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#dotcons

4 posts2 participants0 posts today

"The "unique" selling point of the #OMN (Open Media Network) often gets lost because people focus too much on the technical side rather than the simple, fundamental idea at its core. The real value proposition, which might sound like "common sense," is quite radical in today's landscape: in the #OMN, both people and content are treated as data objects in the commons by default and are only private/owned by exception.
This might seem straightforward, but it's a powerful shift away from the dominant models we see today. Most current #dotcons, are built the other way around, where data, content, and even people are enclosed and owned by default, with access and openness as rare exceptions. The #OMN flips this on its head, embodying the #4opens#OpenData, #OpenSource, #OpenProcess, and #OpenStandards, to create a network where sharing and collaboration are the norm, not the exception."

opencollective.com/open-media-

opencollective.comThe #OMN is a framework for reclaiming our digital commons - Open-Media-NetworkThe "unique" selling point of the #OMN (Open Media Network) often gets lost because people focus too much on the technical side rather than the simple, fundamental idea at its core. The real value proposition, which might sound like "common...

The issue with #FOSS tech development

The failure of many #FOSS projects is a failure to move from theory to practice. The issue is that developers work in isolation, disconnected from grassroots needs, and get lost in perfectionism rather than delivering functional prototypes.

The #geekproblem dominates, many coders prioritize control, abstract debates, or self-contained experiments over practical, usable tools for real-world communities. This is why projects stall: they are not built with activists in mind. Meanwhile, centralized platforms continue to consolidate power, because they offer simple, accessible, and functional solutions, despite their deep flaws.

To break this cycle, we need:
* Practical iteration—build rough, working solutions rather than endless theorizing.
* #4opens culture—embrace open process, standards, and real collaboration.
* Bridging solutions—tech that activists can actually use, not just developer-driven experiments.
* Funding models beyond #NGO traps—so projects remain independent and sustainable.

The fight for the #openweb is not only about resisting #dotcons but creating alternatives people can and will use. Can we move beyond abstraction and actually make history?

The development side of #MakingHistory

Building radical alternatives is not just about ideas—it’s about infrastructure. The #makeinghistory project is grounded in the messy, often frustrating work of creating tools that actually function for real communities. We’ve spent decades watching #dotcons centralize power while open projects stumble due to lack of focus, infighting, or simply being too obscure for everyday use.

#Makinghistory means stepping outside the cycle of dead-end open-source projects that never reach real people. We need bridging solutions, funding models outside the #NGO trap, and devs who understand grassroots needs. It’s not about innovation for its own sake, it’s about making the #openweb function better as a lived alternative.

This is where the real fight is. Not in reaction, not in abstraction, but in building tools people can and will use.

The development of #IndymediaBack

The reboot of #Indymedia (#IndymediaBack) is about reclaiming grassroots, open, and radical media infrastructure outside of the control of corporate platforms and #dotcons. However, the development side has stalled due to the same issues that have stalled other #openweb projects, lack of sustained coder engagement, resistance in centralized funding, and the dominance of closed silos.

The challenge is building tech that works for activists, not just developers. The original Indymedia relied on early open-source tools. This means moving beyond tech-fetishist projects that scratch a developer’s itch while ignoring real-world community.

A trust-based federated publishing network is the goal. The #OMN (Open Media Network) framework already outlines how to create syndicated media flows using #4opens. The stalled dev site at unite.openworlds.info needs committed developers who care about media as a movement, not just a tech experiment.

Without serious investment in #DIY, people-friendly, open-source alternatives, activists will remain trapped inside the #mainstreaming of social media platforms. The question is: can we finally push through the #geekproblem and make this happen?

Open Media NetworkOpen Media NetworkOrganisation for and example of "rebooting" Independent Media Centre's

What software do activists need?

