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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20261007T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20261010T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
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SUMMARY:4S 2026 Toronto: TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures
DESCRIPTION:The 50th Anniversary for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S): calls for presentations\, panels\, and adjacent gatherings that engage our theme of TechnoPower. Science\, technology\, and innovation are not neutral; as STS scholars\, we understand them as socially\, culturally\, and economically constructed and deeply entangled with a specific form of technoscientific power. The theme emphasizes that money and wealth are increasingly shaping our technoscientific futures\, raising urgent analytical and normative questions about how to reclaim power from “tech” billionaires and oligarchs. At this critical juncture\, our task is not only to critique and demystify technoscience but also transform how others perceive and engage with technoscience. From the reinforcement of harmful value(s) systems to the assetization of knowledge and the erosion of ecological and social justice\, a specifically technoscientific capitalism has embedded market logics and elite control into our knowledge institutions\, innovation choices\, and into technological change itself. Yet\, as we also know so well\, technoscience is always contested\, and STS offers plural and grounded alternatives to understanding and reframing technoscience\, from citizen science to community engagement in innovation to Indigenous knowledge. A key challenge now is to accelerate our interventions into public\, policy\, and political debate by using our empirical\, analytical\, and normative tools to shift technoscientific futures away from the dictates of a wealthy few towards a technoscience that fosters collective wellbeing\, justice\, and sustainability. \nClick here to learn more and register to attend by August 31\, 2o26.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/4s-2026-toronto-technopower-technoscientific-futures/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Conference
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261009T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261009T150000
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260925T155833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260925T155833Z
UID:517922-1791554400-1791558000@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Refuse\, Resist\, Repair: Making Critical Moves in the Times of AI | DISCO Network
DESCRIPTION:A.I. is inevitable — at least\, that is what we would be led to believe from the nonstop media coverage\, podcast interviews with tech billionaires\, and the advertisements interspersed in our TikTok and Reels doomscrolling sessions. But what does it mean to bring a critical eye to Generative A.I.? Why should the average person care about how their data is used to fuel these systems? Who does the labor that makes them work? And what impact will this push to incorporate A.I. in the classroom\, healthcare\, politics\, and pop culture have on us as a society and on our environment? This panel considers three possibilities: refusal\, resistance\, and repair as responses to A.I.’s creep into our daily lives. \nThis event is open to the public\, and we encourage all interested faculty\, graduate students\, and undergraduate students to attend.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/refuse-resist-repair-making-critical-moves-in-the-times-of-ai-disco-network/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Webinar
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261012T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261014T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260724T170745Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260724T170745Z
UID:517179-1791763200-1792022399@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2026 IDeaS Conference | Governing the Digital Age: AI\, Platforms\, and Online Harms Policy
DESCRIPTION:Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Information Democracy & Social–cybersecurity (IDeaS)  is hosting a conference focused on policy challenges emerging from the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and digital platforms. Advances in AI systems\, shifts in platform governance\, and the scale and speed of online communication are transforming how information is produced\, distributed\, and consumed. At the same time\, online harms – including illegal\, abusive\, and deceptively manipulated content – are increasingly linked to offline social and economic outcomes\, with significant implications for democratic institutions and communities. This conference asks: How are AI systems and platforms governed today? Who is responsible for mitigating digital harms? What policy frameworks can balance innovation\, accountability\, and public trust? \nIDeaS will bring together academics\, policymakers\, industry practitioners\, and civil society leaders to evaluate the state of the field\, identify gaps in current approaches\, and share insights to inform future research and policy. Participants will engage with topics such as AI governance\, platform regulation\, online harms policy\, and the real-world impacts of digital systems. \nThe conference will include: invited panels\, regular talks\, and posters. There will also be an opportunity for those interested in demoing their technologies or proposed policies. Teams are invited to submit their proposed solutions to a timely policy challenge concerning AI overviews in web search results. Submissions should be uploaded via EasyChair by August 21st\, 2026.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/2026-ideas-conference-governing-the-digital-age-ai-platforms-and-online-harms-policy/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20261014T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20261017T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260803T165313Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260803T165313Z
UID:517379-1791936000-1792281599@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) 2026
