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Do the online communities and groups that you participate in use digital tools that truly serve your values? Do you want to break free from the confines of corporate platforms, but feel stuck by the limits of your own technical know-how? Social media has long been dominated by companies that operate through surveillance, censorship, and the whims of a few people in charge. Yet different possibilities are emerging: in recent years, a new crop of social networks has emerged, based on open-source software and open protocols—including Mastodon, Matrix, Bluesky and Nostr.

However, too often, would-be users of these tools are turned off by the apparent requirement of specialized technical skills. We want to help lower the barrier for skilled community-builders to take advantage of open social media. We’re looking for people with an existing track record of building community (online or off!) who want to learn about social media tools that are truly user owned and governed.

The Media Economies Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder is launching a 5-month process of mentorship and peer-to-peer learning, empowering veteran community builders to adopt emerging open social networks.

We’ll help participants better understand the opportunities and challenges unique to these new kinds of networks. Together, we will strive to create a space where community builders can deepen their technical knowledge and better understand how to utilize technologies that align with their values.

Participants will meet as a full group monthly and receive ongoing, 1:1 project-specific technical support as they seed and grow new communities using open social media tools of their choosing. Participation is fully remote and all sessions will be conducted in English. All participants should commit to making strides toward community-building in open social media by the end of the program. Completion of the full program, from November 2024 to April 2025, will be compensated with a stipend of $3,500 USD.

We encourage applications from individuals or teams who wish to build or are presently embedded in communities that could benefit from improved access to open-source, self-owned tech tools, especially:

• Solidarity economy and bio-regional sustainability projects
• Journalists, newsrooms, and public-interest media
• Activist and social-change communities
• Cross-border networks
• Artists and arts organizations
• Communities at risk of being shut out of proprietary infrastructure

Anyone can apply, regardless of institutional affiliation. No prior technical experience is expected or required—just a desire to learn. by October 4, 2024.

The Open Social Incubator is organized by the Media Economies Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, made possible by generous gifts from Colorado ReWild and Mask Network Academy. The illustration, , is licensed through Stocksy, a cooperative stock platform.