Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series

Join Stanford PACS and the Cyber Policy Center for a monthly gathering that explores critical insights on the intersections and implications of technology and society. The Technology, Culture, and Power Speaker Series is a thought-provoking forum on the Stanford campus featuring leading experts and scholars examining the interactions of digital technologies, culture, and inequality.

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Thursday, October 3, 2024

Vent: Disability Distributive Justice and Algorithms for Ventilator Allocation

We are joined by Mara Mills, a leading voice in disability studies and digital technology. During this talk, Professor Mills will explore the complex ethical and social debates surrounding ventilator allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic and advocate for a disability informed approach to justice and equality.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Matrix, Environment, Atmosphere: How Mother Became a Medium

Thursday, December 5, 2024

We are joined by Dr. Seeta Peña Gangadharan, Associate Professor of Media and Communications at LSE, who explores the critical distinction between fair and equal participation in community-oriented technology research. In her talk, Dr. Gangadharan examines how collaborative approaches to studying the impacts of sociotechnical systems on marginalized communities can deepen our understanding of fairness in research participation.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

We are joined by Dr. Anne L. Washington, Director of the Digital Interests Lab and Associate Professor of Data Policy at New York University to discuss how blockchain became social infrastructure. Blockchain has democratized administrative record-keeping, enabling anyone to become their own archival institution. Communities underserved by trusted authorities have embraced digital ledgers built on blockchain infrastructure, especially cryptocurrency. Yet, regulation of digital assets often overlooks these cases, marginalizing the financial needs and technical skills of these populations. Dr. Washington explores how exclusion from existing institutions has led some to claim that the mysterious inventor of bitcoin is female or that Satoshi is Black, and why open data systems thrive when institutions fail.

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Gabriella Coleman

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Gil Eyal

Made possible with support from the Humanities Seed Grant from Stanford Public Humanities