Elizabeth TaskerNov 21, 2023

The Japan SciCom Forum is being held today & tomorrow in Okinawa and I am boycotting šŸ˜ BOYCOTTING!

My MORAL OUTRAGE is thatā€”unlike previous meetingsā€”there is no hybrid option (apparently blocked by the host institute). Since most participants will have to fly to Okinawa for a 2-day only meeting, I felt this was equivalent to declaring ā€œclimate change is fake news!ā€, not to mention accessibility considerations.

I feel strongly in-person only was the wrong call, but also sad not to be attending.

Show threadElizabeth TaskerNov 21, 2023

In many cases, hybrid is neglected due to the costs imposed by conference centres for providing the facilities.

I haveā€¦ many thoughts on thisā€¦ that usually involve sticking it to money grubbing companies that charge excessive fees for basic AV equipment.

But the Japan SciCom Forum is being hosted at a university, so basic hybrid could have been as simple as a zoom connection and one of those throwable microphones (also a great ice breaker!). And damn it, I would have run that much for them!

Show threadElizabeth TaskerNov 21, 2023

Rather ironicallyā€¦ I ran a workshop at last yearā€™s (online) Japan SciCom Forum on the importance of online options, demonstrating ā€œGatherā€ and ā€œMozilla Hubsā€ as very cool and accessible interactive platforms.

Moreover, the meeting is being held at the Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology (OIST) which has hosted a range of exciting online talks on VR, machine learning & AI so could TOTALLY have done something cutting edge.

But I heard from the committee that they actively blocked hybrid šŸ«¤

Sachiko IshiharaNov 21, 2023
Show threadElizabeth Tasker

I assume the push against a hybrid option (if that is what happened) was to bring people to the area.

But with steadily hotter summers, high fuel costs, and people unable to travel for a myriad of reasons, this would be terrible justification.

And as a single counter point, I would have attended in-person if hybrid had been offered (combining with a research trip). As it is, Iā€™m an established member of the English-speaking science communication community in Japan, and I felt unable to attend.

Nov 21, 2023 at 12:56amWeb
Show threadElizabeth TaskerNov 21, 2023
Rant over until I feel fresh rage later šŸ˜…
Show threadSheepchaseNov 21, 2023
@elizabethtasker There really is no need for it to be in Okinawa at all. And like you say there should *at least* be a hybrid option. Terrible.

Right decision to boycott I think!!
Show threadElizabeth TaskerNov 21, 2023
@sheepchase I'm really disappointed in them!
Show threadSheepchaseNov 21, 2023
@elizabethtasker Yeah, itā€™s not exactly forward thinking. šŸ˜