Branding keeps coming up as an issue

The #fediverse is a glimpse of a radically different kind of society through decentralized and community models of governance and organization. This path can be used as a part of challenging traditional hierarchies power structures, making it possible imagining resists to the imposing liberal “common sense” solutions which shape existing social control. On this very different path we need tools like #OGB (Open Governance Bodies) to grow native governance that is transparent, participatory, and empowering.

But one of the issues that is used to block the wider project move is the role of branding in the #fediverse code bases and protects, while “common sense” sees as a unifying force, actually is as often imposes barriers to community ownership and agency. When centralized branding dictates the identity of a project, it stifles participation and creativity. To counteract this negative default path, we can:

Shift to Community Branding, with communities running instances to create their own visual and cultural identities. This empowers localized expressions while fostering ownership and pride.
Standardize for collaboration, develop shared guidelines for a cohesive experience, while maintaining flexibility for local adaptation.
Minimize branding barriers, by avoiding overly strong branding in open-source codebases to make technology easier for people and communities to adopt and customize.

This needed shift of focus can lead to a more decentralized and inclusive ecosystem, where control is balanced with the communities rather than only developers and funders. Core to this is the path of challenging #StupidIndividualism, in this context the hashtag critiques the focus on individualistic thinking and self-serving branding in current #FOSS #openweb projects. To start to challenge this, we need to hold in place open dialogue on the power dynamics of branding and its impact on participation.

To keep flourishing, we need to focus on decentralized trust-based networks that amplify grassroots voices. Encourage messy, iterative approaches to activism that embrace the complexity of social change. Build #FOSS tools that empower communities to take control of their narratives, reclaiming native paths from centralized systems and corporate algorithms.

We need to counteract the entrenched despair of #mainstreaming paths, we too often take, to compost the mess for real, impactful change.

What can we learn, what can we do?

People need to understand that the tension between different approaches to activism highlights the need for creative synthesis in our current broad social and ecological crises.

Fluffy vs. #Spiky is about a Diversity of Tactics. The idea that both working within the system (#fluffy) and challenging it directly (#spiky) are necessary to creating a robust and adaptive movement. On this native path, building “common ground” is crucial, but the left’s fragmentation under decades of #neoliberalism and #postmodernism has left it standing waist deep in a metaphorical swamp. Moving anywhere requires reclaiming a grounded, shared space – intellectually, socially, and ecologically.
Revisiting #Modernism, to return to modernist thinking – despite its flaws -can offer clarity and purpose, emphasizing structure, progress, and shared goals. Balancing this with the experimental potential of socialism and anarchism, especially on a distributed scale (enabled by #federation and #P2P technologies), creates room for growth outside the mainstream.
Liberal Social Democracy, yes, is a step back because while the goal may lie in more radical transformations. Maybe a return to liberal social democracy could serve as a stepping stone away from the creeping threat of fascism. This pragmatic approach might help to stabilize the ground for further progress.
Deathcult vs. #Lifecult is a Cultural Meta-Narrative. The #deathcult metaphor encapsulates a culture driven by greed, materialism, and ecological destruction. The #lifecult offers a messy but hopeful alternative, grounded in values like ecology, social justice, and collective care. The process of “composting” – transforming negative aspects into fertile ground – is a powerful metaphor for this shift.
The Role of Undercurrents True hope lies in the grassroots undercurrents of social movements that always challenge #mainstreaming culture to provide alternative narratives. These undercurrents, messy as they may be, are where transformative potential resides. A focus on “life-affirming values” helps to communicate with those who may be entrenched in rationality or blinded by the logic of the #deathcult.

Suggestions, focus on finding shared values between different activist approaches to grow solidarity while respecting diversity of tactics. Encourage scalable experimentation with alternative economic and social models, with federation and P2P tech. Storytelling using metaphors like #deathcult and #lifecult to reframe conversations and make complex issues relatable and actionable. Education and agitation to challenge apathy and #stupidindividualism by helping people reconnect with collective action and shared purpose. Thinking in an ecology of movements, can be helpful. . On this, recognize the importance of both reformist (#fluffy) and radical (#spiky) approaches as complementary rather than contradictory.

And most importantly, please try not to be a #blocking prat, thanks.

Why does this matter?

