The Forgotten Story of Social Technology: Why It Matters

All code is ideology solidified into action – most contemporary code is capitalism, this is hardly a surprise if you think about this for a moment. Yes you can try and act on any ideology on top of this code, but the outcome and assumptions are preprogramed, with this in mind let’s look at a path outside this mess. In the original “native” digital wilderness of the #openweb, our use of technology paths were seen as something esoteric—a domain of hackers, activists, and tech-savvy individuals who speak in code and operate in the margins. But beneath this perception lies a fundamental truth: social technology is not just for the few; it’s for everyone. It’s about how we connect, share, and build communities. And this matters more now than ever.

In the early days there was the path of open connections, this story begins in the early 2000s an example is with the rise of #Indymedia, a global network of independent media centres that emerged as a response to corporate control over #traditionalmedia. Indymedia pioneered social technology, using the internet to democratize information and give voice to those silenced by traditional media. Indymedia wasn’t only about the content; it was more the community of people. This new social reality was revolutionary because it allowed communities to create their own paths to share media in wider public spaces without relying on corporate platforms. It was a glimpse into what the internet could be— decentralized, user and community controlled space for collaboration and free expression.

For many activists, Indymedia was more than a tool; it was a lifeline. It provided a way to organize, mobilize, and communicate outside the #blocking and watchful eyes of governments and corporations. But the significance of Indymedia and similar projects extended far beyond this activism. They represented a different vision of what the internet could be—a vision that prioritized openness, community control, and freedom over profit and surveillance.

The rise of the dotcons and betrayal of the openweb. As the internet grew, so did the corporate interest in controlling it. Enter the #dotcons the tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, which have come to dominate the online landscape. These corporations offered free services that were easy to use and quickly became ubiquitous. But there was a catch: these services were free because the users themselves were the product. The #dotcons built their empires by harvesting data, selling ads, and creating siloes that encouraged mindless scrolling rather than meaningful interaction. The openweb—the vision of a decentralized, user-controlled internet—was quickly replaced by a walled garden of corporate platforms that prioritized profit and control over people and #DIY.

This shift had implications, it wasn’t only about losing control over shared digital commons, it was about losing control over our communities, our communications, and our society. The internet, once a space for creativity and intervention, become a tool of surveillance and manipulation. The promise of social technology as a force for social good was eroded by the platforms that had once seemed so empowering.

The #deathcult is a system that consumes everything. The ideology that underpins the dotcons and the broader #neoliberal system they are part of. This path of endless growth, profit at any cost, and the concentration of power in the hands of a few. An ideology that consumes everything in its path—communities, environments, and even our own sense of self.

This is not only a problem for activists; it’s a problem for everyone. The #deathcult turns us into consumers rather than citizens, prioritizing #stupidindividualism over community and short-term profit over long-term sustainability. An ideology that leads us to the environmental crisis, the erosion of social trust, and the ending of democracies. For anarchists and activists, the deathcult is the enemy to be fought. But for the average person, it’s the water we swim in—the invisible system that shapes our lives in ways we don’t even notice. Understanding this is crucial if we are to reclaim the internet, our communities, and any liveable future.

Reclaiming the Commons is a role for the #4opens, if the deathcult is the problem, then the 4opens is part of the solution. The #4opens—opendata, opencode, openprocess, and openstandards—are #KISS paths to build a better internet. These principles are not only for activists; they are for anyone who sees the need to empower community and the importance of basic democracy.

Open data means that information should be accessible to all, not hoarded by corporations. Open code means that software should be transparent and modifiable, not a black box controlled by a few. Open governance means that decisions about how platforms are run should be made by the community, not imposed from above. And open standards mean that different systems should be able to work together, rather than being locked into proprietary formats. These principles are the foundation of the #openweb that empowers people, fosters creativity, and builds communities, the foundation of a good society.

The Open Media Network (#OMN) is a path to create a native digital network based on the #4opens. The OMN is not only a technical project; it’s a social one. It’s about spaces where people can connect, share, and build without being subject to the whims of corporate controle. It’s a reboot of the original web, learning from projects like #indymedia. The #OMN is a response to the failures of our use of the #dotcons and the worshipping of the deathcult. A way to reclaim the internet as a tool of good, rather than a weapon of control. It’s a way to rebuild the commons, the shared resources and spaces that are core to the path of the healthy society.

For progressives and anarchists, the OMN is a path we need to take to create the world we might want to see, where power is decentralized, and communities have control over their destinies. But for everyone else, the OMN is a way to take back what has been lost in the corporate takeover of the internet. It’s a way to reconnect the original promise of the internet as free expression, collaboration, and community.

Why this social technology matters, at its core, social technology is how we connect with each other. It’s the tools we use to build relationships, share information, and create communities. These things matter for everyone, not only activists or anarchists. In the current mess dominated by corporate platforms, we blindly worship the deathcult where in the openweb native path of social technology offers a way to reclaim our agency away from this mess. It offers a way to build systems that work for us, rather than against us. The story of social technology, as told by Hamish Campbell on this site, is a story of hope and possibility. It’s a story of what the internet could have been—and what it still can be.

