The Network was founded by Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis at the University of Illinois, whose work on multiliteracies and knowledge design offered new frameworks for understanding how technology reshapes meaning and learning. Their early research connected literacy, design, and social participation—laying the foundation for an international dialogue on technology and society.
The inaugural International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society was held at the University of California, Berkeley under the theme Technological Transformations. In the following years, the conversation expanded across continents—from Hyderabad and Montreal (2006), to Cambridge University (2007) on Creativity and Technology-Driven Change, and Berlin’s Freie Universität (2010) on Virtual Knowledge Production. Conferences in Bilbao (2011), Los Angeles (2012), and Vancouver (2013) further explored communication, innovation, and contestation in a globalized digital environment.
The Network’s reach continued to grow with partnerships at Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2014), University of Buenos Aires (2016), University of Toronto (2017), St. John’s University, New York (2018), and CosmoCaixa Barcelona (2019). More recent conferences have addressed pressing contemporary themes—AI ethics and governance at the University of Malta (2023), sustainable innovation at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (2024), and pedagogical futures of AI at National Changhua University of Education in Taiwan (2025).
Across two decades, the Network has featured leading thinkers and innovators shaping how we understand technology’s role in society. Early keynote speakers included Tim Luke (Virginia Tech), William Dutton (Oxford Internet Institute), and David Lyon (Queen’s University), followed by Saskia Sassen (Columbia University), Robin Mansell (London School of Economics), and McKenzie Wark (The New School). Later plenaries by Henry Jenkins (University of Southern California), Christiane Paul (The New School), Susana Finquelievich (University of Buenos Aires), and Anna Meroni (Politecnico di Milano) expanded the discussion to media, participation, and design for social innovation.
As it enters its third decade, the Technology, Knowledge & Society Research Network remains committed to bridging technical and social inquiry—linking researchers, educators, and innovators in exploring how technology can support equitable, sustainable, and participatory futures.