DESCRIPTION:AoIR 2026 — Mexico City\n\nWe are thrilled to be in Mexico City\, Mexico for AoIR2026! #AoIR2026 will be held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Mexico City\, from October 14th to 17th\, 2026. It will also be AoIR’s second bilingual conference\, after last year’s successful piloting in Niteroí\, Brazil. \nThis Year’s Theme: Regenerations\nRegeneration(s) opens us up to exploring deeper processes of technological\, cultural\, political\, artistic\, and infrastructural renewal. Online cultures are born\, mature\, decay\, and are reborn in slightly different forms; generations of internet researchers train and mentor each other; new ideas and approaches emerge. Regeneration here is not simply understood as technological repair or sustainability\, but as a relational and ethical process grounded in ongoing responsibilities to land\, peoples\, data\, and communities; Regeneration is cyclical and inseparable from complex histories of resistance as a counterweight to the logics of optimization and maximization that characterize the tech industry. \nGeneration and generativity as productive capacities are also contested processes and capacities as AI companies try to frame generativity as automation\, reproduction\, and passivity at scale. The challenge then is to generate technical\, political\, and communal imagination and maps that allow us to articulate embodied\, alternative\, and active generative futures around collective technological use. This also offers an opportunity to think seriously about how our scholarly networks themselves are generated\, regenerated\, and maintained. \nThis year’s conference is co-hosted by scholars and institutions in both Mexico City/CDMX\, MX\, and Los Angeles\, CA\, two cities with complex and entangled histories. Although they are often thought of as distinct worlds – one\, the historic capital of México\, and the other\, a paradigmatic U.S. metropolis molded by migration\, sprawl\, and imagination. Both historically and now\, they are inextricably tied; from colonial and imperial trade routes to cross-border familial legacies\, to twentieth century labor markets and migration. Turning colonial historical narratives on their heads\, Chicano activists of the 1960s and 70s reminded the world with an insistent rallying cry\, “the border crossed us.” \nIn recent years\, both have seen unprecedented investment from tech companies expanding infrastructure and the transformation of core industries and craft by the increasing encroachment of AI\, even as both cities struggle with severe drought and other environmental and economic consequences hastened by legacies of resource extraction. Mexico City/CDMX has also experienced challenges posed by a significant influx of so-called “digital nomads\,” particularly from the North. Worsening gentrification and an ever-growing population of non-Spanish speakers have sparked a backlash\, pushing back against displacement and economic stratification. Los Angeles\, too\, has been subject to the crisis of housing affordability and gentrification\, a perennial issue exacerbated by the tech hubs like Silicon Beach. It is against these backdrops and complex\, intertwined but distinct histories and cultures that we invite the AoIR global community of internet scholars to participate in this conference. \n\n\n\nClick here to learn more and register to attend. Standard registration is available from August 1 through October 14.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/association-of-internet-researchers-aoir-2026/
LOCATION:Hyatt Regency Mexico City\, Campos Eliseos No. 204 Polanco Chapultepec\, Mexico City\, 11560\, Mexico
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261020T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260922T181840Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260922T181840Z
UID:517908-1792454400-1792540799@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Call for Papers: Oxford Intersections - Social Media and Language
DESCRIPTION:In 2025\, Oxford University Press launched a new type of resource: Oxford Intersections. Oxford Intersections reflects the critical role that peer-reviewed interdisciplinary research plays in helping policy- and decision-makers tackle the world’s most complex and urgent environmental\, cultural\, political\, and social challenges. \nTopics of Interest: We invite abstracts (by Oct. 20) for the Social Media and Language section of the Social Media in Society and Culture Intersection. This section brings together and promotes cutting-edge research from varied methodological and theoretical perspectives to explore how online users employ language and other semiotic resources creatively and strategically — including everyday communication\, entertainment\, activism\, influence\, and conflict — while addressing the evolving roles of digital environments\, AI\, and algorithms in shaping discourse and negotiating identities and ideologies in digital spaces. \nAuthorship: Oxford Intersections welcomes contributors from diverse backgrounds\, spanning disciplines\, institutions\, geographies\, and career stages. Authors may include researchers\, academics\, professionals\, practitioners\, and PhD students. Authors must hold a research degree (master’s or higher). \nSubmission Guidelines: Manuscripts should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. If accepted\, articles should run between 6\,000-10\,000 words and will be rigorously peer-reviewed before publication. \nKey Dates: \n\nAbstract Submission Deadline: October 20\, 2026\nNotification of Acceptance of Abstract: November 5\, 2026\nFinal Manuscript Due: February 20\, 2026\n(Early submissions are welcome.)\n\nMore about Oxford Intersections:  \nOxford Intersections is indexed in major academic databases including EBSCO and ProQuest\, with Scopus indexing forthcoming. The Social Media and Language section\, like the other sections of the Social Media in Society and Culture Intersection\, is not a handbook or an encyclopedia; it consists of original research articles\, of a similar length to journal articles but within a unique planned structure designed to utilize the digital medium to bring together all the intersecting and cross-connected aspects of a deeply interdisciplinary subject\, under the larger umbrella. Accepted manuscripts will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure academic standards and relevance to the overall ethos of the Intersections project. They will be posted online as the final versions are accepted\, meaning authors will not need to wait for other contributors. Please see more here: https://academic.oup.com/intersections/pages/about \nSection Editors:  \n\nCynthia Gordon\, Georgetown University\nHanwool Choe\, University of Hong Kong\nAlla Tovares\, Howard University\n\n\nTo be considered\, submit abstracts of no more than 500 words with your CV to Cynthia Gordon at the e-mail address listed below.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/call-for-papers-oxford-intersections-social-media-and-language/