The journey won’t be easy, but it is a journey worth taking. In the end, the #openweb is about more than technology; it’s about the kind of society we want to build, and the kind of people we want to be #KISS

The current “debate” about AI is a distraction #KISS

The debate over AI’s energy consumption is one piece of a larger mess about technological in the face of current existential risks. Yes, #AI’s energy demands are a huge #dotcons waste, but focusing only on this is distracting us from a more #4opens discussions about the underlying ideology and assumptions driving the #geekproblenm technological paths—an example, the ideas of #longtermism, lets look at ths:

#Longtermism is a philosophe prioritizes the far future, arguing that we should make decisions today that benefit humanity hundreds or thousands of years from now. Proponents of longtermism advocate for technological advancements like AI and space colonization, pushing that these will ultimately secure humanity’s future, that is after many of us have been killed and displaced by #climatchoas and the resulting social brake down of mass migration. The outcome of the last 40 years of worshipping the #deathcult is this sleight of hand by changing the subject, yes, its a mess.

This mindset is a ridiculous and obviously stupid path we should not take, some of the issues:

Overconfidence in predicting the future: Longtermists assume that we can reliably predict the long-term outcomes of our actions. History has shown that even short-term predictions are fraught with uncertainty. The idea that we can accurately forecast the impact of technologies like AI or space colonization centuries from now is, at best, speculative and, at worst, dangerously hubristic.
The danger of #geekproblem mentality, the idea that we should “tech harder” to solve our problems, that is, to invest more heavily in advanced technologies with the hope that they will eventually pull us out of our current crises, mirrors longtermist thinking. It assumes that the resource consumption, environmental degradation, and social upheaval caused by these technologies will be justified by the benefits they might bring in the future.

This path is the current mess and flawed for meany reasons:

Resource Consumption: The development of AI, space technologies, and other technological “solutions” requires vast amounts of energy and resources. If these technologies do not deliver the expected returns, the initial resource consumption itself exacerbate the crises we are trying to solve, such as the onrushing catastrophe of climate change.
Opportunity Costs: By focusing on speculative technologies, we neglect immediate and practical solutions, like transitioning away from fossil fuels, which mitigates some of the worst effects of climate change. These simpler, more grounded paths may not be as glamorous as AI or space travel, but they cannot backfire catastrophically.
Moral and Ethical Implications: Whether it is right to invest heavily in speculative technologies when there are pressing issues today that need addressing—issues that affect billions of lives. The idea that a few future lives might be more valuable than current ones is a dangerous and ethically questionable stance.

The is always a strong case for caution and pragmatism in technology. Instead of betting our future on high-stakes #geekproblem technological gambles, a pragmatic approach to focus on solutions that offer benefits today while reducing the risks of tomorrow is almost always a good path. For example, changing our social relations and economic systems away from the current #deathcult, by using social tools to investing in renewable energy, rethinking urban planning, and restore ecosystems would all be actions that can have immediate positive effects while also contributing to a humanistic future. This #KISS path carry far fewer risks if they turn out to be less impactful than hoped. The worst-case scenario with renewable energy is that it doesn’t solve every problem—but it won’t make them worse. In contrast, if AI or space colonization doesn’t deliver on its pie in the sky promises, the consequences are simply disastrous.

A #mainstreaming view of this mess

A call for grounded action, the challenge of our time is not to “tech harder” in the hope that advanced technologies will save us, but to consider the balance between “native” #4opens humanistic innovation and #dotcons caution. The example here #Longtermism, with its emphasis on far-off futures, leads us to a dangerous path by neglecting the immediate, tangible actions we can take now, not in a thousand years. We need to focus on paths that address our most pressing problems without risking everything on pie in the sky self-serving mess making. This means actions like reducing fossil fuel dependence, preserving biodiversity, and creating more change and challenge social systems like the #OMN and #OGB—steps that will help us build a resilient and humanist world for both the present and the future #KISS

The media noise about the current #AI is mostly noise https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/ai-poses-no-existential-threat-to-humanity-new-study-finds/ and money mess, it’s the normal #deathcult with a bit of kinda working tech.

Four Steps to Becoming an Informed AI Skeptic

The West’s Climate-Catastrophe is “native” to the mess we are in

Why do we still worship the #DeathCult? As we stand on the precipice of onrushing #climatechaos and spreading social break down, it should be clear that much of the world remains on the path of what we usefully call the DeathCult—a term to describe the pervasive, destructive ideology that prioritizes power, wealth, and control over human life and our collective survival. The worship of this cult is clearly seen in the #mainstreaming response that is less concerned with averting disaster and more focused on maintaining the status quo at any cost.

This is a complex mess, a speech on the #deathcult what you have is the old right and the new right – what would the left look like?