The core problem for the last 20 years has been that most activists were locked into #dotcons (corporate social media silos) because open alternatives were either too difficult to use, lack network effects, or fail to meet their practical needs. With the current reboot of the #openweb with the #fedivers based on #ActivityPub has already taken a step away from this mess. Here’s what’s needed from a software development perspective to break out of this mess. Open & accessible publishing […]

hamishcampbell.com/what-softwa

hamishcampbell.comWhat software do activists need? – Hamish Campbell
More from Hamish Campbell

"No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons…The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIYCulture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE & MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns."
From: @eliasulrich
hachyderm.io/@eliasulrich/1142

Hachyderm.ioXamanismo Coletivo (@eliasulrich@hachyderm.io)"The #Mastodon codebase is an example here, it was designed by copying the #dotcons, so the fundamental social architecture reinforces #stupidindividualism rather than community building. Instead of nurturing federated, collective spaces, it encourages a kind of fragmented, isolated posting, which is why it struggles to grow meaningful movements. No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons even though they are evil. The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard, unglamorous work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIY Culture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE AND MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns." @hamishcampbell@mastodon.social https://hamishcampbell.com/maybe-its-time-to-stop-trying-to-fix-broken-tools-to-build-with-a-truly-native-approach/
Replied to hamish campbell

"The #Mastodon codebase is an example here, it was designed by copying the #dotcons, so the fundamental social architecture reinforces #stupidindividualism rather than community building. Instead of nurturing federated, collective spaces, it encourages a kind of fragmented, isolated posting, which is why it struggles to grow meaningful movements.

No real commitment from “allies”, the move to the #openweb was ignored by the #mainstreaming left who stay on the #dotcons even though they are evil. The liberal crowd loves theory, but often won’t do the hard, unglamorous work of actually shifting paradigms, this leaves in place structural hostility to #DIY Culture, PEOPLE ARE SO TRAINED TO CONSUME RATHER THAN CREATE AND MAINTAIN that even the “alternative” spaces get stuck replicating the same individualist consumption patterns."

@hamishcampbell

hamishcampbell.com/maybe-its-t

hamishcampbell.comMaybe it’s time to stop trying to fix broken tools, to build with a truly native approach? – Hamish Campbell
More from Hamish Campbell
Replied to hamish campbell

"So what can you do now?
For immediate participation, the best bet is to start using and supporting #theFediverse platforms that exist, even if they are still copies of the #dotcons. They work, they are functional, and they serve as a stepping stone toward something better. But don’t stop there, push beyond them. Get involved with projects that are trying to break out of these patterns. Contribute to discussions, support developers, and help to fund & create the #bridges we desperately need."
@hamishcampbell
hamishcampbell.com/its-not-eas

hamishcampbell.comIt’s not easy, and it’s not as simple as clicking “sign up” and walking into a ready-made community – Hamish Campbell
More from Hamish Campbell

Struggling for a Real Alternative

For the last 5 years conversations have been about, the #Fediverse, #Web3 and more recently the pushing of #mainstreaming into the #openweb native path. But despite this, the #fediverse is still a notable outlier in the digital landscape. This is in part because unlike the dominant tech trends, which emerge from Silicon Valley and the cross-Atlantic #dotcons agenda, the #fediverse is rooted in European ideals of decentralization, federation, and digital autonomy, it's a "native" #openweb […]

hamishcampbell.com/struggling-

hamishcampbell.comStruggling for a Real Alternative – Hamish Campbell
More from Hamish Campbell

Composting the #TechShit

The value of the #Fediverse isn’t in the tech specs. It’s not in the #ActivityPub protocol or the code itself, those are tools. The value lies in the culture that birthed it. The #Fediverse is the living embodiment of the #openweb, not some #VC Silicon Valley plaything. But as money floods in, as #mainstreaming forces try to turn it into another hollow platform, we risk losing the very thing that makes it powerful, its strong decentralized, trust-based roots.The looming battle is […]

hamishcampbell.com/composting-

hamishcampbell.comComposting the #TechShit – Hamish Campbell
More from Hamish Campbell

This generation is a complete mess—no surprise after 20 years of bowing to the #deathcult:

#Neoliberalism reducing everything to profit, stripping away community and solidarity.

#Post-modernism turning identity into endless division, eroding collective action.

#Dotcons centralizing power, controlling narratives, and trapping us in walled gardens.

How Do We Step Away from This Mess?

The #fashernistas chasing trends and surface-level activism are still not addressing this. Instead of building real alternatives, they play within the system, ensuring nothing truly changes.