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disconetwork.bsky.social
The DISCO Network
@disconetwork.bsky.social
510 followers 510 following 64 posts
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
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disconetwork.bsky.social
Thank you to everyone who came to our "Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50: Sowing Disunity in Black Communities Through Digital Propaganda" panel discussion!! We're honored to have hosted this incredible group of speakers in Ann Arbor last week and were delighted by the lively audience engagement 💜💜
Four speakers, all Black women, stand beside a tall banner advertising the DISCO Network. The graphic's background is a purple oily abstract shape with the text "Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50" in all caps. A discussion with two visible panelists seated behind a table, a screen above displaying the latter part of a question and neon lavender patterns. The centered panelist, Jamilah Lemieux, wears a denim jacket and smiles widely at the audience. Two photos of a panel with four speakers at a table with an audience seated before them. In between these pictures is a background of neon purple stripes. A wide shot of a large room with a seated audience facing a panel of four speakers and a large projection screen displaying the Q&A instructions.
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
We're thrilled to announce our next panel "Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50: Sowing Disunity in Black Communities Through Digital Propaganda" on Thursday, NOVEMBER 6th from 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET 🟪🌌🌐

🔗 Register by visiting the link in our bio, or myumi.ch/z9GJZ
Flier for "Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50: Sowing Disunity in Black Communities Through Digital Propaganda" event with details, three speakers, and a QR code for registration. The background features neon lavender stripes and an abstract oily image.
October 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
UPCOMING:
We're looking forward to our Launch Party for Search History Volume 2: Into the Rabbit Hole! 🐇💫

Join us this FRIDAY, OCT 3rd from 3:00 - 5:00 PM ET in-person at Weiser Hall (10th Floor) or over Zoom for a laid-back celebration of the zine's release.
Colorful flier for the "Search History Volume 2 Launch Party" at the University of Michigan with an event description, an illustrated mouse with a party hat, icons representing various media types, and a QR code for registration.
September 29, 2025 at 7:42 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Join us on Thursday, OCTOBER 16th at 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET over Zoom for a conversation about How to Survive Techno-Hellscapes 🔥💻🌐

This panel will feature four phenomenal disability culture workers, activists, writers, and scholars in conversation with DISCO's own @remiyergeau.bsky.social
Flier for "How to Survive Techno-Hellscapes: On Crip Wisdom and Critique" event at the University of Michigan with details, four speakers, and a QR code for registration. The background is a deep red close-up of wires and plugs, and there is a graphic of a charred hallway.
September 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
REMINDER:
Happening tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept 24th at 11AM [ET]

🌺 The BCaT Lab will be hosting a HYBRID Info Session for the Automating Black Joy project!

🔗 Register by visiting the link in our bio or scanning the QR code, & visit bcatlab.org/automating-black-joy for more details
A vibrant poster with a black background, it features the title "Automating Black Joy Call for Proposals" and colorful flowers with illustrated faces framed by the petals. A large red section highlights an information session on Wednesday, September 24th at Skinner 3115 and on Zoom. A prominent QR code is centered, with a white arrow pointing at it, "Register to learn more here!"
September 23, 2025 at 6:12 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
UPDATE: We’re sorry to share that Fear of Asian Tech: Chips, Platforms, and Social Networks has been cancelled. Due to unforeseen circumstances, several of our panelists are no longer available to participate on the originally scheduled date.

We’re working to reschedule in the spring—stay tuned!
A promotional flier for DISCO's event "Fear of Asian Tech: Chips, Platforms, and Social Networks" featuring large red text reading "CANCELLED" diagonally across the center. The title is prominently displayed, accompanied by details like the date, time, and location: "Thursday, September 25, 2025, 4:00 - 5:30 Pm EST, Weiser Hall 10th Floor & Zoom." The design highlights three speakers: Christopher Fan, Janice Lobo Sapigao, and Tony Shyu, each with their headshots in circular frames. Descriptions of each are provided with their names in bold uppercase text. The background features a circuit board design in shades of deep blue and teal.
September 19, 2025 at 8:41 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Our event, Fear of Asian Tech: Chips, Platforms, and Social Networks, is coming up at the end of this month!

