The CivicTech Lab

The CivicTech Lab (formerly the Media Psychology Lab) was established in 2008, currently located at the National University of Singapore. Director is @weiyuz

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

The CivicTech Lab is going to #ICA26! We are proud to share 1 keynote, 1 invited panel, and 3 paper presentations on digital communication of political, scientific, and cultural issues. Time and location of our appearances can be found below. See you!

[CASMIDA @casmidaproject]

Thank you to @CivictechL, @WeiyuZ for inviting us, UNESCO, Universitas Diponegoro, and everyone involved in creating space for important conversations on digital platform governance, safety, and accountability in the region.

🔗Learn more: https://t.co/HjtLilkZb3

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Grateful to @unescojakarta, @UndipSemarang, AMIC, I4T Global Knowledge Network, and regional partners for advancing practical, rights-based approaches to digital platform governance in Southeast Asia. #Tech4Good #SoutheastAsia

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

The Civic Tech Lab was honoured to contribute to the @UNESCO Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms workshops in Semarang, Indonesia, hosted by @undip. Great regional discussions on #PlatformGovernance, rights, safety & transparency. #UNESCO #DigitalGovernance

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Together with Singapore collaborators, the Civic Tech Lab contributed to UNESCO capacity-building sessions for Southeast Asian regulators & civil society on civic tech, trusted digital environments, and evidence-based platform monitoring. #PlatformGovernance #CivicTech

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

What drives #OnlineMobilization — messages or networks? Our study shows it’s both. Personal frames spark engagement but weaken in closed networks, while collective frames gain strength in tightly connected ones. https://t.co/fln0MiiHy4
#HashtagActivism #NetworkAnalysis

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

We want to thank everyone who joined our #CHI2026 panel & posters! 🙏 Our session on “#AIagents and the future of #deliberation” drew a good crowd, and we’re especially grateful to those who stayed for the “AI vs. human deliberation” activities. Paper: https://t.co/fvAm8QxUp4

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

The CivicTech Lab has two interventions to make at #CHI2026. This year, along with long-term collaborators and new ones, we focus on exploring one question: what roles can #AIagents play in public #deliberation? Please come join our panel on 4.14 and check out our poster on 4.15!

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Under the leadership of Professor Weibiao Zhou (Food Science and Technology, NUS), our research lab has been awarded the Singapore Food Story 2.0 Grant for the Social Science Package under “DIGEST: Developing Innovative Gastrointestinal Efficiency and Smart Technologies”.

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

New Publication Alert!

We are proud to announce our latest study, "Drawing the Faces of ‘Perpetual Foreigners’: A Multimodal Narrative Analysis of #StopAsianHate on Instagram," authored by our Director, Professor Weiyu Zhang.

Read the full paper here: https://t.co/H05bclyZ3v

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

The Civic Tech Lab wishes everyone who celebrates a progressive and prosperous year of Horse!

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

2025 at the Civic Tech Lab: A year of growth and impact! 🚀 Huge thanks to our team and collaborators for another fruitful journey. Here’s to what’s next!

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

The Civic Tech Lab wishes everyone a peaceful and joyful holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Our first publication on alternative protein is here!

We’re excited to share Public Discourses of Alternative Protein Foods in Facebook Public Pages’ Posts, 2014–2024, now published in PLOS ONE.

Drawing on a decade of large-scale Facebook public page data, this study maps how plant-based and cell-based proteins have been talked about, felt, and framed—who leads these conversations, how sentiments diverge, and why plant-based proteins appear socially “settled” while cell-based proteins remain contested. By combining sentiment analysis and topic modeling, the paper offers a longitudinal view of how public discussion around alternative proteins evolves alongside policy, technology, and markets.

This work is led by @WeiyuZ and Bingyan Wang, with supports from Jingyi Xie, Lai Peng Leong, Tai Wei David Leong, Max Jing Rui Tham, and Wee Han Ang. It reflects The CivicTech Lab’s commitment to understanding food innovation not just as technology—but as public discourse, culture, and social negotiation.

