[Air-L] First Monday - Online session to discuss saving it? [EXTERNAL]

Tue Feb 10 00:51:50 PST 2026

Dear Jacob,

Frankly, I find it inappropriate that you would use this discussion about First Monday to promote your journal, chiefly because First Monday was famously and staunchly a diamond open access journal, while yours is not. Note this part of First Monday's description (https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/about):

"First Monday has never subscribed to the notion that the article processing charges (APC) model is a version of open access publishing."

You might disagree with that, but it makes it rather inappropriate to imply (by bringing it up in this discussion specifically) that this new journal is something of a successor, or somewhere where those who subscribed to First Monday's values should get involved.

Reading your email and the journal's webpage, I have further issues with the journal (is it really 'peer reviewed' when one or more of those 'peers' seems to be an AI agent?), but I think that discussion should take place separately from this one about First Monday.

Best regards,
Dom
---
[Graphics, UiB logo]

Dom Ford
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

LEAD AI programme
Center for Digital Narrative
Department of Linguistics, Literary and Aesthetic Studies
University of Bergen
uib.no/en<https://www.uib.no/en>

________________________________
From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Groshek, Jacob via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
Sent: 09 February 2026 20:44
To: Sarah Clinton-McCausland <sclinton at umd.edu>; air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>; AoIR Association Coordinator <ac at aoir.org>
Subject: Re: [Air-L] First Monday - Online session to discuss saving it? [EXTERNAL]

Hi Colleagues,

I'm joining this thread with both sadness and optimism.  Like many, I've had great experiences engaging with and publishing with First Monday over the years, and I'm dismayed to sit its discontinuation along with at least one other journal that recently reached a similar decision.

Nearly a decade ago, after years and years of dead ends and bureaucracy, I helped to found and launch the free, open-source, self-published Journal of Communication Technology<https://www.joctec.net/home>  with the assistance of some great colleagues, collaborators, and volunteers who lent their time, their name, and more.  The world, as we all know, is changing, and while JoCTEC continues on, because I just can't help myself, I am working on launching a similar, new initiative with the AIxMedia Institute<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aixmediainstitute.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!sr_l1-jd9F_4lYHAGNPN3V9y4Q103lRv0ETFD3aWTaYRUX7LieTkKKFnhGK-a5YGT_hmN9LUdlSyAuE9nYJ-EK5nzQ$> (a 501[c][3] nonprofit) I helped to found with some really great board members and colleagues.

This may be a controversial opinion, but I would like to invite those who are interested to reach out about VIBING <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aixmediainstitute.org/vibing/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!sr_l1-jd9F_4lYHAGNPN3V9y4Q103lRv0ETFD3aWTaYRUX7LieTkKKFnhGK-a5YGT_hmN9LUdlSyAuE9nYL6M1w37Q$> (Virtual Intelligence, Behavior, and Networks Group)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://aixmediainstitute.org/vibing/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!sr_l1-jd9F_4lYHAGNPN3V9y4Q103lRv0ETFD3aWTaYRUX7LieTkKKFnhGK-a5YGT_hmN9LUdlSyAuE9nYL6M1w37Q$>—a new, nonprofit scholarly journal housed as an open-source journal freely available to the public within the AIxMedia Institute and built to address one of the most damaging failures in academic publishing today: time.

Across media, communication, and AI-adjacent fields, high-quality research is being delayed months (and sometimes years) by overwhelmed editors and reviewers, which can derailing careers, grants, and tenure timelines. At the same time, author fees at many flagship open-access journals and book publishers have become prohibitively expensive—especially for early career and international scholars from the Global South in particular. The system is no longer aligned with the realities of contemporary research, where we need more research sooner rather than later.

VIBING is designed to fix that—without sacrificing rigor.

VIBING would be the first peer-reviewed academic journal that leans into a hybrid AI-human editorial process.  We are transparent about where we rely on humans and where we rely on technology.  Rather than running from AI technology, we embrace it.

Our mission is simple but deliberately ambitious: to occupy a “purple ocean” space most publishers avoid—Fast + High Quality + Affordable. We do this not by cutting corners, but by redesigning the process of scholarly publishing. VIBING uses technology-enhanced multi-agent AI assisted editorial workflows to eliminate administrative bottlenecks, allowing expert reviewers to focus on ideas rather than logistics.

