This week in my #TechOtherwise class a student emphasized the phrase "how to release our systems from the growth imperative" in @jasonhickel 's "Less Is More" (p243). 🔥
I had forgotten about that phrase! But I'm going to start using that frame of release from growth to introduce #degrowth. It sidesteps the whole 'shrink the economy' misunderstanding.

"Just as composting makes nutrients from necrosis, in 2025, Big Tech’s end will be the beginning of a new and vibrant ecosystem. The smart, actually cool, genuinely interested people will once again have their moment, getting the resources and clearance to design and (re)build a tech ecosystem that is actually innovative and built for benefit, not just profit and control." here's some 🔥from @Mer__edith @Wired #TechOtherwise https://www.wired.com/story/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-big-tech/

I will be especially excited to hear from students who want to question and deconstruct common dogma and myths of “sustainable AI” and instead work for genuine systems change including #degrowth and #postgrowth perspectives on technology design, climate justice, convivial and liberatory technologies, commons, pluriversal design etc

#TechOtherwise #ethics #convivialcomputing #ClimateAction #sustainableHCI #PhD

📢 The Faculty of Information at UofT offers fully funded PhD student positions to study w/ me in the areas of #HCI, IT for sustainability, #CivicTech, #CSCW, Computing within Limits, ethical & responsible tech, alternative AI, & related areas. Deadline: Dec. 1 for Fall 2025 start.

Come join the Just Sustainability Design Lab! https://justsustainabilitydesign.org/lab/

@academicchatter #PhD #UofT #sustainableHCI #ComputingWithinLimits #Degrowth #TechOtherwise #RRI #ResponsibleComputing

Wide-ranging introduction by Mark Coeckelbergh followed by the first talk by Aimee van Wynsberghe set out a good overview and introduction to the global nature and scale of the complicated relationships between AI tech and sustainability.

Nice to see that the first question highlights "small AI" work, ecologically focused work outside the mainstream big tech. #TechOtherwise
https://philtech.univie.ac.at/ai-and-the-planet-in-crisis-conference/program/

#AI #climatechange

@cbecker This looks fantastic, but also like there haven't been any updates for a couple years. I would be super interested to see updates from others working in this space, especially if there are any connections (existing or to be made) with design research. #TechOtherwise

@edsu
An escape from class domination sounds like a good reason to be appealing!

I’m also thinking generally about Lakoff&Johnson’s points on the metaphor “up is good”. Common terminology illustrates what culture elevates. Flipping it is a little act of subversive resistance. It’s jarring because the alternative hierarchy is built on alternative values and the conflict becomes visible…

#TechOtherwise

Scheduling book talks for @themitpress "INSOLVENT: How to Reorient Computing for Just Sustainability" in fall/winter! If your department, university, organization, etc. is interested in hearing about how the myths of computing prevent it from asking the difficult questions and how the critical friends can help us rethink tech, feel free to reach out to christoph.becker@utoronto.ca. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/insolvent
#Books #AI #TechOtherwise @academicchatter

4/n The 'critical friends' of computing - fields like feminist STS, critical systems thinking and others - have crucial insights to offer. They critique because they care. That can be uncomfortable. Uncomfortable is good! That's a start for a new, better, ecologized computing, a #TechOtherwise. We can build critical friendships to work for a better computing. @andresmh

Hi #CSCW2022! 👋🏻
I'm looking for #PhD students for Fall 2023 at the University of #Toronto on topics like designing for #sustainability and social #justice; #environmental justice & tech; values, politics, #ethics, power in systems design; data curation for ML/AI; #TechOtherwise & Co.

Application closes Nov 16. I'm happy to chat!
https://ischool.utoronto.ca/future-students/apply/phd-apply/

"By allowing corporations and governments to establish the rules regarding technology we have neglected the possibilities for expanding our own agencies... Now is the time to radically redirect the future of tech, by reclaiming the purposes of technology development, and redistributing the associated responsibilities and benefits, in the service of our collective and sustainable well being."
Direct link to the #TechOtherwise report 'Defund Big Tech, Refund Community': https://techotherwise.pubpub.org/pub/dakcci1r/release/3

In "Defund Big Tech, Refund Community", #TechOtherwise discussed the public investment that made #BigTech possible and its imbalance with the returns to the public; the labor and user relations of Big Tech's value-creation; and its perverse social & environmental costs. We argued that Big Tech should be defunded and offered actions and prospects for what refunding community could look like. Because another tech is possible. Newly relevant? 😉 What do you think? #twexit https://techotherwise.pubpub.org/defund-big-tech