Mathew Iantorno (he/him)
@mathewiantorno.com
📚 PhD candidate at the University of Toronto (iSchool + ICCIT)
🤖 Studies the history, labour, & public impact of retail automation
🛰️ mathewiantorno.com
🤖 Studies the history, labour, & public impact of retail automation
🛰️ mathewiantorno.com
As a palate cleanser from yesterday, here is a very good vending machine from the Monkey's Paw bookstore in Toronto.
February 11, 2026 at 2:49 PM
As a palate cleanser from yesterday, here is a very good vending machine from the Monkey's Paw bookstore in Toronto.
I have found truly the worst vending machine. Even worse than the pizza one.
February 10, 2026 at 8:38 PM
I have found truly the worst vending machine. Even worse than the pizza one.
Pleased to announce that I'll be leading a Monday Night Seminar at the Centre for Culture and Technology this March. Stay tuned for more details. www.cultureandtech.utoronto.ca/events
January 23, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Pleased to announce that I'll be leading a Monday Night Seminar at the Centre for Culture and Technology this March. Stay tuned for more details. www.cultureandtech.utoronto.ca/events
Did a dive into corporate micro-market social media posts today. It's a lot.
January 9, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Did a dive into corporate micro-market social media posts today. It's a lot.
In what has inadvertently become an annual tradition, I've redesigned my website. 💻✨ mathewiantorno.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:46 PM
In what has inadvertently become an annual tradition, I've redesigned my website. 💻✨ mathewiantorno.com
Expect a lot more of these in 2026 as I hack through the dissertation.
January 2, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Expect a lot more of these in 2026 as I hack through the dissertation.
Was invigilating an exam at UTM yesterday and spotted this in a campus food court. I can't escape the automatic 'za.
December 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Was invigilating an exam at UTM yesterday and spotted this in a campus food court. I can't escape the automatic 'za.
I reference this Canadian grocery monopoly diagram so frequently that I should print it out and hang it on my wall at this point.
December 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
I reference this Canadian grocery monopoly diagram so frequently that I should print it out and hang it on my wall at this point.
Just submitted my abstract to CCA 2026.🍁 FYI the December 1st deadline is fast approaching! acc-cca.ca/index.php/co...
November 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Just submitted my abstract to CCA 2026.🍁 FYI the December 1st deadline is fast approaching! acc-cca.ca/index.php/co...
It seems like every day Adobe is shoving another AI feature into Acrobat's interface that is enabled by default. I can't even search for words in a PDF without an AI suggestion now.
October 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
It seems like every day Adobe is shoving another AI feature into Acrobat's interface that is enabled by default. I can't even search for words in a PDF without an AI suggestion now.
Stumbled into a PizzaForno vending machine on my way back from a wedding in Barrie last month. Most of these machines have disappeared from downtown Toronto, but they're still deploying them in more rural areas of Ontario.
September 29, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Stumbled into a PizzaForno vending machine on my way back from a wedding in Barrie last month. Most of these machines have disappeared from downtown Toronto, but they're still deploying them in more rural areas of Ontario.
I'm pleased to announce that I will be serving as a graduate fellow with the Centre for Culture and Technology for the 2025-2026 academic year! 📚✨ www.cultureandtech.utoronto.ca/programs#gra...
August 27, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I'm pleased to announce that I will be serving as a graduate fellow with the Centre for Culture and Technology for the 2025-2026 academic year! 📚✨ www.cultureandtech.utoronto.ca/programs#gra...
If you haven't heard, the next meeting of the Canadian Communication Association will be held from June 2-4, 2026 at the University of Windsor. Great to hear that we're moving forward independently when Congress is on hiatus.
August 13, 2025 at 3:31 PM
If you haven't heard, the next meeting of the Canadian Communication Association will be held from June 2-4, 2026 at the University of Windsor. Great to hear that we're moving forward independently when Congress is on hiatus.
My faculty is hiring... again! The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto is looking for an Assistant Professor (Tenure Steam) in Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
August 13, 2025 at 1:09 PM
My faculty is hiring... again! The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto is looking for an Assistant Professor (Tenure Steam) in Knowledge Systems, Infrastructures, Communities, and Cultures. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
I feel like I've been posting nothing but jobs lately, but it's that time of year! My faculty is hiring an Assistant Professor in Public AI and Cultural Institutions. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
July 29, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I feel like I've been posting nothing but jobs lately, but it's that time of year! My faculty is hiring an Assistant Professor in Public AI and Cultural Institutions. jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
All the promotional images for corporate micro-markets have Hide the Pain Harold energy.
June 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
All the promotional images for corporate micro-markets have Hide the Pain Harold energy.
It reminds me so much of the old school vending machine ads that promised a silent salesman who would effortlessly make you passive income.
June 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
It reminds me so much of the old school vending machine ads that promised a silent salesman who would effortlessly make you passive income.
Been diving into some documentation for the Aisle 24 unstaffed convenience stores that have been popping up across Canada. One of the big pitches is that you can own and run a franchise with a time investment of less than 20 hours a week, and a lot of that work will be remote monitoring.
June 24, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Been diving into some documentation for the Aisle 24 unstaffed convenience stores that have been popping up across Canada. One of the big pitches is that you can own and run a franchise with a time investment of less than 20 hours a week, and a lot of that work will be remote monitoring.
It was fun presenting at @torontogamesweek.com last Thursday about my weird Little Free Library project. Thanks to everyone that showed up! 🧙📚🍁
June 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
It was fun presenting at @torontogamesweek.com last Thursday about my weird Little Free Library project. Thanks to everyone that showed up! 🧙📚🍁
This evening as part of @torontogamesweek.com I will be talking about urban games, Little Free Libraries, and wizards. 🧙
June 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
This evening as part of @torontogamesweek.com I will be talking about urban games, Little Free Libraries, and wizards. 🧙
Looking forward to presenting at CCA next week for Congress 2025. 🍁
You can catch my presentation on automats, apps, and contactless service as part of the "Narratives and Consequences of Technological Change" panel bright and early at 9:00am on June 4.
You can catch my presentation on automats, apps, and contactless service as part of the "Narratives and Consequences of Technological Change" panel bright and early at 9:00am on June 4.
May 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Looking forward to presenting at CCA next week for Congress 2025. 🍁
You can catch my presentation on automats, apps, and contactless service as part of the "Narratives and Consequences of Technological Change" panel bright and early at 9:00am on June 4.
You can catch my presentation on automats, apps, and contactless service as part of the "Narratives and Consequences of Technological Change" panel bright and early at 9:00am on June 4.
Colleague: "How would you describe your research?"
Me:
Me:
May 29, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Colleague: "How would you describe your research?"
Me:
Me:
Some good news for a change.
May 29, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Some good news for a change.
Pictured: Capitalists taking all the fun out of candy.
May 28, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Pictured: Capitalists taking all the fun out of candy.
I'll be discussing the 1937 automat strike in my forthcoming CCA presentation. It was challenging finding any depictions of striking workers in newspapers of the time, but I was able to snag this one from the New York Times.
May 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I'll be discussing the 1937 automat strike in my forthcoming CCA presentation. It was challenging finding any depictions of striking workers in newspapers of the time, but I was able to snag this one from the New York Times.