CATEGORIES:Call for Paper or Proposal
ORGANIZER;CN="Oxford Intersections":MAILTO:gordonc@georgetown.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20261021T000000
DTEND;TZID=Africa/Johannesburg:20261022T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260728T194027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T194027Z
UID:517334-1792540800-1792713599@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2026 Africa Facts Summit
DESCRIPTION:The fifth edition of the Africa Facts Summit will take place on 21 – 22 October 2026 in Johannesburg\, South Africa – bringing together fact-checkers\, journalists\, researchers\, technologists\, policymakers\, and civil society actors at a critical moment for information integrity on the continent. \nA critical moment for information integrity\n\n\nThe 2026 summit comes at a defining moment. Across the globe\, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools\, increasingly sophisticated coordinated disinformation networks\, rising digital fraud and scams and escalating geopolitical influence campaigns\, are fundamentally reshaping online information spaces. Africa is not insulated from these forces. On the continent\, they continue to intersect with elections\, conflict\, public health communication and declining public trust in institutions and media – with real consequences for communities\, democracies and lives. \nIt is against this backdrop that the Africa Facts Summit has grown into an essential space for reflection\, collaboration and practical problem-solving. Now in its fifth year\, the summit convenes a growing\, cross-continental community of organisations working across languages\, regions and disciplines to build public resilience to misinformation and disinformation. \nWhat to expect\n\n\nThe 2026 programme will feature panel discussions\, workshops\, presentations and interactive sessions exploring the most pressing issues shaping the information ecosystem today. Key themes include: \n\nThe impact of artificial intelligence on information integrity\nDisinformation networks and platform accountability\nElections and democratic resilience\nForeign influence operations\nMedia literacy and public trust\nThe long-term sustainability of the information integrity sector\n\n“Information integrity work has become increasingly interconnected with broader questions about democracy\, technology\, public trust and civic participation\,” said Hlalani Gumpo\, Africa Check’s Head of Outreach and Impact. “The summit creates an opportunity not only to examine emerging threats\, but also to spotlight innovative responses\, strengthen partnerships and build a more resilient ecosystem for the future.”
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/2026-africa-facts-summit/
LOCATION:Protea Hotel Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton\, Maude Street\, Sandown\, Sandton\, Johannesburg\, 2126\, South Africa
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Madrid:20261026T000000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Madrid:20261027T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260728T193410Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T193410Z
UID:517327-1792972800-1793145599@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Open Technology Research (OTR) Symposium 2026
DESCRIPTION:The Open Technology Research (OTR) Symposium\, themed “Shaping the Open Transition”\, moves from diagnosis to action: from mapping the landscape to charting the path forward. With keynotes anchored in what is already working\, and sessions designed to translate research directly into policy recommendations and practice\, the event is both a stocktaking exercise and a forward-looking call to build a more united\, evidence-based global research agenda – one that strengthens open technology’s role as a shared foundation for resilience and sovereignty\, reinforces public interest governance\, and mobilises research and evidence to drive collective action.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/open-technology-research-otr-symposium-2026/
LOCATION:University of Barcelona\, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes\, 585\, Eixample\, Barcelona\, 08007\, Spain
CATEGORIES:Symposium
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261030T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260728T195046Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T195058Z
UID:517338-1792972800-1793404799@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:2026 Investigative Journalism Week (IJ WEEK)
DESCRIPTION:The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is pleased to announce the Investigative Journalism Week (IJ WEEK)\, a new\, multi-day online gathering of journalists featuring more than 35 panels\, workshops\, and networking sessions with over 100 speakers. The sessions will be devoted to various themes\, including tech\, the environment\, corruption\, and money laundering\, to name a few.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/2026-investigative-journalism-week-ij-week/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261026T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261031T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260728T193552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T193552Z
UID:517330-1792972800-1793491199@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Barcelona Open Tech Week 2026