This matters because the frameworks we live in, whether modernism, post-modernism, or the neoliberal #deathcult, shape how we understand reality, our place within it, and the potential for change. If we don’t recognize these structures, we remain trapped in illusions that prevent meaningful action.

The role of ideology, modernist ideology offers a foundation of human history and collective progress, but it’s been co-opted by right-wing propaganda (e.g., the #economist masquerading as “common sense”). Meanwhile, post-modernism undermines shared truths, leaving us with no clear path forward. Recognizing these dynamics is the first step toward regaining agency.

Understanding the tag of #stupidIndividualism, over the past 40 years, we’ve been conditioned to prioritize individual success over collective well-being. This focus on personal gain erodes community bonds and undermines our ability to work together for systemic change. The result? A fractured society that’s easy to manipulate and exploit.

The consequences of this inaction, we’ve endured 40 years of class war from the center, an assault on public goods, social safety nets, and collective action. The results are: #climatechaos, rising inequality, and a culture of apathy. Without a counterbalance, this path will push us over civilisation claps.

What can normal people do? Start small, reconnect with neighbours, support local initiatives, and rebuild trust. Collective action begins with shared experiences and mutual support. Engage with grassroots projects like #OMN, #OGB, and #indymediaback which offer practical tools and platforms for decentralized, community-led solutions. These initiatives challenge #mainstreaming narratives and provide spaces for alternative voices. Get involved, contribute your skills, and amplify reach.

Challenge the illusions, by questioning the media we consume. Recognize propaganda dressed as “common sense” and seek out alternative sources on the path of community and equity. To find balance, in extremes – whether of individualism or collectivism – can lead to stagnation or authoritarianism. The goal is balance: fostering individual creativity within a framework of collective care and accountability.

Think beyond the #deathcult, by clearly rejecting the neoliberal worship of markets, privatization, and profit at all costs. A left-led class war balances pushback against extreme inequalities and injustices of the past 40 years. A first step is rejecting apathy and embracing balance, to create spaces where hope thrives and change becomes possible.

The challenge is real, so is the potential for change. There are grassroots paths. The tools can exist. The question is, will we act?

Signal vs Noise

The idea of “signal” amidst the “noise” of the #mainstreaming agenda is both a necessary aspiration and a challenging philosophical undertaking. To frame this concept, we need to connect it to practical action and helps to see it through the lens of #OMN and the metaphor of the shovel.

Signal represents news, agendas, and actions that prioritize public good, transparency, accountability, and social responsibility. It’s about stories that connect people, foster community resilience, and address systemic problems. Signal has a purpose beyond profit or personal gain—it’s rooted in collective benefit and meaningful change.

Noise is the overwhelming chatter of sensationalism, clickbait, fear-mongering, and consumerist narratives that dominate the #mainstreaming agenda. It’s the distraction that keeps us from focusing on real solutions, fuelled by #deathcult ideologies of neoliberalism, #stupidindividualism, and private greed.

Building signal in a noisy world is about judgment for social good, signal requires active discernment. Instead of going with the flow, we need to pause and critically evaluate the impact of information. Does this serve the community? Does it align with principles of equity, justice, and sustainability?

Action through metaphors, the shovel and compost metaphor is perfect. The OMN is a tool—a shovel—to sift through the noise, dig into the messy realities, and create fertile ground for new, better narratives. The act of composting represents transforming waste (noise) into something fertile (signal).

Collaborative projects like OMN focus on creating decentralized, trust-based paths where communities can curate and amplify signal. By focusing on horizontal governance and community-first publishing, the OMN counteracts the corruption and privatization inherent in current systems.

The moral imperative, we’ve lived in a metaphorical sewer for over 40 years. The #deathcult’s grip on society has normalized being covered in “shit,” but what’s tragic is the embrace of this state through #stupidindividualism and #fashionista agendas. These aren’t just distractions—they actively undermine collective progress.

Instead of lamenting, we need to act. Grab the shovel, embrace the mess, and build compost heaps that nurture real alternatives. When private greed meets public need, corruption is inevitable. The shovel isn’t just a tool—it’s a commitment to refuse passivity and to turn decay into growth. Let’s build ecosystems of signal together. #OMN

Shifting tech to collaboration, accountability, and sustainability

For a nuanced take on the #geekproblem, we need to highlight challenges and cultural dynamics in tech development. A starting point is the support for standards as foundations, everything in tech is built upon layers of “open industrial standards,” which provide value and interoperability. Ignoring these foundations to create isolated systems is akin to “building sandcastles”—fragile and ephemeral. The process of defining standards, however, is itself flawed and sometimes exclusionary, reflecting broader social issues like tribalism or nationalism.