The west’s climate-catastrophe plan, the strategies being employed by the few in power to mediate the escalating #climatecrisis reveals a dark and cynical world-view. Rather than addressing the root causes of environmental destruction, the current plan involves:

Silencing and Jailing Dissenters: Across the globe, activists, whistleblowers, and truth-tellers are increasingly targeted by governments. The criminalization of protest, the surveillance of dissidents, and the erosion of civil liberties are all used to silence the few people who challenge the current path. By removing voices of opposition, the nasty few hopes to stifle the more apathetic meany that might threaten their current power and wealth.
Impoverishing and Brainwashing the Masses: Economic inequality is not a by-product of the current system; it is a deliberate strategy. By keeping the majority of people in a state of economic insecurity, the few ruling class maintain control. At the same time, mass media and it “invisible” propaganda shape public understanding and motivation to divert attention away from real issues, to reinforce the #consumerist story’s that supports the current mess.
Imposing Forever Wars and Prison-Camp Epidemics: The endless cycle of wars, coupled with the spread of diseases exacerbated by poor living conditions, serves a dual purpose. It destabilizes regions, making them easier to control, while also reducing populations that might otherwise resist. The situation in Gaza, where millions are trapped in what is essentially an open-air prison, is a stark example of what this could look like when the brutal strategy is used on us as #climatecrises spread floods of migration.

This is the messy path we are walking down to the very real possibility of 21st century global fascism as a failed “solution” to the mess these people are spreading. The combination of repression, economic control, and orchestrated chaos can easily lead to the spread of global fascism, where the primary goal is the preservation of power for the nasty few. The psychopaths who design and implement this care for little beyond their own dominance—not even the future of their children, who will inherit a world on the path of collapse.

Most of these architects of destruction are older men who will likely die in comfort, shielded from the consequences of their actions. Their callous disregard for human life is a normal outcome of “success” to the priests of the #deathcult. If you care to take a moment to look it can be seen in meany #fashionista philosophies like “#longtermism,” which argue that even if billions perish in the coming climate catastrophe, we shouldn’t be too concerned, as the long-term survival of humanity (as they define it) is all that matters.

The DeathCult is a metaphor for #neoliberalisam which worships success in grabbing power above all else. It views the world as a zero-sum game, where the suffering of the many is justified by the comfort and security of the few. Over the last 40 years this ideology has been deeply entrenched in the institutions of the West, from organizations like the #EU, #WTO etc to national governments and corporations, and it is perpetuated by those who benefit from the existing mess. They have no plan or ideas to change this path, even our liberals are talking about this https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-11/joseph-stiglitz-the-road-to-freedom-neoliberalism-fascism/104210670

We need to take a different path to breaking free from the DeathCult, to overcome this grim reality, to take simple steps we must first recognize the insidious influence of neoliberalism on our lives and societies for the last 40 years. Understanding the tactics and objectives allows us to resist its “common sense” pull and work towards creating a world that values humanistic paths over simplistic power and profit.

The Seven Stages of Denial:

1. It’s not real
2. It’s not us
3. It’s not that bad
4. We have time
5. It’s too expensive to fix
6. Here’s a fake solution
7. It’s too late: you should have warned us earlier

Trolls use all of these stages to deny reality.

There is an urgent need for a paradigm shift, we are at a crossroads. The choices we make now will determine the future of humanity and our existence on this planet. It is gently need to reject the nihilism of the #DeathCult and instead embrace different paradigms—one’s that prioritizes #KISS social justice, environmental stewardship, and genuine democracy. This shift won’t come easily, social change is hard, but it is needed if we are to mediate the worst consequences of #climatechaos.

By recognizing, and change, challenging the paths that keep us locked in this destructive cycle, we can start to dismantle the structures of power that push inequality and environmental degradation. The time for action is yesterday, now is a start, before it’s too late.

PLEASE don’t be a prat about this, you can help us shift paths here https://opencollective.com/open-media-network

Trust in Mutual Aid Networks

Mutual aid is a tool for building resilience and solidarity, which works best within networks of trust. For mutual aid to function, there needs to be a foundation of relationships where people “know” each other. This isn’t just familiarity—it’s about understanding the needs, values, and dynamics of the community involved.

The role of trust networks is that members share common bonds, whether it’s geographical, ideological, or social. These help to ensure that resources are distributed fairly and reach those who need them. When people know each other, there’s an inherent accountability that strengthens this network. This trust is crucial because it ensures that mutual aid efforts are sustainable and effective, rather than being exploited and misdirected.

The risk of feeding the #deathcult when mutual aid extends beyond these trust networks—such as when sharing needs or begging posts from people outside your community for example on the #dotcons or broadcast on the social networks of the #openweb—there’s a risk of unintentionally feeding the mess. The #deathcult is a pervasive system of exploitation and inequality that thrive on unchecked resource distribution and manipulation. Without the accountability of a trust network, resources are in part diverted to sustain the inherently destructive paths that “common sense” puts us all on.

Building and strengthening trust networks, before sharing or contributing to mutual aid requests, means it’s important to take the time to understand the community or individual asking for help. Getting to know the community by engaging with the community that the person is a part of. Understand their values, struggles, and the context in which they operate. This helps ensure that your support is going to a cause aligned with shared principles. Whenever possible, build direct relationships with the people you are helping, this can be through conversations, mutual friends, or shared activities. Knowing the person or group directly helps build trust and ensures your aid is helping rather than simply feeding at worst or propping up at best the current mess. Prioritize mutual aid efforts within communities you are connected to, or within wider networks you trust to help strengthen local resilience.

