Call for papere

Anxiety is a collective mechanism

Anxiety is that pervasive feeling akin to standing atop a crumbling mountain. You flounder, seek reassurance, wait for help, and feel as though nothing you do will ever be enough. Not all the anxiety we experience takes such a clear form: often it remains a subtle sensation beneath the surface that we struggle to recognize.

The years we are living through are dominated by anxiety—the kind that emanates from our phones every minute, the kind that overwhelms us every time we witness firsthand the climate disaster we’re in, with every “new” war and genocide we fail to prevent. These are the years of the anxiety market: anxiety pervades finance and drives rivers of money; producing the anxiety-inducing technologies we pretend to believe are indispensable leads to further wars, environmental and social disasters that ceaselessly fuel this merry-go-round. Cause and effect intertwine in a cobalt mine, while we plunge headlong into the inescapable AI bubble.

So, Hackmeeting. Point one—Discover with us the open secret: anxiety isn’t yours, but everyone’s. Point two—Anxiety, like technology, must be addressed collectively. Point three—Understanding the mechanisms of our world helps to neutralize them.

Hackmeeting will be in Florence this year. Bring your anxiety, but above all, bring your inventions, your recipes, and your tricks for subverting it.

June 12–14, 2026 Florence, NextEmerson

To submit a proposal, sign up for the hackmeeting mailing list at https://www.autistici.org/mailman/listinfo/hackmeeting, and send an email with the subject line [talk] talk_title or [workshop] workshop_title, including the following information:

Duration (a multiple of 30 minutes, maximum two hours)
Any specific day/time requests
Brief description, any links, and useful references
Nickname
Language
Need for a projector
Willingness to be recorded (audio only)
Other requirements

We will set up indoor spaces equipped with sound systems and projectors. If you think your presentation doesn’t require that much time, you can propose a “ten-minute talk” of up to 10 minutes directly to Hackmeeting. These talks will be held in the largest space at the end of the day on Friday or Saturday evening; someone will let you know when you’re about to exceed the time limit.

If, on the other hand, you want to share your discoveries and curiosities in an even more informal and chaotic way, you can set up shop with your gadgets, gizmos, trinkets, and other odds and ends on the communal tables in the LAN space. You’ll find morbid curiosities, AC power, and a wired network (bring a power strip and whatever else you need). We’ll also have plenty of space to set up hands-on workshops where you can take apart motors or build hyperurans—help us organize by letting us know your needs in advance.

Have a question? Write to us