Tribalism in tech can be seen as innovation and community-building but can also create fragmentation, gatekeeping, and resistance to collaboration. Comparisons to nationalism suggest that, like nations, large #dotcons (e.g., Facebook, Google) exert power rivalling traditional states, creating their own “tribes” with significant social influence. Tribalism in tech isn’t inherently bad; it can build strong, purpose-driven communities. However, when it turns exclusionary and disconnected from real-world issues, it becomes counterproductive.

Critique of dotcons and deathcult focues on the dominance of for-profit platforms (#dotcons) and the neoliberal ideology (#deathcult) underpin much of the dysfunction in society, including within the tech world. Life “inside the dotcons” involves uncritical participation in harmful systems, perpetuating cycles of #stupidindividualism and environmental degradation (#climatechaos). Platforms like Facebook and Google exemplify prioritizing profit over public good. Moving away from this requires alternatives rooted in the #4opens: Open data, Open source, Open standards, Open processes. Projects like the #OMN exemplify this shift.

Mediating harm in tech development with the broader social and environmental impacts of technology, pushing against #stupidindividualism and toward collective, sustainable solutions. Much of the “blocking energy” comes from entrenched systems and social inertia rather than active conspiracies, though intent exists in places like #traditionalmedia. Developers have a responsibility to build systems that mediate harm and foster collective well-being. This means rejecting solutions that exacerbate individualism and embracing technologies that empower communities and address systemic issues like climatechaos.

The #geekproblem as dysfunction, the geekproblem reflects a 20th-century tribalism that fails to embrace the ethical, collaborative potential of the #openweb. Examples include failed projects like #Diaspora, which had technical merit but struggled due to cultural and governance issues. The dysfunction stems from a narrow focus on technical solutions without considering social or ethical dimensions. Bridging this gap requires integrating diverse perspectives into tech development, emphasizing simplicity and human-centric design.

We do need a call for change to address these challenges head-on, we need ethical interventions rather than drawn-out or overly complex common sense “solutions”. The geekproblem highlights the limitations of tech communities to balance technical expertise with broader social responsibility. Ultimately, the solution lies in rekindling the spirit of the openweb while actively composting the “shit heap” of the dotcons. One path is addressing the geekproblem, to shift tech culture toward collaboration, accountability, and sustainability, to create tools that serve people rather than profit #KISS

What we need to do

Mainstreaming, compost, and the #4opens shovel. There is a direct line between the challenges of the #mainstreaming of the #openweb and the critical need for tools like the #4opens.

Mainstreaming brings visibility and energy – but it also risks flooding the space with shallow “common sense” that undermines the deep, messy values the #openweb was built on. Without mediation, the very soil of our ecosystem is poisoned by glossy #NGO spin, corporate capture, and the empty cult of innovation.

This is where the #4opens comes in, not just a checklist, but your shovel. A tool to crack open the rot, compost the #techshit, and grow something better. Tools to shift the balance, every project and platform can be held to account:

Open data

Open source

Open standards

Open processes

This framework lets us evaluate and pressure projects drifting into capture by #dotcons, NGOs, and “thought leaders.” If we keep using the shovel, community-led governance becomes the natural path – control stays in the hands of people, not hierarchies.

But we must face the #geekproblem. Geeks often already have the solutions, but without social frameworks, those solutions rot unused. The paradox deepens systemic failure: we get brilliant tools, but no collective way to wield them. That’s why we must move from #stupidindividualism to collectivism. Shift the focus away from “my project, my brand, my innovation” towards collaboration, shared responsibility, and proven paths.

Root our work in #nothingnew, stop reinventing wheels, compost them instead. Embed ecological awareness, tech must walk the same path as the planet. Embrace the slow, messy shovel work, turning rot into fertile ground for robust, community-driven ecosystems.

