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dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Digital Geographies Research Group
@dgrgrgs.bsky.social
210 followers 260 following 85 posts
The official bsky feed of the RGS-IBG Digital Geographies Research Group (DGRG)

https://digitalgeographiesrg.org/
@rgsibg.bsky.social
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dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Welcome to RGS-IBG AC25!

We have an exciting lineup of 14 (co-)sponsored session over the next few days, as well as our Annual Lecture & Reception. Join us for conversations across a broad range of topics intersecting the digital.

Please check ExOrdo for locations/timings.

@rgsibg.bsky.social
August 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
We warmly invite you to the Digital Geographies Research Group Annual Lecture at @rgsibg.bsky.social AC25 at @unibirmingham.bsky.social

Our inaugural lecture will be given by @ahjackman.bsky.social (@uniofreading.bsky.social) on ‘Feminist digital geographies in flight: Diversifying drone stories’
The poster shows a picture of Dr Anna Jackman University of Reading alongside her social media handles for BlueSky and LinkedIn with the title of her presentation ‘Feminist digital geographies in flight: Diversifying drone stories’ and the abstract. The header reads ‘RGS-IBG 2025. Digital Geographies Research Group Annual Lecture. Thursday 28th August 2025, Lecture Theatre 1 - LG19’.
August 21, 2025 at 11:06 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Not long until our RGS pre-conference event: Exploring Place-based Creativity in a Digitally-Mediated World!

Featuring workshops + a keynote from @olimould.bsky.social
Psychedelics, multiverses and radical creativity: towards an aesthetics of the commons.

Register: www.rgs.org/research/ann...
Image is a screenshot of black text on a pale pink background with a plum coloured border in a squiggly line. The text states: Psychedelics, multiverses and radical creativity: towards an aesthetics of the commons - Professor Oli Mould This talk explores the potential of radical aesthetics to reawaken political imagination in the face of neoliberal capitalism’s cultural stranglehold and it's ushering in of the fascist horizon. Drawing on Mark Fisher’s unfinished project of Acid Communism, it argues that contemporary art and culture must reclaim the psychedelic, affective, and collective energies of the countercultural movements of the 1960s. This is not to indulge in nostalgia, but to rupture the present’s temporal and ideological capture by financialised capitalism. Central to this argument is the reconfiguration of time: whereas high-frequency trading and extractive logics sever the present from past and future, psychedelic aesthetics reanimate the now as a fertile commons, rich with collective memory and utopian possibility. I aim to critique the complicity of mainstream cultural institutions in sustaining capitalist realism and proposes an ‘aesthetics of the commons’ grounded in mutual aid, proletarianised cultural, digital and analogue production, and multiversal imaginaries. From pandemic-era art activism to the radical temporalities, psychedelic imaginaries and lucid dreaming, it seeks to chart an emergent, insurgent cultural politics that is not about building the future, but refusing capitalism’s version of it, and revelling instead in the shared abundance of the present.
August 21, 2025 at 8:42 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Session 3 is a sonic exploration of a city in transformation, led by Holly Gowland (@unibirmingham.bsky.social). Through a series of spatial compositions, field recordings, and performance, the concert captures the evolving acoustic environments of Birmingham, presenting a tapestry of sounds.
Photo by Luke Matthews on Unsplash. The image shows the Birmingham city cityscape with the Bullring just left of centre in the background, the Rotunda to the left of that, and the Coach Station in the foreground. It is a gloomy, grey picture.
August 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Session 2 is an interactive exploration of the University of Birmingham campus through a location-based narrative-style game, led by Dr @jackalowe.bsky.social (University of West of England). 'Pin the Tale' is a location-based game about connecting with the world around you through stories.
An aerial image of the tops of buildings and a park are overlaid with a white grid evoking coordinates with the 'pin.the.tale' logo in the centre in turquoise green with a pin logo.
August 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Session 1 is a screening & discussion of the ‘AI in the Street: Drone Observatory’, a short film created & directed by Dr @thaophan.bsky.social (Australian National University) & Jeni Lee. We will be joined online by Thao to discuss their work & the creative practices behind producing the film.
A landscape poster advertising the AI in the Street Drone Observatory short film about drone delivery trials in Logan, Australia. Text below the title and subtitles reads 'Directed by Thao Phan and Jeni Lee'. The image shows a drone deliverying a white package via a cord into the lawned yard of a house, with at least one person looking on from the porch. The logos for the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Monash University and the University of Warwick are in the righthand corner.
August 11, 2025 at 11:25 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Last week was our Global Digital Geographies Symposium with speakers from China, India, Brazil, Vietnam, South Africa, Iran, the US, UK & more making it our most international symposium! Thank you to everyone who presented work, attended sessions, & discussed emerging ideas 1/3
#DGRGSymposium2025
The top half of the image features text stating: Global Digital Geographies: Digitalising the Territorial/ Territorialising the Digital which is in white font. Below in black font is the text: Annual Symposium Digital Geographies Research Group 19-20 June 2025 online. In the bottom half of the image is a map of the world in a blue and purple tint. Various digital symbols are placed on top of the map such as smartphones, sensors, location pins, satellites, and submarine cables. In the bottom right hand corner is the RGS logo and the City University of Hong Kong logo. The background of the image is a graduated purple to white colouring with purple at the top and white at the bottom of the image.
June 23, 2025 at 12:05 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
We're now having a very rich discussion between the panel speakers thinking about overlapping themes and interests including conceptualisations of space, bodies, and scales of power

