"What we actually need is a radical shift, that builds on grassroots cooperation, trust, and open systems. Not more shiny ethical #dotcons platforms or visionary #nastyfew billionaires, but boring, solid, stubborn collective action. We need commons, not commodities. Federation, not feudalism. We need to compost the #techshit, not polish it." -- @witchescauldron

https://hamishcampbell.com/we-dont-need-more-liberal-techno-utopianism/

We Don’t Need More Liberal Techno-Utopianism

There’s a lot of #fluffy around these days. Take books like Abundance – dressed up as bold new visions, but really just more of the same old liberal centrism with a shiny, tech-friendly finish. It flirts with Marx at the end, but only to dress up in borrowed credibility. At heart, it’s not socialist, it’s a manifesto to reassure the #mainstreaming chattering class that everything will be OK if we innovate harder and manage smarter. This is blinded feel-good “supply-side liberalism” […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/we-dont-need-more-liberal-techno-utopianism/

Understanding the #nastyfew: human parasites in the era of #climatechaos and social breakdown

In this accelerating collapse – where #climatechaos spirals and #neoliberalism guts the very idea of society – we urgently need to confront a painful truth: it’s simple, the #nastyfew are a parasite class. And that this class feeds on the very foundations of well-being, survival, and joy that the majority of the global population desperately needs. They are the ones who keep the engines of destruction humming, not out of necessity, but out of greed and fear of irrelevance. These people and […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/understanding-the-nastyfew-human-parasites-in-the-era-of-climatechaos-and-social-breakdown/

Dig, Plant, Grow. Compost the #Techshit. Repeat

Let’s be honest, much of the so-called “alternative” tech scene is still stuck. Yes, we fled the #dotcons for something better, but ended up with copies of the same broken models. The #Fediverse, with all its potential, is still dominated by “mainstreaming meta” chat (“Twitter refugees incoming!”) or conspiracy-laden, #fashionista rabbit holes. It’s little wonder that even the nerdy privacy crowd struggles to find meaningful content or community. And no, shouting “fuck the […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/dig-plant-grow-compost-the-techshit-repeat-2/

This post, from ten years ago, is still relevant for all your #dotcons apps on your pone. Stepping away from this, back to the #openweb is now an easy step. Why do I call Facebook a dotcon https://hamishcampbell.com/why-do-i-call-facebook-a-dotcon/

The current media system is stacked against us. It’s rigged, exclusive, and hostile to alternatives.

That’s why we need the Open Media Network.

Because without an open, trust-based infrastructure for communication and coordination, we’re just shouting into silos.

Let’s build something different.
Let’s make history — together.

What Should We Do With Metadata? A Post-Capitalist Path via #OMN

We’re in a global metadata arms race — and most people don’t even know the stakes.

Here’s the current battlefield:

Capitalism wants metadata privatized — hoarded by #dotcons to manipulate markets and politics. This power now controls the state. Welcome back, fascism.

Authoritarianism (like China’s digital state) wants metadata centralized — state-controlled to command capitalism itself. The command economy returns, just digitized.

Liberalism wants metadata individualized — a libertarian dream of sovereign users and self-determined markets, it still leans into myths of meritocracy and fails to balance collective power.

But what if we chose a fourth path?

Anarchism, grounded in voluntary association, mutual aid, and decentralization — this is the path #OMN walks. Using #4opens, we’re attempting a #KISS trust-based, commons-driven model for metadata.

What does mainstreaming do?

#mainstreaming narrows the field of imagination and excludes non-conforming ideas that could offer real solutions to systemic crises. Mainstreaming smooths the rough edges of society. It normalizes hierarchy, filters dissent, and packages politics into manageable narratives. It’s how radical demands are turned into reforms, then paperwork, then slogans, then forgotten.

Absorbing opposition into bureaucracy (e.g., NGOs, consultancy)

Rewarding compromise and incrementalism

Silencing or […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/what-does-mainstreaming-do/

Power Politics and the Race/Gender Card – A Contemporary Reflection

If we want to build meaningful alternatives, we must deal with difficult issues head-on. Sweeping things under the carpet – especially in radical spaces – always comes at a cost.

One of the more complex, and often misused, areas is around identity politics, particularly the playing of the race/gender card in ways that obscure rather than clarify the real issues at stake.

Let’s be clear: systemic racism and sexism are real. We all live with the deep, painful legacies of colonialism, […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/power-politics-and-the-race-gender-card-a-contemporary-reflection/

The Open Media Network: More Than Just a Tech Project

At first glance, the #OMN (Open Media Network) might look like a technical project, a collection of code, standards, and protocols. But to think of it only this way is to miss the point entirely.

