Because my online presence and activity have shrunk, I’m not much of a connector these days — but I think I do play this role in person (particularly ironic given how introverted I am).
I am just wondering about the extent to which a connector is not just connecting people (which I know is a huge focus in this course, and rightly so) but also ideas, practices, and so on. I think even more than being known as a ‘person who knows people’, I am known as someone who is aware of what is happening in other departments and disciplines. This is how I have ended up doing so much work on transdisciplinarity. In the process of teaching or running communities of practice, it is true that I do mention names and try to introduce people — but I also share case studies, explain practice, think about how similar terms are used differently in different disciplines (or, conversely, how similar ideas may be called different things), and so on. So there is this aspect of not necessarily joining individuals, but helping to bridge cultures.
As mentioned in Lesson 10, I am resurrecting a social media practice and will rejoin the October workshop. For this lesson activity this time around, sharing about one of the folks I mentioned during the October 2025 workshop – YK Hong.
YK Hong is on Mastodon – @ykhong@mas.to (1.4K followers, 103 following) – described as “Head at Keep Beyond Liberatory strategy + Tech justice Globally based.” Mastodon posts are the info to their Liberation Toolbox newsletter – https://www.liberationtoolbox.io/, of which I subscribe. I appreciate their content on re: civil rights encroachment, de-centering big tech, decolonization, etc. (Also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ykreborn/, 473K followers, 5,925 following).
While I am not sure of how YK Hong is a network weaver, my friends and I read their content and talk quite I bit about what we are doing with our own digital/identity presence and safety. So I suppose the content gets my friend group chatting – virtually and in-person.
Because my online presence and activity have shrunk, I’m not much of a connector these days — but I think I do play this role in person (particularly ironic given how introverted I am).
I am just wondering about the extent to which a connector is not just connecting people (which I know is a huge focus in this course, and rightly so) but also ideas, practices, and so on. I think even more than being known as a ‘person who knows people’, I am known as someone who is aware of what is happening in other departments and disciplines. This is how I have ended up doing so much work on transdisciplinarity. In the process of teaching or running communities of practice, it is true that I do mention names and try to introduce people — but I also share case studies, explain practice, think about how similar terms are used differently in different disciplines (or, conversely, how similar ideas may be called different things), and so on. So there is this aspect of not necessarily joining individuals, but helping to bridge cultures.
As mentioned in Lesson 10, I am resurrecting a social media practice and will rejoin the October workshop. For this lesson activity this time around, sharing about one of the folks I mentioned during the October 2025 workshop – YK Hong.
YK Hong is on Mastodon – @ykhong@mas.to (1.4K followers, 103 following) – described as “Head at Keep Beyond Liberatory strategy + Tech justice Globally based.” Mastodon posts are the info to their Liberation Toolbox newsletter – https://www.liberationtoolbox.io/, of which I subscribe. I appreciate their content on re: civil rights encroachment, de-centering big tech, decolonization, etc. (Also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ykreborn/, 473K followers, 5,925 following).
While I am not sure of how YK Hong is a network weaver, my friends and I read their content and talk quite I bit about what we are doing with our own digital/identity presence and safety. So I suppose the content gets my friend group chatting – virtually and in-person.