The call to action is simple: Use or Lose. The healthy #openweb won’t survive on hope alone – it needs active engagement. Contribute to projects. Advocate for the #4opens. Resist the co-option of open spaces. There’s no magic. Just work. The #OMN and the #4opens give us the tools and the framework. Now it’s time to pick up the shovel and start digging – before we’re buried under the weight of mainstream “common sense.”

The Evolution of SocialHub

“the crew gathered around #SocialHub worked remarkably well for a while, organising good gathering, conferences and very useful outreach of #ActivityPub to the #EU that seeded much of the current #mainstreaming. But yes, it was always small and under utilised due to the strong forces of #stupidindividalisam that we need to balance. Ideas?“

From grassroots origins, #SocialHub emerged as a community-driven platform, rooted in the #openweb principles, focusing on the interplay of technology and “native” social paths. Its initial success lay in its collaborative ethos, free from mainstream interference. This promising start has since failed, due to lack of core consensuses and the active #blocking of any process to mediate the mess making.

Current challenges are from the influx of non-native perspectives, The twitter migrants and rapid #Fediverse expansion has diluted what was left of the original focus. Then in reaction to this the has been a retreat to tech paths over the social paths. This shift toward technical priorities marginalized the social aspects that initially empowered and defined the community, this is a mirroring of broader #geekproblem struggles that are a continuing of the fading of the project.

What actually works is always grassroots messiness and constructive processes, that is messy in a good way, authentic, grassroots movements are inherently untidy, this ordered/chaos is where real social value is born and nurtured. Attempts to overly structure or mainstream these paths risks losing the path, this together with lifestyleism, and fragmented tribalism, distract from meaningful change. These behaviours breed from #stupidindividualism, a core outcome of the #deathcult we pray to, the culture that undermines collective action.

There is a needed role for activism, based on learning from history, to avoid repeating mistakes. This can lead to wider social engagement, and an embrace of messiness to counteract the stifling tendencies of rigid mainstreaming and isolated tech focus. The metaphor of “shovels” is useful to turn the current pile of social and technical “shit” into compost is apt. Grassroots communities nurture a healthier ecosystem that balances tech and social. The imbalance favouring tech over social needs to be addressed, reinvigorating the core social crew with a focus on community-oriented discussions and actions can restore equilibrium.

For this, it can be useful to challenge neoliberal narratives, use the #openweb/#closedweb framework to critique and dismantle pushing of #neoliberal “common sense”. Highlight how these ideologies breed the individualistic and exploitative tendencies that undermine collective progress. The need for vigilance against co-option and the importance of nurturing the messy authenticity of grassroots movements. The path forward requires not just shovelling but planting seeds of collaboration, transparency, and collective action. By embracing the messiness and keeping the focus on social value, the #openweb can flourish as a genuine alternative to the #closedweb.

#KISS

UPDATE: This has since failed

The question, how do we bring more people into the space of stepping away and creating something better?

There is a widespread deep frustration with #mainstreaming culture strong pushing of the wrong people and prioritizing misguided actions in the worship of the #deathcult paths. How can we “think better” beyond the traps of the current “common sense” socio-political mess.

The scum rises, in #mainstreaming culture, those who conform to the system, rather than challenge it, to often are pushed to the top. This creates a cycle where meaningful change is stifled by mediocrity and #stupidindividualism opportunism.
Grassroots value, social progress, has historically emerged from the #grassroots. By using this #KISS steps we move away from the toxic #mainstreaming, and we refocus on nurturing these sources of value.
The wrong thing gets done, funders and institutional forces push agendas that diverge from grassroots needs, resulting in projects that perpetuate the status quo. This #blocks any real hope of change or challenge.
Paralysis of choice, the perceived lack of viable options (e.g., “you have no choice but to do the wrong thing”) leads to a sense of helplessness and frustration.

If we can take, some time, a breath to think better, we need to be on paths that reject the foundations of the current #mainstreaming while building more collective, focused and actions. Let’s look at some broad outline we could take:

Anarchist paths focus on horizontal organization, mutual aid, and direct action. Strengths: Empowers communities, resists hierarchy, and builds autonomy. Weaknesses: Often struggles with long-term scalability and coordination.
Trotskyist/Stalinist paths centralized control with a focus on revolutionary goals and structural transformation. Strengths: Can mobilize large-scale change and challenge systemic power structures. Weaknesses: builds authoritarianism, co-option, and detachment from any real grassroots needs.
Liberal paths lead to incremental reforms within existing systems. Strengths: Pragmatic and accessible, with a focus on policy and advocacy. Weaknesses: Co-opted by #mainstreaming agendas, leading to only superficial solutions.