We're thrilled to host Christopher Fan, Janice Lobo Sapigao, and Tony Shyu on SEPTEMBER 25th at 4 PM EST!

Learn more & register to attend by visiting the link in our bio, or myumi.ch/P3mjg
A promotional flier for DISCO's event "Fear of Asian Tech: Chips, Platforms, and Social Networks." The title is prominently displayed, accompanied by details like the date, time, and location: "Thursday, September 25, 2025, 4:00 - 5:30 Pm EST, Weiser Hall 10th Floor & Zoom." The design highlights three speakers: Christopher Fan, Janice Lobo Sapigao, and Tony Shyu, each with their headshots in circular frames. Descriptions of each are provided with their names in bold uppercase text. The background features a circuit board design in shades of deep blue and teal.
September 2, 2025 at 9:13 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
With the start of the semester around the corner, we're excited to share (some of) our upcoming events for the 2025-26 academic year!

Mark your calendars 📅 for these panel discussions, each are open the public and HYBRID. CART will be provided.

Learn more and register at the link in our bio 🔗
Promotional poster for the 2025-2026 DISCO Panel Series. It features a colorful grainy texture in the background, with a faint circular grid design and planetary rings in the center. Six panel topics with dates and times are listed in outlined text: "Sept 25, 4PM Fear of Asian Tech: Chips, Platforms, and Social Networks; Oct 16, 4PM How to Survive Techno-Hellscapes: On Crip Wisdom and Critique; Nov 6, 4PM Diaspora Wars and Going 50/50: Sowing Disunity in Black Communities Through Digital Propaganda; Jan 29, 4PM Black Boys and the Future of Technology; Feb 19, 4PM Content Creation and the End of Social Media; Mar 10, 4PM Against Surveillance and Spectacle: Building Global Resistance to Tech-Mediated Oppression"
August 21, 2025 at 3:07 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
UPCOMING: A panel discussion of Technoskepticism coming soon to a King's College London near you!

This is a hybrid event, to be held on Wednesday, May 21st from 5:30-7 PM (BST).

View details below, thank you to @kingsdh.bsky.social & @digitalculturekcl.bsky.social for hosting 7 of our co-authors.
Promotional image for a book launch for Technoskepticism: Between Possibility and Refusal. On the left, the book cover features a pale blue background with abstract dark shapes at the bottom. To the right, the words "BOOK LAUNCH" stand prominently in large, blue capital letters above details for the event.
April 15, 2025 at 9:18 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
TODAY at 2 PM ET: Join us in-person or virtually for a conversation about Building the Indigenous Internet, with Ashley Cordes, Majerle Lister, and
@lnakamura.bsky.social!

📍 Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom

More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/130932
Event flier for Building the Indigenous Internet panel and Q&A featuring headshots of Ashley Cordes, Majerle Lister, and Lisa Nakamura. Flier text: This panel brings together key voices in infrastructure as broadly imagined, data sovereignty and decolonial perspectives to critically explore the history, present, and future of the Indigenous Internet. The conversation will showcase how Indigenous knowledge has and will continue to shape data worlds by bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging technologies--ranging from computer science, artificial intelligence, social media, online activism, the work of infrastructure and circuit building, and beyond. By centering Indigenous voices, the discussion aims to create transformative visions for a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive digital future while inviting speculative thinking about post-settler digital worlds. Free copies of Indigenous Currencies: Leaving Some for the Rest in the Digital Age (MIT Press) by Ashley Cordes will be available for the first 50 attendees!
April 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
UPCOMING: Join us in-person or virtually for a conversation about Building the Indigenous Internet, with Ashley Cordes, Majerle Lister, and @lnakamura.bsky.social

🗓️ Monday, April 14, 2 - 3:30 PM ET

📍 Weiser Hall 10th Floor, UMich & Zoom

More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/130932
Event flier for Building the Indigenous Internet panel and Q&A featuring headshots of Ashley Cordes, Majerle Lister, and Lisa Nakamura. Flier text: This panel brings together key voices in infrastructure as broadly imagined, data sovereignty and decolonial perspectives to critically explore the history, present, and future of the Indigenous Internet. The conversation will showcase how Indigenous knowledge has and will continue to shape data worlds by bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives on emerging technologies--ranging from computer science, artificial intelligence, social media, online activism, the work of infrastructure and circuit building, and beyond. By centering Indigenous voices, the discussion aims to create transformative visions for a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive digital future while inviting speculative thinking about post-settler digital worlds. Free copies of Indigenous Currencies: Leaving Some for the Rest in the Digital Age (MIT Press) by Ashley Cordes will be available for the first 50 attendees!
April 2, 2025 at 9:51 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
TODAY AT 4 PM ET: Join us for a timely and critical conversation with Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and @originalsp.in about TikTok, DeepSeek, and the fear of Chinese tech in nationalist times.

