These stories embed #OMN theory and practice as a utopian direction of travel, not a technical blueprint. They illustrate a path of doing social change, not a finished model of how it will actually unfold. The reality will always be messier than the stories. It has to be. Real people, real politics, real power, real failure – none of that fits neatly into narrative form.
Use these as tools alongside the hashtag story to invite people in, if they help people understand why we need #OMN paths – and feel able to take a first, imperfect step – then they’re doing a needed job #KISS
Third story is about #indymedaback
These stories came out of the Oxford Utopia Reading group at Brasenose College, mostly makeup of postgraduate and undergraduate students in their 20’s, thus the use of #YA framing and narration in the outreach stories.
On the process, I wrote this a few years a go: It’s worth clearing up what often feels like wilful misunderstanding. When I talk about “steping away” from the #dotcons ecosystem, I don’t mean disappearing overnight or taking a purity exit. I mean one foot in and one foot out, staying present long enough to help others take the step as well.
That’s an ethical position, not a compromise.
Walking away completely leaves people isolated inside systems designed to trap them. Staying entirely inside normalises the harm. The #stepaway path holds both realities at once: reduce harm, refuse total capture, and keep doors open.
This isn’t about personal virtue or moral superiority. It’s about collective exit, done slowly, visibly, and with care. You don’t abandon people in a burning building – you help them find the exits.
That’s the work #OMN