#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: showing 5 speakers: left to right: Jack Lowe (chair) who is wearing a grey tshirt and white earphones with a blurred background, Azadeh Akbari who is wearing a white tshirt and has a blurred background, Norma Möllers who is wearing a black top and wearing glasses with a background partially showing a bookshelf, Sam Kinsley who is wearing a white shirt, glasses, and headphones with a blurred background, Mirjam de Bruijn who is wearing a dark blue top and with a bookshelf in the background.
June 20, 2025 at 3:00 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next is Norma Möllers discussing state violence, digital & infrastructural practices via a focus on privatisation of data extraction in spaces of policing, borders, and war. Norma asks the question about the future of just data in a context of eroding digital sovereignty & racism
#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right is an image of Norma Möllers who is wearing a black top, glasses, and hoop earrings. In the background there is a bookshelf. To the left is a presentation slide showing the title 'state of extraction' written in green on a black slide
June 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Drawing on his work thinking about space @samkinsley.uk proposes a way of thinking in/with space for digital geographers. Sam argues for a pluralistic approach to spacings and understanding how spatial vocabularies & grammars are used: as verb, metaphor, physical imaginary, & more #DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right is an image of Sam Kinsley wearing a white shirt, glasses, and headphones. The background is blurred. To the left is the title presentation slide: troubling realities: Thinking space for digital geographies
June 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next is Mirjam de Bruijn presenting on African Mobile Communities & discusses a range of processes she researches including Cameroonian mobile societies, e-mobilisation in Chad, & e-conflict in West Africa. Such mobilisation of people occurs within the digital beyond the state

#DGRGSymposium2025
screenshot of zoom meeting: to the right is an image of Mirjam de Bruijn who is wearing a dark top, drop earrings, and glasses. In the background is a bookshelf. To the left the title slide from the presentation with a title: African Mobile Communities and an image from Mirjam's research
June 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
First speaker is @azadehakbari.bsky.social discussing Authoritarian Smart Cities focusing on the politics of smart cities via digital development dilemma and authoritarianism. Tech is evolving but securitisation continues & we must consider discourse, practices, infrastructures
#DGRGSymposium2025
A zoom screenshot: to the right an image of Azadeh who is wearing a white top and to the left is a screenshot of the presentation slide about authoritarian smart city
June 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next Oren Yiftachel and Rani Mandelbaum present Smart and/or Just Metropolis? Stratified Digital Citizenship in Beersheba. They are exploring how digitalisation challenges ideas of the just city via data, infrastructure, economic-social, power/politics.
#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right are two images of speakers at the top is Rani Mandelbaum with long hair and a dark coloured top and in the background an image of mountains and water. Below is Oren Yiftachel wearing a blue shirt and a glasses. The background is blurred. To the left is a presentation slide showing a map and buildings of Innovation District Be'er-Sheva
June 20, 2025 at 12:48 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Tom Nairns presents on Placing Africa along China’s Global Development Trajectory: From the Belt and Road Initiative to Chinese Platform Capitalism. Arguing maps tend to show romanticised continuity of the Belt & Road initiative from the Silk Road but is now more Africa-leaning
#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right an image of Tom Narins who is wearing a dark red tshirt and glasses. The background is a door and a white wall. To the left is a title slide showing author details, a map of Africa with the Chinese flag, and the title: Placing Africa along China’s Global Development Trajectory: From the Belt and Road Initiative to Chinese Platform Capitalism
June 20, 2025 at 12:20 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next Next Qinyu Feng presents Hybrid Territorialism: Spatial Differentiation and Digital Control in China’s Surveillance System. China's surveillance system is shown as a multi-scalar, socio-technical assemblage that spans physical and digital spaces with spatial reorganisation

