Our talk on the 5 year voyage covering 13 countries. Part 3 from Berlin to London. The first two talks can be watched here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHddF09QsCqjwbvoQ2vlM8cWakdwKtfFT come and enjoy the finale installment and find out what happens next #boatingeurope
Opening a space to build alternatives #OMN
How ingrained the #deathcult mentality has become. After decades of #neoliberal ideology, people have internalized the “no alternative” mindset, making it difficult to embrace radical solutions. Moving public opinion, especially outside the #dotcons bubble, requires patience and strategic optimism. It’s frustrating when potential allies focus too much on tearing things down instead of building up…
The Panthers’ slogan “Power to the People” resonates on the #openweb
A forum thread on socialhub brought up a powerful parallel between the radical demands of the Black Panther Party (#BPP) and the underlying values of the #fediverse and #activitypub communities, especially in their attempts to build outside the corporate-controlled paths. The metaphor is striking because both seek liberation, self-determination, and the creation of alternatives to…
The metaphors are change and challenge
Balancing the #mainstreaming mess by focusing on what’s “native” is a crucial step in rebooting the #openweb. Rather than outright rejecting things that don’t fit, the goal is to actively engage and mediate through pushback, ensuring that the core values are preserved while allowing space for broader participation. This approach helps prevent the dilution of…
Navigating challenges: online governance, trolling, and privacy
It’s interesting and useful to look at the critical issue of online governance, community dynamics, and the problem of #mainstreaming trolling on both the #dotcons and open social platforms like #Mastodon, #Fediverse and the broader #openweb Let’s start with mastodon, the complexity of (default) privacy settings leads to public conversations inadvertently shifting into private spaces,…
Mainstreaming the #deathcult metaphor
The #mainstreaming is touching on the #deathcult metaphor, this is normal as it’s a useful way of expressing the horrific reality “common sense” has built for us to live (and die) within. And, yes, this is using the metaphor in a more narrow way, as it is mainstreaming which has hard limits on dialogue to…
Thoughts on the mess we made on #socialhub and the wider #openweb reboot
The frustration of navigating the mess of activism, tech, and grassroots movements, especially when they get co-opted and sidetracked by personal interests, #NGO agendas, or broader #mainstreaming mess. We need ways to process, compost, and turn this mess into a more productive path, one which balances burnout and disillusionment. A part of this is the…
What can we do.
The is deep dissatisfaction with the current “common sense”, especially in the context of how it has contributed to a pervasive sense of fragmentation, meaninglessness, and cynicism in most contemporary life. The is very little meaning and action in our intellectual movements, the #blocking of the old stories, Marxism, Enlightenment ideals, and even reality itself.…
At an Oxford event – The Policy engagement workshop
“How should the new Labour government be listening?” A few notes: Firstly it needs to be said, this is common in Oxford, this is powerless people talking about things that matter. Where activism is about forming a group of action for pushing and pulling power, this event is not activism, it’s academy, need to remember…
Socialhub needs rebooting as grassroots, its drifting
What went wrong with this is a classic case of the tension between grassroots ideals and the pressure of existing within a larger system that is fundamentally at odds with those ideals. The #fediverse, along with other #openweb movements, succeeds in small, meaningful ways but struggles to scale in a world built on capitalist structures,…
Yes, we are in a mess, we need a path
There are many paths and perspectives on how to tackle the profound mess we’re in, and one of them comes from Roger Hallam and Extinction Rebellion (#XR), which, has brought to light a deep issue: the creeping “common sense” of #deathcult worship infiltrating activism. From a radical viewpoint, XR stood as a “first mover”—an innocent,…
We need to reclaim focus and energy wasted on current failing systems
Many years ago, I stopped going to most tech events and supporting “ethical” business. the #NGO tech events are mere talking shops, spaces filled with endless discussions but no outcomes. They suck up time, energy, and focus, acting as gatekeepers that reinforce the status quo while masquerading as spaces of change. These events are part…