Conclusion, mutual aid is effective within networks of trust, where communities know and support each other. When sharing or responding to requests for help, please consider whether you are supporting a community need or inadvertently feeding into current messy paths of exploitation. By focusing on building and maintaining trust networks, we help to ensure that mutual aid efforts are sustainable and beneficial to those who need them #KISS

https://crimethinc.com/2025/06/06/a-common-treasury-for-all-mutual-aid-and-the-revolutionary-abolition-of-capitalism-revisiting-the-difference-between-mutual-aid-and-charity

Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution

The “fluffy” need to enforce incitement laws

On the subject of the far right rioting, it should be obverse that the rampaging, violent inadequates we see in today’s society are not the root of the problem. Rather, they are weapons wielded by high-profile figures like Trump, Farage, and Robinson to achieve their own ends. The ignition issue is with, the want to be, influential individuals who incite violence and hatred to manipulate and control. The mess is in part from our collective worship of the #deathcult with the resulting mess being exploited to push discontent and prejudices of ignorant segments of the population, turning them into instruments for very small personalized agendas. These “leaders” incite violence, fuel divisions, and create an atmosphere of fear and hostility. The violence perpetrated by their followers is a motivation of their inflammatory rhetoric and actions, which itself comes from the #deathcult path we have worshipped for the last 40 years.

What to do about this is likely fundamental change, but as a step to this from a liberal “fluffy” prospective, we have incitement laws for a reason, to prevent individuals from provoking violence and hatred. Incitement is a serious crime because it directly leads to harm and undermines the fabric of society. For this liberal path, it is clear that there is a need to enforce these laws rigorously when dealing with high-profile instigators who use their influence to incite right wing violence.

On this path for accountability and justice, holding these high-profile figures accountable matters. It sends a message that no one, regardless of their status or power, is above the law. By enforcing incitement laws, we can: Deter future incitement, showing that incitement will not be tolerated can deter others from using similar tactics. Protect society: Reducing incitement can help to prevent violence and protect vulnerable communities. Restore trust in the rule of law: Ensuring that laws are applied equally can help to restore public trust in the justice system. This #KISS liberal #mainstreaming should be common sense to our fluffy crew.

In conclusion, the violent actions of the rampaging inadequates are symptoms of a deeper problem on the surface rooted in the careers and inadequacy of a few influential figureheads, under the surface it’s a direct result of the divisions of 40 years of #neoliberalisam and its dogmas. For the “fluffy” liberal chattering classes, it’s well past time to hold these high-profile instigators accountable for their actions. One way of doing this is rigorously enforcing incitement laws, a “fluffy” path to build hope to deter future violence, protect society, and restore trust in the rule of law, so we can get back to blinded #deathcult worship at worst or real change challenge at best. It’s hard to see a clearer reason for these laws to be enacted than the current pushing of right-wing violence. Best not to be a prat about this and get to it, It’s not even a spiky thing to do.

Alt media article worth a read https://freedomnews.org.uk/2024/08/07/between-fascists-and-cut-liberals/

The Urgent Need for a Paradigm Shift

For the last 40 years, we’ve been entrenched in a system that pushes economic efficiency, shown by the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. This mess has been touted as the ideal, leading to an “efficient” economic structure that, in reality, has been a disaster of environmental destruction and social disintegration. It’s well past time we recognize the worship of the #deathcult for what it is: a dire mistake that urgently needs correction to move away from the false idol of economic “efficiency”.

We need to rebalance for survival, to prioritize social and environmental sustainability rather than only blinded consumption to push mere economic “gain”. The last four decades of economic efficiency have destroyed the balance necessary for a stable and healthy society. If we continue down this path, we will face complete social disintegration and ecological disaster in the next 20 years.

Our current social structures are riddled with status games and toxic individualism, direct outcomes of the clective worship of the #deathcult. We need to move away from these destructive patterns if we want to live in a civil society in the coming years. This means rejecting “common sense” paths tainted with this worship and embracing collective, community-driven approaches. “Let us not flatter ourselves on account of our human victories over nature. For each such victory, nature takes its revenge on us.” – Friedrich Engels

We are in a mess, as highlighted by fluffy movements like #XR (Extinction Rebellion). On the positive path we need is planting grassroots media and alternative narratives, without this it is a real challenging to escape this mess. The #OMN offers a path forward, but it requires us to rethink our values and priorities fundamentally. We need to focus on this shift of power away from the #geekproblem and the #dotcons to the grassroots producers of media, culture and meaning. To foster a commons-based #openweb, economic, and social ecosystem.

