Launch Event: Open Social Cookbook
November 3, 2025
9:00 a.m. Mountain Time
Virtual
MEDLab is hosting a launch event for the Open Social Cookbook, a product of the 5-month Open Social Incubator. Join us and the participants in the program for a virtual cook out, in which you can hear directly from the contributors to the publication, learn about alternative social network technologies, and interact with members of virtual communities around the world. You will also have the opportunity to order a physical copy of the Cookbook printed and distributed by Binch Press and Queer Archive Work.
Contributions to the publication include tutorials for launching self-hosted servers, explorations of best practice when migrating to new social media platforms, docu-fictional storytelling about community praxis, and much more.
Details and registration here.
John Abrams: From Founder to Future
October 23, 2025
12 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time
British & Irish Studies Room
Norlin Library room M549
MEDLab presents author John Abrams for an insightful discussion on transitioning businesses to employee ownership. Drawing from decades of experience and extensive research, Abrams will discuss how mission-driven organizations can implement democratic management, shared ownership, and participatory leadership models.
Please register for this free event here. Lunch provided.
Call for papers: "The Imaginative Landscape of AI"
Few technological developments spark more debate today than artificial intelligence. From promises of human advancement to fears of existential risk, AI generates a multitude of visions, conflicts, and societal debates. The International Journal of Communication is launching a Special Section on The Imaginative Landscape of AI: Visions, Positions, Conflicts. The editors of this Special Section, Andreas Hepp and Nathan Schneider, invite submissions that empirically explore emerging imaginaries, ideological positions, and conflicts surrounding AI.
Key deadlines:
- Abstracts (500 words) due December 1, 2025
- Notification of acceptance by January 1, 2026
- Full manuscripts due May 1, 2026
- Publication in spring 2027
More information and the submission form can be found here.
Podcast: Who will own the future of gig work?
MEDLab's radio show, Looks Like New, comes out the fourth Thursday of every month on KGNU, 88.5 FM, or online as a podcast. Last month's episode is now available:
Who will own the future of gig work? In this month’s episode of Looks Like New, MEDLab Associate Director Júlia Martins speaks with Minsun Ji, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center, about empowering workers to reclaim control over their economic futures. Minsun and her team are pioneering efforts to democratize work ownership, including the launch of Colorado’s first driver-owned ride-share cooperative. Together, they examine the unique challenges of competing in the ride-share market, the innovative strategies behind worker cooperatives, and why these models are essential for building resilient local economies.
Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or directly through our website. You can also follow the show on Instagram, Mastodon, and X.
