This post is talking in the sense of structure rather than individual experience. Let’s be honest, much of the so-called “alternative” tech scene is still stuck. Yes, we fled the #dotcons for something better, but ended up with copies of the same broken models. The #Fediverse, with all its potential, is still as often dominated by “mainstreaming meta” chat (“Twitter refugees incoming!”) or conspiracy-laden, #fashionista rabbit holes. It’s little wonder that even the nerdy privacy crowd struggles to find meaningful content or community. And no, shouting “fuck the system!” isn’t enough.
If we’re serious about systemic change, we need to do much more. The question is not if people will come, some always will, the real challenge is what they’ll find when they get here. Right now? It’s messy, insular, and missing the tools people need to use for change and challenge, let alone feel at home. We must move beyond building clones of corporate platforms and start composting the path that got us here.
This is why we need a reboot, not from scratch, but from memory. Projects like #indymediaback aim to reclaim 20+ years of working grassroots media practice. With tools like #ActivityPub we now have scalable tech that can bring those old social processes – based on #4opens (open code, open data, open governance, open standards) – into the present. The #OMN (Open Media Network) is such a path: combining the solid tech foundations with the radical social methods that we know worked (but didn’t scale).
To move at all, we must change and challenge the toxic norms of the #mainstreaming #deathcult, and yes, this means building real alternative identities and spaces that don’t live in the shadow of big tech. Being “alternative” used to mean something, and it can again, if we stop ONLY copying the mainstream and instead focus on nurturing something more strongly rooted and real.
This isn’t about being purist, #FOSS and Open Source already works in this way, the #OMN just brings this path to media and community infrastructure. It’s not utopian, it’s compost. And yes, that means dealing with hard questions, including our own funding. Let’s stop pretending we’re neutral when we’re not. Let’s build from honesty. It’s time to dig, plant, grow, and repeat.
#OMN #4opens #indymediaback #openweb #fediverse #techshit #KISS #NGO #deathcult #mainstreaming #altmedia #DIY
NOTE: the comments below are a useful example of #stupidindividualism, and remember this hashtag is about social groups and their #blocking of social thinking. The history matters, flaming is not a useful response.
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@info struggles to find meaningful content? What are you even talking about? It's amazing here, I learn something new every day. Maybe follow some good hashtags? There's a tone of meaningful content and many communities. Maybe you're missing out on SolarPunkSunday bloomscrolling or lichensubscribe hashtags? I follow so many good ones. There's diy, 3dprinting, botany, OpenSource FiberArts, VisibleMending and the list goes on.
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@licho @info
Talking in the sense of structure rather than individual experience. There are a lot of resources on the site on this subject
http://hamishcampbell.com
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@witchescauldron @info
Yeah, drop a full blog on me and expect me to read all the blog posts, saying "lots of resources". SERIOUSLY?
You know I've been hearing this kind of whining that there's nothing there so many times. The author not only repeats this false stereotype but also says something else should be built because of that. Maybe he doesn't really thinks that actually and only tries to hype his solution up, instead of joining forces with others building. Idk. Don't really care. What it does it actually hinders everything. Come and have fun with others talking about fixing bikes instead of disturbing. It's not cool.
Edit: oh, you are the author. Even better. Yeah. Link to your blog. What an asshole.
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@licho @info you do realise that the person you are trying to talk to helped to build the space you talk about. In both a big sense and a small sense… That's why I say read the site, so you know. But no point in flaming, let it go 🙂
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@witchescauldron @info okay, you have an ego of exactly the kind of narcissistic asshole that would arrogantly respond with a blog written since 2009 and go "hear, this is your answer". I'm not interested in talking to you and I don't respect you.