With these options in mind let’s look at the #4opens approach, it is permissionless to sidestep these systemic failures, yes it aligns with anarchist values of autonomy while addressing their scalability challenges through technical structured openness and federation. It has some practical steps to nurture grassroots power: Step away from toxicity, recognize when systems and (stupid)individuals perpetuate harm, and refocus energy on constructive grassroots work.

The working path is about muddle through together, embracing imperfection and collective experimentation. Mistakes are inevitable, but progress emerges from the process. A first important step is to push back against #NGO funders’ agendas, build alternative funding models (e.g., community support, cooperative economies) to reduce reliance on these ways too often damaging top-down directives. Focusing on trust networks, investing in relationships and trust-building at the grassroots level. Trust is the antidote to the cynicism of #mainstreaming.

This is about holding space for uncomfortable conversations, leaning into the discomfort of challenging entrenched norms and assumptions within movements. This path of challenge is a very real mess while we’re stuck in a cycle where “the wrong thing” gets done, with the strong pressure from flawed paths. Breaking free is always about stepping away, nurturing #grassroots alternatives, and committing to frameworks like the #4opens that push more collective empowerment over individual gain and #mainstreaming institutional control.

For more of this, a bunch of grump old sods working on the same things seizethemeans and ave your say in the comments please, let’s #KISS link the alt`s as a good first step. The question, we need better answers for, is how do we bring more people into this space of stepping away and creating something better? Currently, yes, it is not very attractive to the #fashernistas

Where do you see the opportunity for these dialogues

Let’s build tools that reflect human flourishing

One of the strong #blocking forces is #mainstreaming objectives being imposed on non-mainstream projects. This is a strong recurring issue in alternative tech spaces like the #openweb and #Fediverse. This happens because people perceive mainstreaming as “common sense,” mistaking it for adding value. Over time, this mess erodes the radical, decentralizing paths, feeding people back into the centralization of #dotcons and perpetuating the #stupidindividualism we are trying to overcome.

Define and defend non-mainstream objectives with strong clarity of purpose. Clearly articulating the goals and principles of #openweb projects, emphasizing the value of non-mainstreaming paths. This needs to be anchored in frameworks like the #4opens and ethical guidelines such as the #PGA Hallmarks. Build the community agreements to hold these in place to ensure contributors understand and commit to these principles. Actively use documents, onboarding materials, and collective discussions to signpost these paths.
Strengthen “native” culture against #stupidIndividualism by balancing the push for collective governance, we need federated and decentralized governance structures like #OGB (Open Governance Body). These prevent individuals from overriding group objectives with personal agendas. Emphasize trust by fostering a culture that prioritizes relationships and trust over competition and self-interest.
Build post-scarcity #FOSS tools that focus on simplicity and functionality, avoid overloading projects with unnecessary features (#techshit) that complicate usability and dilute the #KISS vision. Prioritize accessibility, with tools that empower communities without requiring heavy technical expertise, making them usable and scalable without compromising their radical foundations. Use the #4opens to anchor technology in open processes, data, licences, and standards to ensure transparency and prevent co-optation.
Compost the stinking pile of #techshit. Shovels are a metaphor for composting, to open spaces for critique and push back #mainstreaming attempts constructively. Use feedback loops to identify and counteract behaviours that undermine these paths. Use real-world examples to illustrate the long-term harm. To combat the “common sense” myths, highlight how #mainstreaming benefits centralized systems and reinforces the #deathcult that meany people worship.
Resilience in the #fediverse and beyond is grown by practical limiting node scalability, in federated flows, understand scalability limits based on moderation and quality. This prevents overgrowth and maintains trust within smaller, more accountable communities. Encourage decentralization, by supporting the diversity of smaller instances rather than a few dominant ones. This ensures resilience and reduces the risk of centralization.