This positive shift in power dynamics is a step in nurturing a #KISS more sustainable and equitable path. The wisdom from Engels reminds us that our actions have consequences. The environmental and social crises we face are nature’s “revenge” for our hubris and neglect. It’s time to change course and prioritize balance, sustainability, and collective well-being over short-term economic “gains” for the few. The time for change is now.

https://opencollective.com/open-media-network

In general, as a part of the hashtag story, I call this #stupidindividualism

The Political Landscape of Social Media: We need Change

In the mess of today’s #dotcons news media, social media platforms have become the primary arenas for public discourse and political engagement. However, the political leanings of these platforms significantly influence the nature of the discussions that takes place. Here’s an overview of the political ground on which some of the major social media platforms stand:

X (Twitter): Far-right
Threads (Facebook/Instagram): Corporate right
Nostor: Libertarian right
Mastodon: Center-liberal

Despite the variety of platforms available, there is an absence of genuinely left-wing social media. This lack needs to be acknowledged, especially when trying to find support for projects like the #OMN (Open Media Network). The prevailing political inclinations of these paths are influenced by our worshipping the #deathcult, a useful hashtag describing the pervasive and invisible influence of #neoliberalism in our society. This influence leads most people to act in counterproductive ways without conscious thought, as part of the common sense path of maintaining the status quo and resisting change or challenge we need.

This unspoken political problem is a part of the issue, what is more important is basically we also need to understand the data paradigm, to navigate out of this entrenched system. We need to recognize the underlying structure of our socio-economic systems are fundamentally driven by data. Consider the following, please:

Capitalism: Essentially data.
Money: A form of data.
Society: Comprised of stories, which are data.
Your Device: A data conduit.
This Text: Data.

Without any left wing media, we give “them” and the data and metadata. We don’t have much access to data and, more importantly, metadata? Scenarios:

Open Data: Accessible to everyone, Metadata: Fully available to the public.
Closed Data: Restricted to the individual, Metadata: Controlled predominantly by corporations and governments.
Hybrid Data: Available to hosting corporations, governments, and paying companies. Limited to friends for personal data sharing. Metadata: Owned by corporations and utilized by governments.

The flow of these scenarios helps to mediate the sustainability of computer networks during the ongoing #climatechaos disaster. The path we take will shape the next 50 years of social and political change, it is important to think and act on this to find a path of more equitable distribution of data access.

Given the political biases of existing social media platforms and the overarching influence of data control, there is an urgent need for developing genuinely left-wing social media spaces. These platforms need to prioritize #4opens data access and metadata transparency to grow a more democratic and inclusive path through the next years of mess.

Supporting projects like the #OMN, which adhere to openness and community-driven governance, paves the way for such change. By challenging the #mainstreaming narratives and advocating for grassroots solutions, we work towards a path where data and metadata are democratized, ensuring that technology serves the public good rather than reinforcing existing #deathcult power structures.

In conclusion, we need to use the #4opens as a tool to evaluate the platforms we use and advocate for alternatives that align with values of openness, equity, and sustainability. By doing so, we can begin to dismantle the #deathcult and build a digital path to a ecosystem that supports #KISS social justice and collective progress.

Post-Modernism Influence on Social Movements

Leaving the fig leave of dead philosophies covering #liberalism and #neoliberalism, gives cover to continue ideological works, this mess masks and hides insidious agendas. By removing these fig leaves, we can see, understand and dismantle the mechanisms of power they obscure.

I have talked about this, a lot, let’s try one more time. The lingering #zombie of post-modernism and its influence on social movements and #mainstreaming anti-ideological “common sense”, despite being very much dead in most intellectual circles, continues to exert ongoing influence on thought. This lingering specter is not only academic debate but a tangible and invisible force that shapes ideologies, policies, and actions. Understanding the ramifications of post-modernism is a path to addressing the current societal mess and dismantling the layers of deception that obscure the nature of #liberalism and #neoliberalism.

The legacy of post-modernism, emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction against the certainties and grand narratives of the progressive modernism with the denial of objective truths, embracing relativism, and deconstructing power and knowledge. While this philosophical approach did provide insights and can be used to challenge oppressive systems, with its embrace and twining with the #neoliberalism of the last 40 years it pushed a lot of the current mess, of pervasive skepticism and cynicism that undermined the path of collective action and coherence in social movements.

The Perils of Post-Modernist Relativism. Erosion of Truth: Post-modernism’s insistence on the relativity of truth has eroded the foundation of factual discourse. In a world where all narratives are equally valid, distinguishing between reality and fiction becomes opaque, creating fertile ground for misinformation and manipulation, as any attempt to assert objective truth is met with suspicion and relativistic counterarguments. This is the mess of our use of the #dotcons
Fragmentation of Social Movements: By emphasizing the multiplicity of perspectives and identities, post-modernism pushes the current fragmentation of social movements. While recognizing diverse voices is important, the lack of unifying visions leads to disjointed efforts that fail to achieve any substantial change. This fragmentation makes it possible for entrenched powers to maintain the status quo, as there is no cohesive opposition to challenge and change them. The mess we work in.
Depoliticization and Inaction: The post-modern emphasis on discourse and representation over material conditions and collective action leads to depoliticization. When activism becomes #fashionista shouting primarily about language and symbols rather than tangible change, it loses any efficacy. This shift from praxis to performative results in social movements that are about virtue signalling and status games rather than achieving concrete goals. The mess we are in today.
Liberalism has been a Fig Leaf for Imperialism: Liberalism, with its emphasis on individual freedoms and democratic values, serves as a fig leaf for imperialism. This is evident in foreign policies that justify interventionist actions in the name of spreading democracy and human rights. However, these interventions serve geopolitical and economic interests rather than the purported liberal ideals, leading to the exploitation and destabilization of other nations. The mess our apathy pushes over others.
Neo-Liberalism’s Economic Fig Leaf: Neo-liberalism uses economic theory as a fig leaf to conceal a conservative agenda that prioritizes corporate power and wealth accumulation over social welfare. Policies promoted under the cover of economic efficiency result in austerity measures, deregulation, and privatization, which harms the working class and marginalized communities while enriching the few. The mess we push over ourselves.

