The online information environment contains an abundance of data that can help us understand how information circulates – and how digital content and behavior shape pressing global issues. However, studying the information environment is difficult and resource-intensive, and researchers have few spaces in which they can collaborate and share insights about how best to approach this work.
On January 24, 2025, the Accelerator, Code for Africa, and the African Digital Democracy Observatory will host an event called Tooling Together to showcase innovative tools and methodologies being developed in the Global South, and particularly in Africa, to address the challenges in today’s information environment. The event will unite experts from the Accelerator’s global consortium alongside independent researchers, technologists, institutions, and activists. Presentations and discussions will surface cross-disciplinary insights and ethical considerations to advance the development of transparent, responsible, and impactful research tools.
Applications to present at the event are being accepted until January 10. Presenters may share tools and prototypes at any stage of development to receive expert feedback. Those selected to present their work will receive a certificate from Princeton University, along with the potential for the Accelerator to help scale their tools.
The application for this unique opportunity is available here. In particular, we hope to elevate innovators, researchers, and changemakers in the global majority involved in tool development, technology, or solutions to address challenges in their communities, and anyone developing impactful, scalable ideas that have the potential to help us better understand the information environment. The form can also be used to request to join the event as an attendee.
We look forward to gathering with a community of innovators dedicated to creating a healthy digital environment – as well as sharing insights that emerge from the event about the future of information research.