That the cost of living crisis stems from corporate greed and political corruption is a useful perspective to challenge #mainstreaming narratives. Economic hardships faced by people and communerties are not inevitable or natural, rather the result of deliberate actions by powerful agendas. “Remember, anyone trying to blame our cost of living crisis on anything other…
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…
Security and trust are a part of the fluffy/spiky debate in activism
As dissent and protest are increasingly criminalized, it’s important for protesters and activists to protect themselves – to the degree possible – from surveillance. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (#EFF) offers a guide for surveillance defence. It’s useful to read this even if you aren’t a protester, because the right wing (and sadly, some of the…
#mainstreaming counter-cultures
The #mainstreaming of counter-cultures, like #openweb, #Fediverse, and #Mastodon, touch on issues in openweb culture and community sustainability. It should come as no surprise that we need action and community to hold together the culture, values and integrity of openweb digital spaces. Normalization and Dilution of Values: As counter-cultures like the openweb and Fediverse gain…
The Fediverse is “native” to Anarchism
Anarchism is a part of #FOSS governance, a political philosophy and social movement that shaped the foundations of the internet and #openweb to move from centralized power to decentralized, self-governing paths. This was a strong part of #web01 and a strong part of why it worked so well. #Anarchists believe that society and technology can…
Toxic Positivity
Toxic Positivity in #mainstreaming, in the context of career and life choices, is about following “common sense” established paths deemed acceptable or successful by societal norms. Where an anti-corporate stance emerges from the frustration with rigid corporate structures and the hollow promises of career advancement through sheer dedication and hard work. That traditional jobs prioritize…
The Urgent Need for Climate Action
The public’s attention is being deliberately diverted by those in power. They want us to focus on national borders and other divisive issues, preventing us from addressing the real crisis #climatechange. This distraction tactic is designed to benefit the class enemy who continue to profit from the destruction of our planet. As we approach, another…
A European Future
Changing the European Union (#EU) to be more competent and progressive on social and tech issues requires concerted effort and engagement from all the stakeholders, including activists, citizens, civil society organizations (#NGO), policymakers, and Eurocrats. I outline some #fluffy strategies for driving change within the EU: Overall, changing the EU to be more competent and…
Nurturing the Potential of the Fediverse: A Socio-Political Roadmap
The #fediverse, promises decentralized social networking and democratic governance, stands as a light of hope for a native #openweb. However, as it navigates the terrain of politics, technology, and human behaviour, it faces challenges that threaten to undermine its #4opens civic potential. In this post, we delve into these challenges and explore potential pathways to…
Digital waste – shouting into the void
Interesting links on “digital” waste https://gerrymcgovern.com/world-wide-waste/ https://volume.lboro.ac.uk/digital-waste-polluting-the-planet/ https://theconversation.com/dark-data-is-killing-the-planet-we-need-digital-decarbonisation-190423 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/15/power-grab-hidden-costs-of-ireland-datacentre-boom https://digitaldecarb.org/ This is true. With the #OMN we are building tools for use, not for distraction, shouting into the void is not the project. Community, talking to community, is the core mission. The “personal” is not a part of our core project. This is alien to…
Funding Application: Building the Open Media Network
Funding Application: Building the Open Media Network Project Overview: The Open Media Network (#OMN) is an innovative project aiming to construct a trust-based, human-moderated, and decentralized database shared across multiple peers, encompassing both peer-to-peer (p2p) and server-based architecture. OMN is centred around the #4opens principles, emphasizing openness, transparency, collaboration, and decentralized control. The project’s primary…