We need to be building tools for flourishing, in a large part to counteract #stupidindividualism and mainstreaming, for this we need affinity groups that focus on post-scarcity tech and tools that foster trust, collaboration, and grassroots empowerment. To make this happen, we need these affinity groups to use the #4opens as a guiding framework and the #OGB to organize collective governance. By prioritizing these non-mainstreaming flows, we expand the #openweb sustainably while preserving its radical, human-centered roots. Let’s build tools that reflect human flourishing, not corporate consolidation. It’s hard work, but it’s the only path forward that can work.

The Problem: Postmodernism, Hate, and #StupidIndividualism

The influence of postmodern thinking among #fashernistas—people more focused on appearances and trends than substance—has eroded the core purpose of activism: fostering positive social change rooted in love, solidarity, and mutual aid. Meanwhile, the rise of a new breed of right-wing “activists” using hate and fear to advance the agenda of neo-liberalism’s #deathcult highlights the stark difference between activism and fascism. It’s critical to reclaim language and purpose in this context to clarify and reinvigorate progressive movements.

Confusion, postmodernism’s emphasis on skepticism and deconstruction has undermined the unifying narratives that once drove collective action. While useful for critiquing power, it results in fragmented movements without clear goals. This confusion allows #fashernistas to dominate activism, prioritizing visibility and personal branding over systemic change.

Hate-based “activism”, where the right-wing movements use hate and fear to build “solidarity” based on this fear, by reinforce the “stupid” part of individualism, feeding off the #deathcult of neoliberalism. These movements weaponize the language of activism, but their actions serve fascist goals of division and destruction.

This is the core of #stupidindividualism poison that neoliberalism breeds, isolated people and erodes the collective bonds necessary for transformative activism. This individualism poisons movements, turning them into echo chambers of self-interest rather than engines of solidarity.

Even the conservatives think we are in a mess

Ideas for antidotes, reclaiming activism for progressive change:

* Redefine activism anchored in solidarity, and collective care, rejecting hate and fear as tactics. Clearly differentiate between activism (which builds and unites) and fascism (which destroys and divides).

* Center collective narratives, move beyond postmodern fragmentation by building shared stories and visions for the future. Activism that connects people to a larger purpose and community. Embrace horizontal structures, by foster decentralized and inclusive decision-making processes, thus reducing reliance on vertical, personality-driven leadership. This actively counters #stupidindividualism with collaborative frameworks like the #4opens.

* Focus on systems and paths, not individuals, shift away from individual heroics and saviour complexes. Build tools and strategies that empower communities rather than centring individuals.

* Reclaim language, use honest language to name problems and solutions. Call hate-based movements what they are, fascist. Avoid diluting terms like “activism” with actions that lack integrity and constructive purpose.

Building a liveable, humanistic future, needs us, to reclaiming activism, grounding in principles that resist the #mainstreaming influence and cultural by-products like #stupidindividualism. Movements that reject hate and fear as tactics, fostering instead the solidarity needed to challenge oppression and resulting environmental destruction. The antidote lies in collective care, shared purpose, and tools like the #4opens to ensure accountability and #KISS progress. We need foundations to build from, with this we counter the cultural decay of the #deathcult and take paths toward meaningful, sustainable change we really need.

Why ideas matter

The important tension in the current state of social change efforts: individualism vs. collectivism, vertical vs. horizontal structures, and the challenges of maintaining fragile consensus. These dynamics have direct implications for how we approach systemic problems like #climatechaos and the creation of alternatives through projects like the #OMN.

On this subject, it’s important to understand why #stupidIndividualism is dangerous, which can be seen in the failure of individual solutions. Relying on individual action (e.g., recycling, personal carbon offsets) shifts focus from the systemic nature of crises. The climate emergency, for example, is primarily driven by industrial-scale emissions and unsustainable policies—not individual behaviour. This emphasis on individualism undermines collective action, which is the only scale at which meaningful change and challenge can occur.

Blind spots in vertical thinking, hierarchical (“vertical”) structures dismiss and fail to understand the dynamics of decentralized (“horizontal”) systems. Vertical systems are focused on control and clarity, at the expense of collaboration and diversity, which horizontal structures thrive on.

The dangers of certainty, consensus vs. certainty, pushing for “certainty”, rigid clarity often destroys consensus. Consensus, while fragile and imperfect, is the foundation of all functioning societies. It is built on compromise, flexibility, and mutual understanding. The insistence that “my view is right” fractures the trust necessary for cooperative systems to thrive.