📍Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom

More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/132520
Event flier for TikTok, DeepSeek, and the Fear of Chinese Tech in Nationalist Times featuring headshots of Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and Jeff Yang. Flier text: For the first time, two of the most popular apps in the world – TikTok and the A.I. chatbot DeepSeek – are Chinese. American legislative efforts to restrict or outright ban Chinese apps and other technologies on the grounds of national security have dominated recent headlines. During a time of political turmoil, increasing hostility towards trade with other nations, and the rush to maintain U.S. dominance over the tech industry, anti-Chinese sentiment has (re)surfaced in ways that echo earlier American anxieties about Asian labor competition and racial difference. This panel will bring together Asian American media scholars and culture creators to analyze what this climate means for our shifting technological landscape, Asian American communities, and race relations in the U.S. Free boba will be provided to the first 100 in-person attendees.
March 31, 2025 at 4:13 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
THIS MONDAY: Join us for a conversation with Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and @originalsp.in about TikTok, DeepSeek, and the Fear of Chinese Tech.

📅 Monday, March 31, 4-6 PM ET

📍Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom

More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/132520
Event flier for TikTok, DeepSeek, and the Fear of Chinese Tech in Nationalist Times featuring headshots of Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and Jeff Yang
March 27, 2025 at 9:15 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Join us for a conversation with Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and @originalsp.in about TikTok, DeepSeek, and the fear of Chinese tech in nationalist times!

📅 Monday, March 31, 4-6 PM ET

📍Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom

More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/132520
Event flier for TikTok, Deepseek, and the Fear of Chinese Tech in Nationalist Times featuring headshots of Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and Jeff Yang.
March 17, 2025 at 3:02 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Join us one week from today in celebrating the publication of Technoskepticism: Between Possibility and Refusal! We'll be hosting a panel and AI workshop with seven out of fourteen brilliant co-authors on February 14th from 1:30-4:30 PM (EST).

For more info and link to register: myumi.ch/W5m4R
Event poster for the “Technoskepticism Book Launch Party” event on Friday, February 14, 2025 at Weiser Hall 10th Floor & Zoom. Transcribed text: Lunch with the Authors | 12:30 - 1:30 PM Join us for lunch and conversation with seven co-authors. Author Panel | 1:30 - 3:00 PM Huan He (Vanderbilt University), Rayvon Fouché (Northwestern University), Rianna Walcott (University of Maryland), M. Remi Yergeau (Carleton University), Lida Zeitlin Wu (Old Dominion University) Co-authors of Technoskepticism will discuss their new book about how marginalized communities have navigated the tension between embracing and rejecting emerging technologies. They will also explore how to reconfigure writing in the humanities into a collective practice. This panel will be moderated by Oliver Haimson and Wells Lucas Santo. Workshop | 3:00 - 4:00 PM Jeff Nagy (York University) and Lisa Nakamura (University of Michigan) In this interactive workshop, attendees will apply the principles of technoskepticism to current and emerging technologies, with a special focus on AI. About Technoskepticism: Between Possibility and Refusal: From Munchausen by TikTok to wellness apps to online communities to AI, the DISCO Network explores the possibilities that technoskepticism can create. This is a book about possibility and refusal in relation to new technologies. Though refusal is an especially powerful mode—particularly for those who have historically not been given the option to say no—people of color and disabled people have long navigated the space between saying yes and saying no to the newest technologies. Technoskepticism relates some of these stories to reveal the possibilities skepticism can create. Register to attend on Zoom: https://myumi.ch/W5m4R
February 7, 2025 at 10:36 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Join @bcatlab.bsky.social this Wednesday (12/4) in Skinner 3115 at UMD and Zoom!

