What works?

What works in the rise of social justice movements and grassroots mobilization. Movements start at the local level, driven by people and groups who are directly affected by social injustices and are motivated to bring about change. For technology to be of use to build these out wider, we need to foster the importance of…

The mess we have made #mainstreaming postmodernism

A complex philosophical and cultural movement of the mid to late 20th century. At its core is a rejection of objective values and beliefs, scepticism towards the idea of absolute truth, and a distrust of grand narratives. Let’s have a brief look at this and Noam Chomsky view of why this movement is still pushing…

Stories

A rich tapestry of reflections, critiques, and ideas centred around technology, media, activism, and society. This is what you make of it, thought-provoking, the intersections of technology, society, and activism. A personal journal and a platform for broader discussions, the blog reflects a deep engagement with grassroots media, #4opens technology, and the mess we make…

A Mental Health Time-Bomb

The Imminent Collapse: The science is irrefutable: our civilization is on the brink of imminent, violent collapse due to environmental degradation and #climatechaos. Yet, the political establishment and #mainstreaming media is dominated by those who profit from this collapse, ensuring that the public remains, unfocused, uninformed and distracted by inanity and bile. This toxic combination…

Caring in a culture that disregards human well-being requires resistance to dominant values

I have come to think that care for people requires a high degree of resistance to the culture around us, simply because that culture is dedicated to values that have no concern for people. A tension in society: the disconnect between cultural values and genuine care for people. Actually caring for people requires a strong…

Real Social Media is a Hard Balancing Act

Open social media is native to the #openweb it represents liberation, while closed social media is centred around control for profit. The balance between these two forms is nuanced, and understanding the implications and paths of each requires consideration. It is not “common sense” so you need to think outside your current limited view please…

People think in groups, this is natural

Group thinking is human nature. As social grows, people naturally think and make decisions in the context of groups. This tendency has evolutionary roots, as it historically enhanced survival and cooperation. However, much of our current thinking, although not incorrect, is influenced by the prevailing #stupidindividualism mindset that is “common sense” in our messy world.…

A Story of Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things

In the early 1980s, the Cold War tensions reached new heights, reviving fears of nuclear annihilation among the public. It was during this time, in a small village in southwest Wales, that a group of women decided to elevate their local protest to an international level. This story is about the creation of the Greenham…

Activist History: A Balanced Approach

Activist history is often marred in sectarianism. This fragmentation means that often the most contentious and least effective voices dominate the narrative, overshadowing the efforts of those who were diligently work on the ground. Addressing the Challenges To tell the story of activist history accurately and fairly, it is crucial to overcome the following challenges:…