Why this is destructive, the breakdown of consensus leads to polarization and inaction, both of which are catastrophic in the face of crises like #climatechange. Certainty-driven narratives ignore the complexity and nuance required to address interconnected, systemic issues.

Ideas for moving forward, focus on processes, rather than direct outcomes:

Build systems (like the #OMN) that prioritize open, participatory processes over prescriptive solutions. The #4opens—open process, open data, open licences, and open standards—offer a starting point for structuring this.
Encourage horizontal thinking, foster decentralized systems where power and decision-making are distributed. This creates resilience and allows diverse voices to contribute meaningfully.
Embrace ambiguity and iteration, instead of pushing for rigid clarity, accept that solutions evolve through experimentation and iteration. Social change is a dynamic process, not a static goal.
Reframe certainty as trust, replace the need for certainty with a culture of trust-based collaboration. Trust allows for flexibility and creativity within systems, enabling them to adapt and respond to changing circumstances.
Use crises as opportunities for solidarity, crises often push societies toward authoritarian responses. Instead, frame crises as opportunities to build solidarity, emphasizing shared struggles and collective goals.

This is why ideas matter, the urgency of the #climatecrisis, paired with the inertia of entrenched systems, makes it tempting to lean on familiar, hierarchical solutions. However, transformation comes from collective, decentralized efforts that prioritize flexibility, trust, and inclusion over individualism and rigid control. Projects like #OMN and frameworks like the #4opens are tools for navigating these challenges while staying grounded in the #KISS principles of solidarity and mutual aid.

The Seven Stages of climate 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 the reality of #climatechaos

Thinking about news on the #fediverse

We need to reboot “news” on the #openweb to tackle the challenges of our collective #stupidindividualism and the #techshit it pushes in the #Fediverse, this is about focusing on balance, collaboration, and meaningful process. Let’s look at one path away from this “common senses” mess making, the roadmap for #indymediaback and what do we mean by a #newswire. Looking at the current use of #AP on the #Fediverse with this in mind:

Repeats: Strengthen syndication between instances for better information flow.

Replies: Integrate as comments on newswire posts and features to foster engagement.

Likes/Stars: Define their roles to signal endorsements or importance, avoiding redundant or unclear actions.

DMs: Focus these on moderation or editorial inquiries to streamline communication.

The project is about enforcing a balance between creativity and structure, we use editorial collectives to curate content based on established journalistic standards (e.g., the 5Ws of news reporting). Then applying consistent moderation to maintain the newswire as a valuable resource for grassroots reporting, minimizing off-topic or non-news contributions.

Building a robust newswire needs clear editorial guidelines, beginning with strict adherence to “newsworthiness,” rejecting non-news posts (up to 98% initially flow likely) to establish quality standards. Over time, this threshold can relax with user education and feedback. Focus on first-hand reports that embody the 5Ws of journalism (Who, What, Where, When, Why).

The feature process, highlights the synthesize of the best grassroots reports into cohesive narratives, combining text, images, audio, and video for impactful storytelling. Develop the features through editorial consensus, is about growing diversity of perspectives and adherence to the #4opens.

Federation via #activitypub to share content across the organic spreading network, building interconnectivity without duplicating efforts. Allow comments and replies to appear across instances, growing dialogue while maintaining strong editorial oversight.

Dealing with the “Nutter” problem by focus on process, not outcomes. Push the project forward with clear processes built on shared principles, understanding that life and society evolve over time. Avoid getting bogged down by demands for “perfect” solutions – basic, functional systems are a strong start. Reduce misinformation and #FUD by establish user education paths to combat misinformation and clarify project goals. Use editorial tools to label, moderate, and remove false content.

The #OMN vision strong defaults to #KISS hardcoded values and embedding the #4opens at every level of the project to resist the push for dilution of #mainstreaming counter pushing.

Maintaining a grassroots, horizontal path to development to ensure inclusivity and resilience, needs a cultural shift, addressing the reliance on #fashernistas and those who push “common sense” a part of this is emphasizing long-term, principled growth over short-term popularity.

This path keeps the focus on trust, process, and grassroots collaboration, building a stronger, more resilient #Fediverse and revitalizing #indymediaback for meaningful, community-driven media production.

For more information, resources, the OMN wiki is a good place to start. You can fund the projects here

Indymedia based on the #OMN framework