12 - 1 PM: Black Homeplaces Bookclub exploring the VR experience “Obsidian” by the Black Artists and Designers Guild

3 - 5 PM: Graduate Application Clinic

More info: disconetwork.org/disco-events
A pixel-art style poster for BCaT Lab event titled "OBSIDIAN: THE FINAL MEET," featuring a colorful cityscape and a QR code. Transcribed Text: BCAT LAB PRESENTS: OBSIDIAN: THE FINAL MEET In our final bookclub of the semester we will be exploring the virtual reality experience “Obsidian”, created by the Black Artists and Designers Guild. Obsidian is an interactive web story, exploring a digitally recreated home from Oakland Hills, California. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4TH SKINNER 3115 12–1PM Event flyer for a Graduate Application Clinic by The BCAT Lab with details about date, time, and location. Transcribed Text: The BCaT Lab presents: Graduate Application Clinic Join us to learn about and receive assistance with the grad school application process! When: Wednesday, December 4 3-5pm Where: Skinner 3115 & Zoom bcatlab.org/events
December 2, 2024 at 9:29 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Attend a Zoom roundtable conversation with William Cheng and Sunaura Taylor about disability and publishing, publishing as a disabled author, and publishing in/beyond disability studies!

Tuesday, December 3 from 12 - 1:30 PM ET.

Register to attend: myumi.ch/ZD44y
Blue event poster for "Crip Mentoring: Disability, Publishing, & Crip Time" with yellow geometric shapes, photos of speakers, and event details. Alt text for William Cheng photo: smiling man with short dark hair, white button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, hands resting on knees with fingers interlaced. Alt text for Sunaura Taylor photo: a white woman with short brown hair, smiling and looking into the camera. Behind her is a large black-and-white photograph mounted on a wall, with a dark background upon which many white lines flare out. Poster text: The Digital Accessible Futures Lab invites you to attend a roundtable conversation with William Cheng and Sunaura Taylor on disability and publishing, publishing as a disabled author, and publishing in/beyond disability studies. In a climate of scarcity and uncertainty, how might one respond to hyper-normative demands for productivity? What does it mean to write (and publish) as a disabled scholar? What does it mean to compose while crip/mad/sick—especially when our embodied knowledges are deemed antithetical to (academic) life? Register to attend the Zoom using the QR code or the following link: https://myumi.ch/ZD44y
November 26, 2024 at 10:41 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Join us TOMORROW (Nov. 22) for our Search History Zine launch party!

Search History is a student-led zine publication from the University of Michigan community, hosted by Search Engines: Art, Tech, Justice. The launch will include conversation, food, and readings from zine contributors.
Flier features an image of the moon in black and white, colorful text bubbles, claymation-like items such as paper and paint supplies, and the DSI, DISCO, and Search Engines logos.
November 21, 2024 at 3:34 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Attention everyone in the Washington, D.C. area!

✨ The BCaT Lab is hosting a field trip to the National African American Museum of History and Culture ✨

On Wednesday, Nov. 20th, join us for lunch and a guided tour of the Power of Place exhibition!
This flier features a black background, framed images of Black art, a rope barrier between a trumpet and statue, and a white textual description
November 18, 2024 at 8:31 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Our multi-authored monograph, Technoskepticism: Between Possibility and Refusal, will be published by @stanfordpress.bsky.social in February 2025.

From Munchausen by Tiktok to wellness apps to online communities to AI, this book explores the possibilities that technoskepticism can create.
Flier features a dark background, white text, a bit of the shadowy figures and blue background from the book cover, the DISCO logo, and a QR code. The Technoskepticism feature features a sky blue background, shadowy figures, and black text.
November 13, 2024 at 9:49 PM
disconetwork.bsky.social
Applications are now OPEN for our 2025 DISCO Affiliate Program!

If your work explores "technoskepticism" - how marginalized communities balance embracing and rejecting new technologies - we want to connect with you!

Apply by Dec 1.

Learn more: disconetwork.org/affiliates
Promotional flyer for the 2025 DISCO Affiliate Program with details on application requirements and deadlines.
November 12, 2024 at 9:03 PM