Understanding the systems shaping modern life

The ThreadPoint Institute for Infrastructure Literacy is the research, writing and public inquiry arm of ThreadPoint.

The Institute explores how children, communities and society understand the physical infrastructure behind digital life — from data centres and cloud computing to AI, networks and emerging technologies.

As digital systems become increasingly embedded into everyday life, infrastructure literacy is becoming a social and educational challenge, not just a technical one. Most people use the internet every day without understanding the systems, spaces and infrastructure that make modern life possible.

The Institute exists to help bridge that gap.

The Institute is led by Willow Williams, founder of ThreadPoint and author of Where the Internet Goes to Sleep — believed to be the first children’s book of its kind introducing data centres and digital infrastructure to young learners.

Why Infrastructure Literacy?

Children are growing up in a world shaped by invisible systems.

Cloud computing, AI, connectivity, data centres and digital infrastructure now influence education, communication, healthcare, creativity, work and daily life — yet public understanding of these systems often remains limited.

At the same time, conversations around AI, technology and digital futures are accelerating rapidly within policy, education and industry.

The ThreadPoint Institute believes infrastructure literacy should become part of how society understands the modern world. This includes understanding the physical infrastructure behind the internet, helping young people develop systems thinking, supporting inclusive and accessible approaches to digital education, exploring how communities engage with infrastructure development, and contributing to conversations around computing, AI and public understanding.

Current Work

The Institute is currently exploring infrastructure literacy and education, computing curriculum and digital learning, AI and public understanding, community engagement in digital infrastructure, systems thinking for young learners, inclusive approaches to infrastructure education, and storytelling as a tool for technical understanding.

Ongoing work includes public infrastructure literacy workshops, curriculum-aligned educational resources, community insight gathering, industry engagement and conference participation, long-form writing and public reflection, and research and policy exploration relating to computing and infrastructure literacy.

Future fellowship research, reports and findings will also be housed through the Institute.

From Awareness to Pathways

The ThreadPoint Institute is developing a long-term infrastructure literacy pipeline, from first encounter in early years through to secondary education and career entry.

We believe some of the children who will build tomorrow’s digital infrastructure are already in our workshops. Our work is to help make sure that early curiosity is recognised, supported and given a pathway forward.

Publications & Writing

The Institute publishes essays and articles, reflections and field observations, research outputs, curriculum and education commentary, infrastructure literacy insights, and community engagement findings.

This work is intended to support broader conversations across education, industry, policy and public life.

A Long-Term Project

Infrastructure literacy is not yet a recognised field.

The ThreadPoint Institute is a long-term project. We intend to help make it one.

Get in Touch

For research enquiries, collaboration or press contact:

institute@threadpoint.studio