Activists, scholars, and practitioners across diverse fields have taken computing as an object of critical study for as long as computing has been around. To take computing as an object of critical study is to make arguments and produce knowledge that centers the social, political, and cultural conditions that make computing possible, and the implications that existing and future technologies will have, with attention to issues of justice, equity, and other ethical concerns.
These critical analyses have emerged in multiple and sometimes disconnected spaces: in science and technology studies (STS) venues such as the Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S) and Catalyst; in design and creative communities including the Design Research Society (DRS) and Digital Creativity; in humanities and media studies contexts such as the digital humanities; and in computing venues like the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer–Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI), where subfields devoted to critical computing, sustainability, and social justice have also grown. In kind, a growing number of undergraduate and graduate curriculum and certificate programs centered on the ethics and politics of computing have emerged around the world. To foster and guide this evolving interest in critically grounded methods, theories, pedagogies, and technical developments, and to build a natural home that is agnostic to disciplines but rather centered on a critical and justice oriented approach to computing, we are working with ACM SIGCHI to establish a new annual conference, the Critical Computing Conference. Our aim is for Critical Computing to become a cornerstone for critical sociotechnical research.
We invite submissions to a Threaded Workshop on Critical Computing, a space for collective ideation, entangled thinking, and collaborative writing. The workshop will experiment with threaded papers: contributions that respond to one another before, during, and after the workshop, producing co-authored or multi-voiced works for eventual publication. The workshop will be held on 3 December 2025 at IFDIK 2025 to be held in Manila, Philippines hosted by the University of the Philippines, School of Library and Information Studies. This event marks the third installment in ongoing Critical Computing gatherings, following earlier convenings this year in Aarhus and at 4S.
About the Workshop
Critical computing interrogates the ways computation shapes, and is shaped by, social, cultural, and political life. It is attentive to infrastructures and imaginaries, to the exclusions and possibilities embedded in computational systems, and to practices of refusal, repair, and re-appropriation to name a few. To study and to intervene in computation critically is to foreground accountability, justice, and imagination.
This workshop takes up these concerns through a threaded format. Participants will not present stand-alone papers; instead, they will contribute to an interwoven sequence in which each presentation builds on what has come before and opens onto what comes after. In this sense, threading is not only a method of presentation but also a method of thinking through and writing.
Format and Process
The workshop unfolds in three stages:
- Starting strands (before the workshop) Participants prepare a short, exploratory contribution (800–1,200 words, or equivalent media) focused on a term, concept, or problem central to their work in critical computing. These are not expected to be complete papers or fully worked-out arguments. Rather, they are starting threads. We seek provocations, fragments, or in-progress reflections that can be taken up and woven together with others.
- Threading in sequence (during the workshop) At the workshop, initial threads are presented in a curated sequence designed to highlight resonances and tensions. Organizers will propose a provisional order based on the submitted contributions, with the possibility for adjustment at the start of the session. Each participant will (a) briefly recap their initial thread, and (b) offer a live response to what has already been presented, situating their work in relation to others and opening further lines of inquiry. The workshop thereby becomes a weaving of concepts and problems, rather than a series of parallel statements.
- Threaded papers (after the workshop) Following the workshop, participants will revise their contributions to explicitly incorporate threads of dialogue from the session. Small clusters may form around emergent themes, with participants co-authoring or assembling multi-voiced papers that braid together their original threads and workshop responses. These threaded papers will be considered for publication in a special issue, edited collection, or conference proceedings.
Possible Themes
We are especially interested in applications that approach the following themes from experimental and speculative perspectives that point to radical imaginings and future possibilities.
- Matter and materialities
- Interventions and methodologies
- Ecological entanglements
- Regimes of control
- Algorithms and being with data
Who we would love to be in conversation with...
We invite submissions from a wide range of contributors who engage critically with computation in their work, practice, or advocacy. This includes but is not limited to:
- Scholars and researchers across disciplines such as STS, HCI, information studies, media studies, and design.
- Practitioners and professionals working within computing and information infrastructures who grapple with their social and political implications.
- Artists and designers exploring or intervening in computational systems through creative and speculative practices.
- Activists and advocates organizing around issues of technology, justice, rights, and accountability.
- Community-based and cross-sector initiatives developing alternative models of computing, stewardship, or care.
Submission Guidelines
- Submit a 800-1,200 word “initial thread.” Please identify the central concept, term, or problem, explain its significance for critical computing, and indicate how it might connect with or provoke responses from others. Your proposal does not need to outline a finished paper or argument: we are looking for points of entry, beginnings of ideas, or provocations that can be taken further in dialogue
- Proposals for audiovisual or design-based formats (short film, audio essay, artifact documentation, etc.) are welcome.
- Submissions are to be made via this form.
Modalities
This workshop will take place in person at IFDIK 2025 on 3 December 2025. IFDIK is a bi-annual forum that brings together three established conferences on library and information science in Asia Pacific. While there are no registration costs for the workshop itself, participants are encouraged to register for and attend the wider Forum. Further details are available on the IFDIK website.
We value the embodied presence, shared time, and informal encounters that in-person gatherings make possible, and the workshop will be designed primarily with local and on-site participants in mind. Our commitment is to ensure that participants from the region—particularly early-career researchers, practitioners, and community-based actors—have a generative experience that strengthens local and regional conversations and collaborations.
At the same time, we recognize that critical computing is a global field, and we warmly welcome contributions from everywhere. For those unable to travel, we are open to exploring hybrid or remote modalities that allow meaningful engagement which may include: remote presentation of an initial thread, asynchronous responses, or collaborative writing before and after the workshop.
Our aim is to ensure that participation is meaningful for everyone, while prioritizing the richness of the in-person encounter for local and regional attendees who often face barriers to participating in global conversations. This priority reflects our commitment to amplifying regional voices, while also extending an open invitation to colleagues worldwide to join and weave their perspectives into the fabric of the workshop.
Important Dates
We are especially interested in applications that approach the following themes from experimental and speculative perspectives that point to radical imaginings and future possibilities.
| Initial thread submission deadline | 05 November 2025 |
| Notification of acceptance and threading | 21 November 2025 |
| Workshop proper | 03 December 2025 |
Convenors:
Alex Taylor, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Bono Olgado, University of the Philippines (Manila, Philippines)
Daniela Rosner, University of Washington (Seattle, USA)
Lucy Pei, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, USA)
Luis Fernando Medina Cardona, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá, Colombia)
Nassim Parvin, Associate Professor, University of Washington (Seattle, USA)