To move beyond the mess created by the undead philosophies which hides behind the fig leaves of liberalism and neoliberalism, we need a renewed commitment to social truth, solidarity, and collective action.

Reasserting Objective Truths: While acknowledging the complexity of reality, we must reclaim the importance of objective truths and evidence-based discourse. This involves resisting relativism and combating misinformation through critical thinking and basic media literacy. We need tools, shovels for this composting #OMN
Building Lose Unified Movements: Social movements need some unity without erasing diversity. This requires finding common ground and shared goals that can unite different groups in the pursuit of systemic change. Solidarity should be the cornerstone, enabling coordinated efforts that can actually challenge entrenched powers. We need federated p2p tools for this #OGB
Focusing on Material Conditions: Activism prioritizes material conditions and tangible outcomes over performative gestures. This means addressing economic inequality, environmental degradation, and social injustices through concrete policies and actions rather than symbolic acts. We need media for activism #indymediaback to build meaningful action.
Exposing and Dismantling Fig Leaves: By examining the fig leaves of liberalism and neo-liberalism, we can expose the motivations behind these ideologies and advocate for #grassroots alternatives that prioritize human well-being and ecological sustainability over #mainstreaming corporate profits and imperial ambitions. #makeinghistory is a #KISS tool for this.

The philosophy of post-modernism, despite its intellectual demise, continues to shape our “common sense” contemporary thought and social movements. To navigate this mess, we must compost the relativism and fragmentation it has pushed. By reasserting “objective” truths, building unifying movements, focusing on material conditions, and exposing ideological fig leaves, we can walk the path for a just, equitable, and sustainable future. It’s this simple, please try not to push prat down this path, thanks.

What can you do https://opencollective.com/open-media-network

Control in Tech Culture

The 20th century was marked by significant technological and scientific advancements, alongside violent conflicts. As we move through the 21st century, the nature of these conflicts is shifting. The struggle is increasingly between humanity and nature, with dire consequences if we continue down our current path. Environmental degradation and climate change are no longer side effects, but central challenges that must be addressed. We need to find paths to move off the current paths, there are assumptions that are #blocking this needed move, one is in technology and its assumptions.

This #geekproblem has been inherited from past era’s in our computer architectures and the broader tech culture that has an ingrained concept of control. This control, hardcoded into systems and frameworks, poses an unspoken problem within many geek paths. Addressing this issue is crucial for understanding the broader implications and possibilities of grassroots #openweb tech activism as a path out of the current social and technical mess.

The Control paradigm in tech, from the foundations of computing, control has been a central theme. Systems are designed to operate under strict protocols, ensuring reliability, security, and efficiency. This paradigm, while effective in technological contexts, is inadvertently extend into social dynamics within tech communities. Control in tech is not just about managing systems; it also shapes interactions, hierarchies, and decision-making processes.

Unconscious participation in control structures, in tech communities, is unconsciously embedded in social groups that perpetuate this control paradigm. It’s essential to recognize that this isn’t a personal failing but a reflection of broader cultural trends. The challenge lies in identifying and addressing these unconscious patterns to foster more open, collaborative, and equitable environments.

The Keep It Simple, Stupid (#KISS) principle is a valuable tool for analysing generalist issues within our shared cultures. By simplifying complex problems, we can better understand the dynamics at play and develop more effective solutions. Applying the KISS principle to tech activism helps to demystify the control paradigm and its impact on our communities.

This blog is dedicated to exploring alternative paths that we can take to address these issues. By grassroots #openweb tech activism to mitigate the destructive patterns of control and build more sustainable and equitable paths. To promote decentralized technologies to empower people and communities, reducing reliance on centralized control structures.

#4opens emphasizes the importance of open-source software, to encourages collaboration, transparency, and shared ownership and community building. We need to fostering strong, inclusive communities that prioritize collective well-being over hierarchical control. We need to shift to environmental stewardship and ecological consciousness in our tech development and usage, recognizing the interconnectedness of human and environmental health in the tools we use.

This path requires a fundamental shift in how we approach technology and control. By embracing the #openweb and grassroots activism, we can create resilient, inclusive, and sustainable technological systems. This is not just a technical challenge but a cultural and ethical one.

