Gordon Gow

Gordon Gow is a Professor in the Sociology Department and Director of the Media Tech Studies (MTS) unit at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Arts. He holds a PhD and has previously taught at the London School of Economics, where he directed the Media and Communications Regulation and Policy program before joining Alberta in 2006. His research focuses on digital media's societal impact, applied communication scholarship, and technology stewardship in global development contexts. He leads collaborative projects on digital literacy, agricultural extension, and ICT4D, emphasizing inclusive innovation and participatory practices. Notable initiatives include the Technology Stewardship Training programs in Sri Lanka and Trinidad and a recent project using Mastodon to build decentralized social media infrastructure for academic research. His work intersects media ecology theory (drawing from Marshall McLuhan) with practical applications in community development.

Educations: PhD (details unspecified) and prior roles at the London School of Economics.

Research Interests: Applied communication research, digital leadership and transformation, media ecology, technology stewardship, community informatics, and the political economy of communication. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks with real-world challenges in rural and global south contexts.

• Key projects include technology stewardship training for agricultural communities and studies on social media's role in oral health and agricultural extension.
• Recent publications address inclusive digital pathways, post-pandemic agricultural practices, and alternatives to commercial social media platforms.

Awards: None explicitly listed in the provided texts.

Advising/Grants: Oversees the MACT program and collaborates on SSHRC-funded knowledge mobilization projects. Recent initiatives involve the Arts Resource Centre's decentralized social media infrastructure project.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Media & Technology Studies unit and collaborates with international partners in Sri Lanka, Trinidad, and Bangladesh. Active in developing community-university partnerships in agricultural knowledge systems.