Why VIBING is Different

  *   Decision timelines of 1-2 weeks, not 8–12 months (or more)

  *   Rigorous peer review, with a target rejection rate above 60%

  *   Affordable APCs ($475 after launch), with fees waived for founding contributors

  *   Continuous publication rather than issue-based delays

  *   Full transparency about how speed is achieved—through efficiency, not reduced standards

Your Role as a Founding [Author / Editorial Board Member]

As a founding participant, you would help establish the intellectual and reputational foundation of the journal at a critical early moment.

For Founding Authors:

  *   Invitation-only submission during the soft launch phase

  *   APC fully waived

  *   Guaranteed first decision within 1-2 weeks

  *   Permanent recognition as a Founding Author on the VIBING website

For Editorial Board Members:

  *   Visible leadership in shaping a next-generation journal

  *
Light initial service expectations during the launch phase such as sharing with your networks

  *   Public affiliation that signals credibility and quality to tenure committees, authors, and indexers

  *   Participation in defining best practices for ethical, transparent technology-enhanced review

Why I’m Reaching Out

I never expected First Monday would cease publishing but in the wake of that decision, I am intentionally recruiting scholars who combine methodological seriousness, interdisciplinary reach, and reputational credibility. Senior leaders and junior innovators are essential to signaling that fast and affordable publishing does not have to mean predatory or low quality.

Again, to reiterate: VIBING would be the first peer-reviewed academic journal that leans into a hybrid AI-human editorial process.  We are transparent about where we rely on humans and where we rely on technology.  Rather than running from AI technology, we embrace it.

Put plainly: VIBING is not a shortcut journal. It is a mission-driven correction to a broken timeline—one that disproportionately harms early-career scholars and global researchers.

Next Steps

If this aligns with your values and interests, all you need to do is reply to me at jacob.groshek at childrens.harvard.edu and say I'm INterested!  Then we can discuss what you have in mind that falls anywhere in the domain of AI and Media, and the contribution that you would like to make or see made.  If you are not interested, no worries.  One of the best things about VIBING is that we are topically agnostic, so you can throw the kitchen sink at us, and your work will help us stress test our AI-augmented review process.

Either way, I would value additional perspectives as we finalize the journal’s public launch.  Thank you for considering being part of something intentionally different—and I believe urgently needed.   It is hard to know the future, but this is an invitation to work together transparently and collaboratively to do something meaningful 🙂

Warm regards,

Jacob

--

Dr. Jacob Groshek
Visiting Scientist, Digital Wellness Lab Boston Children's / Harvard Medical<https://digitalwellnesslab.org/>
Chair of Emerging Media Research, The A.Q. Miller School @ KSU<https://www.k-state.edu/media-communication/about/faculty/jacob-groshek.html>
Executive Director, AIxMedia Institute<https://aixmediainstitute.org/> & Founding Editor, VIBING<https://aixmediainstitute.org/vibing/>
President, Metro Boston NFL Flag Football<https://www.metrobostonsportsgroup.com>

New Book: Misinformation Finds Them<https://www.peterlang.com/document/1515223> (FREE Open Source)
Previously: Boston U | Erasmus U | IAST | Uni Melbourne
jacobgroshek.com<http://jacobgroshek.com/> | google scholar<https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=G1XXhccAAAAJ&hl=en>
+1-857-615-4709

________________________________
From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Sarah Clinton-McCausland via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
Sent: Monday, February 9, 2026 11:10 AM
To: Dang Nguyen <nguyenhonghaidang at gmail.com>
Cc: Lyle Skains <lskains at bournemouth.ac.uk>; air-l at listserv.aoir.org <air-l at listserv.aoir.org>
Subject: Re: [Air-L] First Monday - Online session to discuss saving it? [EXTERNAL]

* External Email - Caution *

Hi, all --

I'm not able to participate in these efforts but excited to hear of First
Monday's potential continuation! You're likely familiar with this resource
already, but just in case, I wanted to pass along this *open access
journals toolkit <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.oajournals-toolkit.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJmWm253g$ >* created by DOAJ
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://doaj.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNIZa_4l5w$ > and OASPA <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.oaspa.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNK2qXTBwQ$ >. It guides OA
journal teams with thinking through infrastructure, funding, archiving,
etc. and may be of use in this situation.