#OMN #indymediaback #OGB #makeinghistory #visionontv #4opens

Communities and People are the #Openweb

The #Fediverse, short for Federated Universe, is a part of the #openweb made of human connections through #4opens computer networks. At best, its value is not a collection of software packages, much more about the flows of human community that build relationships across diverse groups and regions. Imagine the Fediverse as a web of communities, each represented as a node. These nodes are not defined by the software they use, but by the people and groups that form them:

Affinity Groups in Activism: communities of action and social movements
Local Governments: Municipalities using the Fediverse to communicate with residents, share public announcements, and gather feedback.
Universities: Academic institutions fostering collaboration among students, faculty, and researchers, enabling the sharing of resources and knowledge.
Families: Family members staying connected, sharing updates, photos, and maintaining family bonds regardless of geographical distances.
Friend Groups: Friends interacting and sharing moments in a private, ad-free space, organizing events, and maintaining their social ties.
Companies: Businesses collaborating internally and with their customers, providing customer support, and sharing company news.
Interests: People and communities expressing themselves, sharing their thoughts, hobbies, and connecting with like-minded individuals around the world.

These communities interact seamlessly across the #openweb, regardless of the specific codebase they grow in. Yes it’s important to understand the good #UX of the software that makes these connections possible plays a part, and that each of these nodes use a common protocol, #ActivityPub, to communicate, forming the backbone of “native” #openweb flows. This #4opens interoperability allows people on one codebase to interact with users on another, creating a unified, yet decentralized, social network.

“The Fediverse isn’t about connecting software packages. It’s about connecting communities and people. If you make a Fediverse explainer, try to show some real communities as the nodes in the network, rather than using software packages and their logos. Companies, local governments, universities, families, friend groups, individuals. You can explain what software makes those networks possible in your next slide.” https://mastodon.social/deck/@evan@cosocial.ca/112847724644046695

Though, what meany in our #fashernista and #geekproblem paths miss is this thrives because of the human element. It’s about the people who use these platforms to connect, share, and build spaces that reflect their values and needs. It’s the people and the communities of use that make this real, let’s talk about them #KISS

We have an undeclared #stupidindividualism battle pushing to destroy this in numerous ways, we do need to push this back, while holding out a hand to bring people over. Yes it a step, don’t be scared.

The Mess, Delusion Folly and Hysteria

It should be obvious to most of us that we’re moving through an era of mass delusion, unbridled folly, and unrestrained hysteria, with the old facts and reason’s forgotten amidst the building #climatechaos of social and ecological breakdown. We are in this mess due to the embrace of the #dotcons, the spread of misinformation and the decline of rational discourse that has now reached alarming levels. Social media platforms, echo chambers, and the proliferation of fake news have created a fertile ground for delusion to thrive. Conspiracy theories abound, gaining traction despite being thoroughly debunked. From anti-vaccine movements to flat Earth theories, unscientific beliefs flourish in the absence of #KISS skepticism.

“We’re living in an age of mass delusion, unbridled folly, unrestrained hysteria. Facts & reason have slipped down the back of the sofa and been forgotten. Our descendants (should there be any) will look back on this time the way we look back on our ergot-infected ancestors who arrested chickens on suspicion of using dark magic and believed wombs could wander around women’s bodies.” https://kolektiva.social/deck/@Richard_Littler@mastodon.social

The rise of these delusions is not only a result of ignorance, rather the outcome of our embracing of #postmodern and #neoliberalism that has been pushed over us for the last 40 years. This has lead to distrust in institutions, polarization, and the commodification of attention, all contributing to an environment where sensationalism overshadows substance. The erosion of shared reality undermines the foundation of democratic society, making it difficult to address catastrophic challenges such as #climatechaos or basic things like public health crises, and social inequality.

History offers examples of mass hysteria and folly that parallel our current predicament. The ergot-induced hallucinations of the Middle Ages, led to bizarre and irrational behaviour, are strikingly similar to the modern phenomenon of mass delusion. During the Salem witch trials, fear and superstition overpowered reason, leading to the persecution of innocent people. Similarly, the belief in “wandering wombs” reflects how unscientific ideas can dominate medical understanding and treatment.

These historical episodes remind us that human societies are vulnerable to waves of irrationality. They illustrate how fear, ignorance, and social dynamics create paths where absurd beliefs take hold. Importantly, they also highlight paths that exacerbating or mitigating these delusions. In the past, religious and political leaders fueled hysteria for their gain, much like our #mainstreaming crew that exploit misinformation for power and profit.

The role of technology in amplifying delusion, our embraces of the #dotcons age has magnified the impact of mass delusion. Algorithms designed to maximize engagement prioritize sensational and polarizing content, creating echo chambers that reinforce #mainstreaming mess, to amplify misinformation. The speed and reach of social media allow falsehoods to spread rapidly, outpacing efforts to debunk them. This environment fosters a culture where emotional appeals and confirmation bias trump evidence and any attempt at rationality.

The consequences of mass delusion are far-reaching and catastrophic. In the realm of public health, vaccine misinformation has led to the resurgence of preventable diseases. Climate change denial hampers efforts to address one of the most pressing existential threats facing humanity. Political polarization, fueled by misinformation, erodes trust in basic democracy and undermines our hard won social stability.