DESCRIPTION:Barcelona shows that another technological model is possible. The second edition of Open Tech Week is back\, the week that consolidates the city as a global benchmark in open technologies\, digital rights and democratic innovation. \nThis second edition brings together public institutions\, digital communities\, academia and civil society around a shared conviction: technology must serve people\, not corporate interests. The program once again combines MozFest\, this year in Fabra i Coats\, with Decidim Fest at the Canòdrom\, in addition to initiatives such as the Open Source Policy Summit and the 4D Conference. \nA whole week to rethink the future of the Internet from the perspective of technological sovereignty\, open source and digital democracy.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/barcelona-open-tech-week-2026/
LOCATION:Barcelona\, Spain
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Madrid:20261028T000000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Madrid:20261030T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260728T192552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260728T192625Z
UID:517322-1793145600-1793404799@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Mozilla Festival 2026
DESCRIPTION:Mozilla Festival\, aka MozFest\, is three days of bold conversations\, hands-on building\, and ideas worth traveling for. This year\, MozFest is taking over Barcelona’s Recinte Fabra i Coats—a former industrial complex turned cultural powerhouse—from Wednesday\, October 28 through Friday\, October 30\, 2026. We are partnering with the City of Barcelona and taking part in Open Tech Week — a city-wide celebration of the people shaping a better digital world. \n2026 Theme: Wilding\nIn a moment when technology feels increasingly centralized\, extractive\, and controlled\, Wilding is a provocation: what happens when we loosen rigid systems and create the conditions for communities and technologies to evolve collectively\, naturally\, intuitively? \nInspired by ecological practices of rewilding\, where gardens and forests are left to regenerate through their own intelligence\, this theme explores what it means to let our digital worlds grow wilder\, more diverse\, and more alive. It means community-owned mesh networks\, federated platforms\, open protocols\, community archives and tools built on transparency\, trust and mutual flourishing.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/mozilla-festival-2026/
LOCATION:Recinte Fabra i Coats\, Carrer de Sant Adrià 20\, Barcelona\, Spain
CATEGORIES:Conference
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261029T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261029T235959
DTSTAMP:20261009T201527
CREATED:20260413T170449Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T170449Z
UID:515993-1793232000-1793318399@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Responsible Tech Summit: Embedding Accountability in the AI Era
DESCRIPTION:On October 29\, All Tech Is Human will convene the Responsible Tech Summit at The New York Times Center in Manhattan\, bringing together leaders from across the Responsible Tech ecosystem for a day of dialogue\, collaboration\, and action. The summit will serve as the premier gathering for the global Responsible Tech movement\, connecting voices from civil society\, research\, government\, industry\, academia\, and philanthropy who are working to ensure technology advances in ways that align with the public interest. \nAt a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping society\, the conversation is shifting from broad principles to real-world accountability. The 2026 summit will center around the theme “From Principles to Power: Embedding Accountability in the AI Era.” For years\, the Responsible Tech field has been guided by ethical frameworks\, voluntary commitments\, and emerging standards. Today\, the challenge is clear: how do we translate those ideas into systems of governance\, oversight\, and design that ensure innovation does not come at the expense of safety\, rights\, or trust? \nThe Responsible Tech Summit is designed as a highly curated convening for 375 leaders that helps align and shape the direction of the movement. Participants will include global governance leaders\, AI researchers\, industry practitioners\, policy experts\, civil society advocates\, and philanthropic leaders who are building the infrastructure of accountability for the digital age. Through keynotes\, panels\, and conversations\, attendees will explore topics such as accountability by design\, platform oversight\, youth online safety\, the Responsible Tech economy\, and the evolving global regulatory landscape. \nThis will be the first Responsible Tech Summit that will be livestreamed\, as we are building partnerships to amplify the stage activities to tens of thousands of individuals across the globe. This is a cross-sector gathering bringing the entire ecosystem together. Attendees will be: \n\n\nGlobal Responsible Tech Research & Thought Leadership \n\n\nMajor Civil Society & Digital Rights Organizations \n\n\nResponsible AI and Trust & Safety Practitioners \n\n\nPhilanthropy Driving the Responsible Tech Ecosystem \n\n\nMovement Leadership \n\n\nBuilding on previous summits that have featured leading thinkers such as Sherry Turkle\, Tim Wu\, Frances Haugen\, Justin Hendrix\, Amba Kak\, Rob Reich\, Nora Benavidez\, Nina Jankowicz\, Yael Eisenstat\, Jameel Jaffer\, Melissa Fleming\, Katie Harbath\, and Nabiha Syed\, the 2026 gathering will continue to elevate the voices shaping the future of technology governance. Confirmed speakers include leaders such as Rumman Chowdhury\, Cathy O’Neil\, Eli Pariser\, Camille François\, Sinead Bovell\, Renée Cummings\, Ayah Bdeir\, Joshua Elder\, Anya Schiffrin\, Julie Cordua\, and more to be announced in the coming weeks. \nOur strategic partner for the Responsible Tech Summit is Columbia World Projects. Columbia World Projects mobilizes the university’s researchers and scholars to work with governments\, organizations\, businesses and communities to tackle global challenges. \n\nClick here to learn more and register to attend.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/responsible-tech-summit-embedding-accountability-in-the-ai-era/
LOCATION:Hybrid
CATEGORIES:Conference
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