What we’re building is a social and technological fabric for the #openweb, woven together by shared values and practical needs. Yes, there’s tech, but the tools and standards we develop are not neutral. They lean, by design, toward openness, transparency, collaboration, and grassroots control, […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/the-open-media-network-more-than-just-a-tech-project/

We need to understand that your viral lefty memes are actually part of the problem?

If you are still posting on the #dotcons then “Comedy” & “sarcasm” might feel like resistance, but they feed the #dotcons exactly what they want: engagement, data, clicks. Mocking the system isn’t leaving it.

The solution? #StepAway, and take your community with you to the #openweb

We need to talk about #metadata and the “freemarkit” ideology.

People say “metadata isn’t real data” — but it's more, It maps movements, moods, relationships. That’s why #governments and #dotcons want it.

If you think this doesn't matter, that we’re just individuals in a marketplace, not a society, congrats, you’ve joined the #deathcult.

We can change course. But only if we name the poison. Loudly #OMN

Talking About the #geekproblem in Funding

Funding the #openweb is a political act, yet most funding decisions today are framed in technical terms only, dominated by what we call the #geekproblem – a worldview where infrastructure is king, user needs are secondary, and social context is largely ignored.

Let’s unpack this with real-world examples and look at how we keep falling into this trap, and what we could do to climb out. The call-out for funding is phrased in social language, to build privacy-preserving tools, improve the […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/talking-about-the-geekproblem-in-funding-2/

Criticisms of Capitalism — and Its Digital Children, the #dotcons https://hamishcampbell.com/criticisms-of-capitalism-and-its-digital-children-the-dotcons-2/ It’s past time to compost it and grow something better. As a first step, let’s build tech that reflects our values, not just our fears.

The #OMN Real Complexity?

It’s not in the code — it’s in us. Let’s be blunt:

The Outside Threats:

The #dotcons (Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc.)

Surveillance capitalism

Attention farming

Closed distribution algorithms

Platform lock-in

The Internal Saboteurs:

Encryptionist geeks obsessed with crypto but forgetting human users

NGO social media managers who talk community but build silos

Process vampires who kill projects by committee

Fashionistas who follow hype cycles and abandon working tools for shiny vaporware

The OMN is native to none of these tribes. That’s its strength. But also why it’s often ignored or misunderstood.

Talking about the #geekproblem in #openweb funding

Let’s be honest: we have a real and ongoing #geekproblem in how funding is allocated in the alt-tech and #openweb space, and it’s holding us back. The current push for infrastructure is important, but it’s not enough.

Yes, backend infrastructure is vital. You can’t build sustainable alternatives to #dotcons without solid plumbing. Funding projects like mesh networks, free firmware, and decentralised protocols, as #NLnet and others often do, is necessary work. BUT… If no one uses […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/talking-about-the-geekproblem-in-openweb-funding/

In truth, most of these “good society” types are indistinguishable in action, if not in aesthetics. Their personal brands vary, their #dotcons bios are carefully composed. But their analysis is safe, their tactics repetitive, and their outcomes ephemeral. Wilde Words for a Wild Problem: The Chattering Classes and the Death of Change https://hamishcampbell.com/wilde-words-for-a-wild-problem-the-chattering-classes-and-the-death-of-change/

The roadblocks to change: #Stupidindividualism and the #Deathcult that breeds it

If you’ve ever tried to build something radical, collective, and actually useful, you’ve run into these forces. They’re not just annoying. They’re dangerous, structural, and they always show up. This post is about naming those, calling them what they are, and understanding how they’re entangled in the wider problem:

A culture that valorizes individualism, feeds on careerism, and bows to the false “common sense” of the neoliberal #deathcult.

The #NGO agenda: Careerism in activist […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/the-roadblocks-to-change-stupidindividualism-and-the-deathcult-that-breeds-it/

Why it’s different from the usual activist tech mess:

Built on the #4opens – open data, open process, open standards, and open code. There’s no lock-in, no gatekeeping, and no buy-in from NGOs or funders needed.

It’s KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. Anyone can add it to a blog or website with a basic plugin. No tech expertise required.

Nobody controls it – It’s not a single site or org, it’s a shared network. Everyone keeps their autonomy.

It values trust and cooperation, not competition or clout-chasing.

It gives your site more reach instantly, and helps build an alt-infrastructure to eventually replace the #dotcons, not just complain about them.

Why most radical tech is pointless, and why #indymediaback isn’t

Almost everything built in today’s alt-radical tech scene is, bluntly, pointless. Despite good intentions, most of it ends up feeding the endless cycle of #fashernista churn, flashy new platforms, bleeding-edge protocols, or encrypted communication tools nobody uses, built by isolated teams disconnected from real-world needs or history. This is the #geekproblem: a culture where novelty is fetishized, and social usefulness is an afterthought, if it appears at all.

Examples:

Secure […]

https://hamishcampbell.com/why-most-radical-tech-is-pointless-and-why-indymediaback-isnt/