The discussions surrounding grassroots movements within tech communities intersects with broader social themes, such as #neoliberalism and #postmodernism. These ideologies shape what is considered “common sense” and can create real barriers to introducing alternative viewpoints and practices. Within this context, progressive grassroots initiatives aim to counteract these dominant paradigms, but they frequently face challenges both…
Understanding Anarchism
As I said before, anarchism is the most “native” philosophy for the #openweb, a #FOSS network free from hierarchical structures and state authority, based on self-management, voluntary cooperation, and mutual aid. With this in mind, let’s look at what anarchist think: Clement Duval “Anarchy is the negation of all authority” anarchism’s core principle of rejecting…
Serendipity and #Hashtags
Hashtags are ubiquitous online, they categorize content to find and join conversations on topics. The problem with current hashtag usage is they reinforce individualism over collective action. This is an issue of neoliberal “common sense” and the domination of #dotcons, prioritizing profit rather than change challenge. Serendipity, the occurrence of events by chance, beneficially offer…
Feudalism, #FOSS native governance?
Interesting to see this metaphor take off #Feudalism, in Free and Open Source Software (#FOSS) governance, is not inherently native but is often found due to structural and cultural factors inside the development communities. Feudalism in FOSS Why? Manifestations Balancing Feudalism. Conclusion While feudalism is not inherent to #FOSS governance, structural and cultural factors lead…
The Battle for the Internet: Open vs. Closed
Since its creation, the internet and World Wide Web have been shaped by two competing and overlapping paths: The #OpenWeb Rooted in the DNA of internet code and culture, we see the web as a platform for collaboration, sharing, and the free exchange of information. Built for use in a world where information is abundant…
Tension, Open and Closed Web
From its creation, the growing internet and World Wide Web has been shaped by two competing, often overlapping visions: The Collaborative, #OpenWeb: Rooted in #DNA of internet code and culture, this vision is of a platform for collaboration, sharing, and free exchange of information. Built for use in a world of abundance of information, free…
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…
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…
The mess we keep making of #FOSS governance
It’s disheartening to see a community platform like #Trustroots https://trustroots.org facing challenges with governance, with issues and tensions among its contributors https://github.com/trustroots-community/trustrots/issues?q= and here https://trustroots.community/ This situation is messy and underscores the importance of establishing healthy governance practices within community-driven projects to ensure their long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The case of Trustroots alongside the earlier…
Who gets to decide what this place is? How are we being represented
“An important distinction is slowly being uncovered about the definition of the term “#Fediverse.” Who is it that gets to decide what this place is? How are we being represented?” https://mastodon.social/deck/@fdrc_ff@www.foxyhole.io/112435833670527639 The lack of discussion about the nature of the space the #fediverse occupies raises questions about representation and identity within this #openweb “native” network.…
Some aspects of the geekproblem
The #geekproblem refers to the challenges and limitations that arise from the dominance of a particular “problem” geek culture within the technology industry and #FOSS movements. This culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on technical expertise, at the expense of social, ethical, and democratic considerations. The geek culture prioritize technical solutions and innovations over…
The mess we made with the dotcons
The #dotcons are designed for greed and selfishness, everything about them feeds this and in turn feeds off this negative path. This is coded deep into them, they cannot be fixed, and we cannot reboot alternatives to this by simply copying them in #FOSS as we have done too much in the #Fediverse. The rebooting…