This is just the beginning. More work is underway at the intersection of novel foods, public perception, communication, and governance—and we’re excited to continue building this research agenda with the community.

📄 Read the paper: https://t.co/uwtbsWJzv3

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Taste Tomorrow: Co-Creating the Future of Food in Singapore Vol. 3 concluded with rich dialogue across halal science, culinary practice, policy, and alternative protein innovation.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us in examining how faith, culture, and technology intersect in shaping the foods of tomorrow. Your reflections and commitments remind us that future food systems must be inclusive, trusted, and grounded in community values.

Our participants also co-created a series of visual artworks that translated complex ideas into shared meaning — from ethical considerations and sensory experiences to cultural alignment and everyday food futures. These pieces will continue to guide our thinking as we shape future volumes.

See you all in the next one!

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Come to work in our Lab!! Deadline approaching soon!

[Weiyu Zhang @WeiyuZ]

JOB alert! Postdoctoral Fellow in Civic Tech and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at The CivicTech Lab will close its call by end of Nov, 2025. Hope to find an enthusiastic mind who will creatively use AI to enhance, but not to replace, human deliberation!
https://t.co/7cjszkwIQs

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

How can Islamic values and Nusantara culinary heritage come together to make novel proteins more acceptable — and enjoyable — for Muslim consumers?

Celebrity Chef Mel Dean, Culinary Director at Permata Singapore, shares how taste, trust, and tradition can bridge innovation with faith. His talk brings a chef’s insight into transforming future foods into dishes that are spiritually aligned, culturally rooted, and deeply satisfying.

Stay tuned as we explore how faith and flavor shape the future of food at Taste Tomorrow Vol.3.

#TasteTomorrow #FaithAndFood #HalalInnovation #NusantaraCuisine #FutureProteins

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

What makes a food truly Halal-ready in the age of innovation?

Dewi Suratty, Founder & CEO of Dawn Horizon and former Director of Halal at MUIS, will unpack how differing perceptions around novel foods shape halal acceptance — from policy and industry to consumer trust.

Her talk calls for a future where innovation and faith move hand in hand, co-creating a food system that is both inclusive and culturally grounded.

#TasteTomorrow #HalalFuture #FaithAndInnovation #FoodSystemTransformation #NovelFoods

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Taste Tomorrow Novel Food Workshop Volume 3 is here!

Speaker Highlight: Alvin Loo, Ph.D (National University of Singapore)

From the science lab to your dining table — what stands between novel food innovation and Halal certification?

Join Alvin Loo Eng Kiat from NUS as he unpacks the challenges of defining purity, safety, and faith-based acceptance in emerging food technologies, and what it means for the future of sustainable food systems.

📅 22 Nov 2025 (Sat) | 🕘 9am–2pm
📍 AS8 04-01, NUS

👉 Sign up now: https://t.co/aPJPvBc9Vd

#TasteTomorrow #HalalCertification #NovelFood #FoodScience #FaithAndFuture

[The CivicTech Lab @CivictechL]

Taste Tomorrow Novel Food Workshop Volume 3 is here!

Speaker Highlight: Ardy Ardiansyah, Ph.D (Universitas Bakrie, Indonesia)

As the food industry ventures into the era of lab-grown and cultivated meat, one critical question remains unresolved: Can these innovations ever be truly Halal?

Join Prof. Ardiansyah Yah as he explores how clear Islamic guidance and collaboration across international fatwa bodies could unlock access to a two-billion-strong Muslim market — and shape the global future of food ethics.

📅 22 Nov 2025 (Sat) | 🕘 9am–2pm
📍 AS8 04-01, NUS

👉 Sign up now: https://t.co/aPJPvBbC5F

#TasteTomorrow #FaithAndFood #FutureProteins #NovelFoods #HalalInnovation