#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right an image of Qinyu Feng who is wearing a brown tshirt and glasses. The background is blurred. To the left is a conclusions slide outlining key points about spatial reorganisation and surveillance theories
June 20, 2025 at 12:04 PM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
This afternoon Max Münßinger discusses Rethinking Embeddedness? Limits to the Regulations of Digital Capitalism In a review of literature Max shows researcher tendency to territorialise abstract ideas of global digital capitalism through ideas of embeddedness #DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right is an image of Max who is wearing a striped tshirt and headphones. The background is a wall and window. To the left is a presentation slide showing the title: rethinking embeddedness? Limits to the Regulations of Digital Capitalism
June 20, 2025 at 11:51 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Anton Pascual presents Analysis of the 19th Congress of the Philippines Through Digital Tools. Anton examines legislative hearings & actions via Natural Language Processing showing government concerns e.g health & education but no mention of corruption raising questions on action

#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: to the right Anton is represented by a letter A with a bright pink background and the A in a white font. To the left is a presentation slide showing the title Analysis of the 19th Congress of the Philippines Through Digital Tools
June 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next Ayşe Gizem Kılıç and Fatih Eren with their presentation 'Spatial Reflection of Immigrant Density on Digital Platforms and Its Effects on Urban Planning' which discusses how digital platforms shape the spatial traces of immigrant populations and regional development #DGRGSymposium2025
Thumbnail of presenter with discussion of Google maps, Yandex Maps and Instagram
June 20, 2025 at 9:43 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Omer Ozturk discusses Kill Switch as a Geopolitical Technique: Power, Disruption, and Digital Sovereignty in the Age of Infrastructure. Kills switches are strategic interruption & preventive e.g. Starlink in Ukraine. Raising questions on who decides how & when infrastructure works
#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: on right image of Omer who is wearing a white shirt and has short hair. The background is blurred. To the left is a presentation slide outlining conclusion on kill switch, private actors, and rethinking digital sovereignty
June 20, 2025 at 9:37 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next, Batel Yossef Ravid and Erez Tzfadia give the presentation 'Rescaling Digital Sovereignty: Digital Technologies and the Politics of Territory in Unrecognized Bedouin Villages'. They look at digital displacement and sumud in unrecognised Bedouin villages and politics of territory. #DGRGSymposium
Presenter in thumbnail with PowerPoint screen showing unrecognised villages representing themselves in the digital space
June 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next Katrina Gaber discusses Online bordering: (Re)creating national borders in digital spaces. Examining how differing policies during Covid-19 from Sweden and Finland created tensions which materialised in online discussions and redrew social borders creating bottom up bordering
#DGRGSymposium2025
Zoom screenshot: on right is an image of Katrina who is wearing a black top and glasses and has long blonde hair. The background is blurred. To the left is an image of the presentation slide which shows two houses with Swedish and Finnish flags and a person sitting looking at a laptop by each house. The two people and houses are divided by a road which is fractured showing the border.
June 20, 2025 at 9:22 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Our second day of #DGRGSymposium2025 was begun this morning by our fantastic keynote - Iginio Gagliardone with his talk 'Digital sovereignty and networked sovereignty. A perspective from Africa'
June 20, 2025 at 9:21 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
Next up we've got @ronene.bsky.social with his presentation 'Digital Borderlands: Technological Transformation and Territorial Politics in Divided Jerusalem' discussing how Jerusalem's implementation of digital systems
and practices for urban governance
#DGRGSymposium2025
shared powerpoint screen with discussion of the project and the thumbnail of the presenter
June 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
In session 2:1 Anu Masso is presenting on Social Data Migration: Conceptualising Transborder Data Flows as Processes of Social Transformation. Anu proposes the concept social data migration to better understand technical, economic, political, & socio-cultural dynamics
#DGRGSymposium2025
zoom call screenshot: to the right is an image of Anu who is wearing a white shirt and glasses. The background is a book shelf. To the left is a presentation slide on data migration research agenda outlining mechanisms, theoretical approach, directions
June 20, 2025 at 9:07 AM
dgrgrgs.bsky.social
First up in this session, we’ve got Pauline Baudens, with her presentation ‘Reshaping of Women’s Mobility in Highly Constrained Urban Contexts’ discussing how women’s spatial practices are reshaped by the digital, and how experiences of empowerment are shaped by the digital #DGRGSymposium2025
Shared PowerPoint screen which shows a figure which shows the reshaping of spatial practice by mobile digital platforms and a thumbnail of presenter
June 20, 2025 at 9:07 AM