Take care,
Sarah
---
*Sarah Clinton-McCausland, **MLIS *(hear name
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://namedrop.io/sarahclintonmccausland__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJG7t59kg$ >)
*she/her*
Humanities, Social Sciences & Open Education Librarian
*→ **My subjects*: Journalism, Communication, Psychology, open access
course materials
*→ **Schedule an appointment**: **go.umd.edu/sarahcm
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://go.umd.edu/sarahcm__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNI4pU3LMQ$ >*

University of Maryland Libraries
4239 McKeldin Library  |  College Park, MD 20742
sclinton at umd.edu  |  301-405-9243  |  lib.umd.edu

On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 10:55 AM Dang Nguyen via Air-L <
air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> Thanks Lyle, such a good idea! I'd love to be part of that Zoom.
> Dang
>
> On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 7:03 AM Lyle Skains via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
>
> > Hi, all,
> >
> > Catching up on the First Monday discussions... Seems there are a number
> of
> > people interested in saving it. Would it be a good idea to host an online
> > session over zoom with those interested? We could discuss potential ways
> > forward, reaching out to current board, etc. It will require editors, but
> > also hosting, web management, etc., so not without costs, even if time is
> > volunteered.
> >
> > I'm happy to host/set a zoom.
> >
> > (apologies if the convo has moved on without me; I only get a daily
> digest)
> >
> > Best,
> > Lyle
> >
> >
> > —
> >
> > Trans Rights are Human Rights
> >
> > —
> >
> > Dr. R. Lyle Skains (LIE-ul skaynz ~ she/her)
> >
> > Associate Professor in Literary Media
> >
> > Senior Fellow, HEA | UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor
> >
> > Director, New Media Writing Prize<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://newmediawritingprize.co.uk__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNIejR-pcA$ >
> >
> > Directors member, Electronic Literature Organization<
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://eliterature.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNI_3aZIYw$ >
> >
> > Faculty of Media, Science and Technology, Bournemouth University
> >
> > lskains at bournemouth.ac.uk<mailto:lskains at bournemouth.ac.uk> | Staff
> > Profile<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://staffprofiles.bournemouth.ac.uk/display/lskains__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNKLTb4kMA$ >
> >
> > —
> >
> > Playable Comms<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://playablecomms.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNKKtIajxQ$ >: Interactive Digital Narrative
> > for Health & Science Communication
> >
> >
> >
> > Winner of the 2023 N. Katherine Hayles Award<
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://eliterature.org/elo-awards/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJX_RxQyA$ > for Criticism in Electronic
> > Literature, Neverending Stories: The Popular Emergence of Digital
> Fiction<
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/neverending-stories-9781501364938/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNLGy3dB1w$ >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > BU is a Disability Confident Employer and has signed up to the Mindful
> > Employer charter. Information about the accessibility of University
> > buildings can be found on the BU AccessAble webpages.
> > This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and
> may
> > contain confidential information. If you have received this email in
> error,
> > please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied,
> > distributed or disclosed to any other person.
> > Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not
> > necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary
> > companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or
> > its subsidiary companies via email.
> > _______________________________________________
> > The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJgEK7tjA$
> > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNI664_g8Q$
> >
> > Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNKUvqI-Ig$
> >
> _______________________________________________
> The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJgEK7tjA$
> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at:
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNI664_g8Q$
>
> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNKUvqI-Ig$
>
_______________________________________________
The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNJgEK7tjA$
Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNI664_g8Q$

Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.aoir.org/__;!!NZvER7FxgEiBAiR_!qrGLR53elHrZHb9FuM45NCgYnsGUujM0Yx0UbTt2I150zketIpb64niXG-9q4r1wovCn0OiC17qsPeirhtDzCG9tXNKUvqI-Ig$
_______________________________________________
The Air-L at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
http://www.aoir.org/

[External email] Make sure you recognize the sender's email address before you click links, open attachments, or get involved in financial transactions. Contact IT-support BRITA if you have any questions.