UM Digital Studies Institute

Forget innovation. This morning at Digital IDEAS Day 3, Shannon Mattern reminded us that maintenance is radical. We talked about care as a method, refusal as a practice, and the politics of keeping things running. #DigitalIDEAS #FeministInfrastructures

At Digital IDEAS, we watched "Humans in the Loop" — a film that showcases the invisible labor behind AI systems. We spoke with filmmaker Aranya Sahay about Western biases in AI, and the laboring bodies in the Global South who train those norms into the machine. #DigitalIDEAS

Digital IDEAS Day 4 → A dynamic panel on Harnessing Reparative AI with Ellie Abrons, Germaine Halegoua, Matt Bui, and Erykah Benson. What does AI look like when it’s rooted in justice—not just efficiency? A powerful conversation on repair, design, and digital futures.

Digital IDEAS Day 3 → Ariel Hasell critically reflects on Elon Musk’s tweet: “You are the media now.” In today’s media ecosystem, emotional virality beats credibility. Who gets to speak—and who gets heard—is shaped more by engagement than expertise. #DigitalIDEAS

This afternoon at Digital IDEAS → Sheila Murphy on Silicon Valley Frontiers 🧠✨ A sharp dive into the metaphors, myths, and media that keep Big Tech dreaming of expansion. What happens when the “future” is just a repackaged past? #DigitalIDEAS #SiliconValleyFrontiers

Digital IDEAS Day 2 💻💥 Today’s keynote with Sarah Sharma brings us into the world of feminist techno-logics, where time is political, infrastructures are gendered, and refusal is a method. #DigitalIDEAS #FeministTechnoLogics

Digital IDEAS has entered the chat. 🌎 36 scholars 🌡️ 1 heat wave 💥 Infinite ideas about productive malfunctioning Let’s make (and break) things — critically. #DigitalIDEAS

Today!! Join at 2:00 pm ET in-person or virtually for an amazing discussion.

UPCOMING: Join us in-person or virtually for a conversation about Building the Indigenous Internet, with Ashley Cordes, Majerle Lister, and @lnakamur 🗓️ Monday, Apr 14, 2 - 3:30 PM ET 📍 Weiser Hall 10th Floor, UMich & Zoom More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/130932

TODAY⚠️⚠️⚠️ 🏛️ Art, AI & resistance! Elisa Giardina Papa discusses her video installations Cleaning Emotional Data & U Scantu with Lisa Nakamura. 📅 April 1, 2025 ⏰ 3:00-4:30 PM 🌐 Zoom: bit.ly/3ArOQz8 🔗 Register: myumi.ch/pkrey

⚠️Today❗️ Join us with Tara Fickle, Ian Shin, and @originalsp. in about #TikTok, #DeepSeek, and the fear of Chinese tech in nationalist times! 📅 March 31, 4-6 PM ET 📍 Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/132520

⚠️Tomorrow❗️ 🏛️ Art, AI & resistance! Elisa Giardina Papa discusses her video installations Cleaning Emotional Data & U Scantu with Lisa Nakamura. 📅 April 1, 2025 ⏰ 3:00-4:30 PM 🌐 Zoom: bit.ly/3ArOQz8 🔗 Register: myumi.ch/pkrey

Tung-Hui Hu and I are beyond excited to invite @ranjodhd @HZeavin @annashechtman and Thomas Pringle to U-M to propose new critical terms key to grappling w/ medias impact on broad registers of life and living in the twenty-first century.

How are machines taught to see? 🤖🚫 Join Elisa Giardina Papa & Lisa Nakamura for a radical conversation on tech’s impulse to divide & order. 📅 April 1, 2025 ⏰ 3:00-4:30 PM 🌐 Zoom: bit.ly/3ArOQz8 🔗 Register: myumi.ch/pkrey

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! 📅 March 31, 4-6 PM ET 📍 Weiser Hall 10th Floor, University of Michigan & Zoom More info and register: events.umich.edu/event/132520

I am more excited for this than I can say! "What is Critical Now? Media Studies Between Crisis and Critique" is a symposium and workshop at U-M @UmichDigital that explores the many disciplinary transformations in media studies since "Critical Terms": events.umich.edu/event/133706

#DigitalIDEAS2025 This year, we ask: 🔹 What does intellectual work mean in times of crisis? 🔹 How can academia extend beyond institutions? 🔹 How do we think about repair, longevity & survival? 📅 Jun 23-27 📍 Ann Arbor ✍️ Apply by TOMORROW🚨 🔗 bit.ly/3XgA0Ed

Thank you to our #GivingBlueday donors!! Your financial support enables us to train the next generation of scholars, creatives, technologists, and policymakers thinking critically about emerging tech issues from a lens of social justice. We appreciate you! myumi.ch/D81J6

On #GivingBlueDay, we’re not just raising funds, we’re raising voices. Your donation to the DSI supports our commitment to the intersection of technology and social justice. Let’s pave the way for a brighter digital future! myumi.ch/D81J6

Big shoutout to everyone who’s already donated to the DSI for #GivingBlueDay! Your generosity empowers the next generation of tech-savvy changemakers! 💻💡🤖myumi.ch/D81J6