On a more personal level, individuals caught in the web of delusion suffer from cognitive dissonance, living in a reality disconnected from the social facts. This not only affects their decision-making, but also strains relationships and fosters an environment of suspicion and hostility. The cumulative effect is a mess where fear and mistrust easily push over cooperation and mutual understanding.

Addressing the age of mass delusion requires a multifaceted approach. Education systems must prioritize critical thinking and media literacy, equipping people with the tools to discern facts from fictions. We need to build institutions and networks like the #OMN, particularly in media and technology, to take some responsibility for curbing the spread of misinformation and promoting more reliable and truthful sources of information. Encouraging open dialogue can help bridge divides and rebuild trust in shared reality. The #4opens are a path to this to not only challenging falsehoods but also providing compelling narratives that resonate with people’s values and emotions. By creating a social environment that rewards paths of truth and reasonableness, we can push back at the tide of delusion and hysteria.

Our age of delusion, folly, and hysteria mirrors historical periods of irrationality and superstition. The erosion of shared social norms and reasonableness poses obverse risks to public health, democracy, and social cohesion. The path forward is clear, use the #4opens and tools like the #OMN to reclaim our commitment to truth and foster meany societies that value evidence and critical thinking #KISS

How can we get people not to be prats about this path, ideas, please?

Political Belief Systems

In right wing and left wing, political extremism can easily function like #blinded religious fervour, creating clusters of bad ideas and behavers that are ingrained and resistant to change and challenge. This is cognitive dissonance, where people hold contradictory beliefs and behaviours without perceiving the inconsistency. We need to explore how dogmatic belief mirror religious convictions, the role of cognitive dissonance, and the mechanisms that allow people to maintain such conflicting views.

“How do these cretins live with their cognitive dissonance? ‘We won the war’/’I’m doing Nazi salutes’; ‘Respect the police’/’attack the police’; ‘Respect working people’/’trash this working neighbourhood’; ‘I demand the MSM tells the truth’/’I’ll believe anything from an unverified source’; ‘No unelected people in positions of power’/’Respect the royals’. In the US: ‘Heed the word of Jesus’/’Vote for a felonious sexual predator who vows to contradict all that Jesus said'” LINK

Political beliefs can and do become religious dogmas for people, central to identity. These beliefs are resistant to change because they provide a sense of belonging and certainty in a complex and uncertain world. Once embedded, belief systems create a filter and feedback loop through which all information is interpreted, leading to a confirmation bias where only supporting evidence is acknowledged, and contrary evidence is dismissed.

Cognitive dissonance occurs when peoples experience conflict between beliefs and behaviours, leading to psychological discomfort. To manage this discomfort, people employ coping mechanisms, such as rationalization, denial, or selective attention. This allows them to maintain contradictory positions without recognizing the inconsistency.

Let’s look at the quote above, paradoxes: “Respect the police/attack the police” or “Heed the word of Jesus/vote for a felonious sexual predator” – illustrate how people in our current right-wing mess navigate conflicting ideas. These contradictions are resolved through rationalization and creating narratives to justify the inconsistency. For instance, violent actions against the police are framed as necessary resistance against a corrupt system, while supporting a morally evil leader is seen as a strategic choice for a greater good. From a psychological view:

Confirmation Bias: people seek information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs and ignore or dismiss information that contradicts them. This bias reinforces their world-view and minimizes cognitive dissonance.
Identity Protection: Dogmatic political beliefs become intertwined with personal identity. Challenging beliefs feels like a personal attack, leading people to defend their positions vehemently in the face of contradictory evidence.
Echo Chambers: the #dotcons social media and partisan news outlets create echo chambers, where people and communities are pushed information that only reinforces their beliefs. This isolation from diverse perspectives strengthens their commitment to their ideological positions.
Moral Licensing: Some people use their adherence to certain moral principles to justify behaviours that contradict other principles. For example, they rationalize supporting a morally flawed leader by emphasizing his perceived effectiveness in achieving their broader goals.

The intractability of dogmatic beliefs and the accompanying cognitive dissonance make it hard to compost this mess. Attempts to introduce logical or evidence-based counterarguments backfire, reinforcing the original beliefs through a phenomenon known as the “backfire effect.” This occurs because the cognitive dissonance created by the counterargument leads people to cling more tightly to their initial beliefs as a defence mechanism.

Dogmatic political beliefs then become fervent religious convictions, digging people and communities into deep paths that are difficult to move away from. Cognitive dissonance allows people to stay on these paths by maintain contradictory beliefs and behaviours and by employing mechanisms such as confirmation bias, identity protection, echo chambers, and moral licensing. Understanding these #KISS psychological ideas helps to shovel the shit we need to compost, the challenges and changes needed for progressive movement to fostering alternative #4opens paths of constructive dialogue. Recognizing the deep-seated nature of these beliefs can help to grow engagement and thus the needed change to challenge this mess making.

This is tough to compost, and is the root of our growing political and social violence.

You can maybe help https://opencollective.com/open-media-network by building alternative paths.