizing strategies, or simply being social. This event is open to the public, and we encourage all interested faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to attend.
IN ONE WEEK:
Join us via Zoom for "Content Creation and the End of Social Media" next Thursday, February 24th from 4:00 - 5:30 PM [ET]
🌟🎤 Ft. Crystal Abidin, Brooke Erin Duffy, & Kelechi Okafor in conversation w/ Catherine Knight Steele
💻🔗 Learn more by visiting the link in our bio or myumi.ch/g3Xxq
