We need to look a bit at the psychological barriers that hinder communication and action in urgent social challenges. Concepts, like spontaneous trait transference, lead people to attribute negative traits to those delivering important messages, rather than focusing on the message itself. People often react defensively to bad news, seeking to attribute blame to others…
In the #openweb reboot, metaphors are a strong path
We do need to look t things differently, for example the #darkweb is in our poisoned self that has fermented for the last 40 years. It’s the algorithms of manipulation, and the #geekproblem unthinking pushiness of this fermentation. The #dotcons are the shiny surfaces of this mess. And the #openweb the seedlings to grow community…
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What do we have here, Hamish Campbell’s blog covers a range of topics related to technology, activism, social justice, boatlife and the #openweb. As an activist, Hamish provides insightful commentary and analysis on issues like digital rights, decentralized technology, media activism, climate change, and more. Feel free to subscribe to Hamish Campbell’s blog for Overall,…
The tech world is in a state of chaos and dysfunction
The tech world is in a state of chaos and dysfunction, to compost this mess it’s crucial that we reckon with the consequences of our past decisions to understand how we arrived at this point. Over the past four decades, there has been an intertwining of #postmodernist social thinking and #neoliberal economic ideology. This marriage…
Cyril Foster Lecture 2024: On the Declining Success of Civil Resistance
Professor Erica Chenoweth will explore the puzzling decline in the success of civil resistance movements in the past decade, even as unarmed movements have become more popular worldwide. The findings have implications for the future of nonviolent alternatives to armed struggle, as well as to the ability of pro-democratic movements to defeat authoritarian challenges. Erica…
We must reckon with the consequences of our past decisions
The intertwining of #postmodernist social thinking and #neoliberal economic ideology over the past four decades has laid the groundwork for the turbulent state of contemporary politics and the social chaos evident in our digital ecosystems (#dotcons) This marriage of ideologies led to a fracturing of societal values and a narrowing of ideological divides, resulting in…
Tech governance projects miss the mark
Tech governance projects miss the mark because they fail to engage with the real needs and experiences of grassroots activists and community building. This disconnect stems from the entrenched dynamics of the #geekproblem, which prioritize control and certainty over messy collaboration and understanding. The problem is exacerbated by the detachment of the “professional” #NGO crew,…
Composting the Mess: Transforming Society through Collective Action
In the tapestry of human interaction, the worst threads of people and #society manifest as destructive feedback loops. Whether fuelled by greed, fear, or power dynamics, this cycle weaves our current culture of brokenness and decay. To break free from this destructive cycle, we need to embrace a paradigm shift, normalizing the best parts of…
The Mess of Web3: Why #openweb natives should Question the Blockchain Narrative
In the ongoing discourse surrounding #openweb and its relation to failing technologies like #web3 and #blockchain, a critical question emerges: why do we readily accept solutions without first defining the problem at hand? The allure of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and blockchain technology for the last ten years has overshadowed the necessity of understanding the…
Revisiting the ActivityPub foundation idea
There are a few views on this issue, the “common sense” #NGO path, an example Presenting Fedi Foundation: Empowerment for SocialHub community 1 And the more “nativist” openweb path What would a fediverse “governance” body look like? And then we have the #geekproblem path, which has been pushing the fep process the last 2 years,…