Conference: Local Tech Ecologies
August 8, 2023
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (in-person)
9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (live-streamed)
University Memorial Center room 235
University of Colorado Boulder
When the devastating Marshall Fire spread across Boulder County in on December 30, 2021, many of us turned to our phones and our networks. They helped us make sense of the crisis and keep each other safe. We relied on information from local organizations and governments, as well as global platforms not designed for a moment like that, and not designed for our community.
What if we valued local technology the way we value local food and local businesses?
This event explores opportunities and challenges for building healthy tech ecosystems that are focused on the needs of local communities—with a focus on projects active across Colorado's Front Range. What kinds of social media could bring people together rather than driving them apart? What kinds of gig platforms could put workers and small businesses above global monopolies? How can regional journalists develop tools truly suited to their needs? The event will make space to introduce projects already cultivating local tech ecologies in Colorado and beyond, and we will discuss strategies for more intentionally developing those ecologies in the future.
Schedule
9:00-10:00am
Room 235
Welcome
Aaron Brockett (Mayor of Boulder)
Nathan Schneider, Assistant Professor at CU Boulder and MEDLab Director
Morning Keynote
Fernanda R. Rosa (Virginia Tech)
10:15-11:45am
Room 235
Lightning Talks
Josh Ritzer (Nigh)
Caroline Savery (Bloom Network)
Nikhil Mankekar (Colorado Venture Capital Authority)
Becks Boone and Jamie Anderson (Rootable)
Pat Kelly (Colorado ReWild)
libi striegl (Media Archaeology Lab)
LeeLee James (Slay The Runway)
Erika Ianco and Trish Uvenferth (Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center)
Mike Perhats (Nosh)
12:00-1:30pm
Room 235
Lunch and Lunch Keynote
Ted Striphas (CU Boulder)
Ethan Zuckerman (UMass Amherst)
1:30-2:30pm
Room 235
Panel: Crisis
Nabil Echchaibi (CU Boulder)
Saleh Khaled Ibrahim
Leysia Palen (CU Boulder)
Room 245
Panel: Journalism
Stacy Feldman (Boulder Reporting Lab)
Rossana Longo (Colorado News Collaborative)
Linda Shapley (Colorado Community Media)
Room 247
Panel: Gaming
Ann Marie (RemainNA) (CU Gaming)
Taylor (MustardSauce) Clark (CU Gaming)
Griffin Opp (CSU Gaming)
3:30-4:30pm
Room 235
Unconference
4:30-5:30pm
Room 235
Reception
Lunch will be served, along with snacks and a reception at the end. This is a free event, but please consider to support our work.
Organized by the Media Economies Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder and made possible by a generous gift from Colorado ReWild.