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Hamish CampbellBuilding Alt/Grassroots Media Networks to Challenge and Widen Traditional Media The current ecosystem of alternative and grassroots media is too narrow in its imagination of what media could, and should, be. There’s a persistent naivety or, in some cases, a self-serving dishonesty. Many of the most “successful” progressive media groups continue to mimic #traditionalmedia without understanding, or addressing, the fact that they do not control their distribution. In effect, they’re renting space in someone else’s empire. This is not just a mistake. It’s the […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/building-alt-grassroots-media-networks-to-challenge-and-widen-traditional-media/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/building-alt-grassroots-media-networks-to-challenge-and-widen-traditional-media/</a>

Hamish CampbellThe hashtag story shows the current state of the world The hashtag story on this site is a way of using different hashtags to paint a picture of the current state of the world and the paths that can be taken to address the issues at hand. It involves defining each hashtag and how it relates to the larger narrative. Here is an example of a hashtag story: #fashernista is about consumer capitalism and the negative impact it has on society, treating it as a social illness. #dotcons are feeding this social illness by promoting constant consumption […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-hashtag-story-shows-the-current-state-of-the-world/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-hashtag-story-shows-the-current-state-of-the-world/</a>

Hamish CampbellTalking about the mess we’re in We’re living in an age of permanent crisis, there’s no going back to “normal.” Stop waiting for it. Let’s just STOP worshipping the #deathcult as a first step away from this mess. The trap we’re in, neoliberalism, or the #deathcult, isn’t optional. It’s systemic. You don’t get to opt out unless you’re rich enough to buy an island… and even then, it’s a fantasy. But metaphors have value. #deathcult is a metaphor, yes, and a sharp, useful one. It’s a name for the […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/talking-about-the-mess-were-in/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/talking-about-the-mess-were-in/</a>

witchescauldronThat’s the filter we need to apply — especially as we face burnout, co-option, and the churn of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> tech that solves nothing. Grassroots Radical Media: A <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#4opens</a> Path <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/grassroots-radical-media-a-4opens-path/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/grassroots-radical-media-a-4opens-path/</a>

Hamish CampbellThat’s the filter we need to apply — especially as we face burnout, co-option, and the churn of <a class="hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bsky.app/search?q=%23fashernista" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> tech that solves nothing. Grassroots Radical Media: A <a class="hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bsky.app/search?q=%234opens" target="_blank">#4opens</a> Path <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/grassroots-radical-media-a-4opens-path/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">hamishcampbell.com/grassroots-r...</a> <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/grassroots-radical-media-a-4opens-path/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Grassroots Radical Media: A #4...</a>

Hamish CampbellWhy 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 […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/why-most-radical-tech-is-pointless-and-why-indymediaback-isnt/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/why-most-radical-tech-is-pointless-and-why-indymediaback-isnt/</a>

Hamish CampbellThis view is not arrogance, I should know, having worked at the heart of this mess for 30 years With the growing influx of #EU funding into the #openweb we will see an increase in #techchurn due to the #geekproblem being feed by #mainstreaming #stupidindividualism of most of the #fashernista who can jump through the bureaucracy gatekeeper hoops. Hoping for a balance of good vs damage, though the shear blinded arrogance of the vertical crew push us to the damage side. #NGI do not want to see this problem, we as a community need to push back on this for a better outcome Some examples […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/this-view-is-not-arrogance-i-should-know-having-worked-at-the-heart-of-this-mess-for-30-years/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/this-view-is-not-arrogance-i-should-know-having-worked-at-the-heart-of-this-mess-for-30-years/</a>

hamish campbellInteresting to find this project <a href="https://displayeurope.eu/en/vision" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://displayeurope.eu/en/vision</a> is an <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AI</a> driven version of the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/OMN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#OMN</a> built up by the invisible <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> crew - in this it's based on the normal <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EU" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#EU</a> corruption. Now the question is, is it any good? More <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techshit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techshit</a> or compost - or a native part of the <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/openweb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#openweb</a> reboot?

Hamish CampbellThe #OMN is built from 30 years of working at the coal face of grassroots media and tech Just about all tech and political projects are pointless “A river that needs crossing political and tech – On the political side, there is arrogance and ignorance, on the geek side there is naivety and over complexity” A solution to this churning is “nothing new” as most of the issues we face have already been solved or at least mediated. #nothingnew and #4opens is a way of stepping away from the current tech mess. The politics is a bit more complex. What is not pointless is an […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-omn-is-built-from-the-experience-of-30-years-of-working-at-the-coal-face-of-grassroots-media-and-tech/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-omn-is-built-from-the-experience-of-30-years-of-working-at-the-coal-face-of-grassroots-media-and-tech/</a>

Hamish CampbellCan This Platform Survive? Governance Challenges papers.ssrn.com Can This Platform Survive? Governance Challenges for the Fediverse 8 A paper on the Fediverse by Thomas Struett, American University – School of Communication, Aram Sinnreich, American University – School of Communication, Patricia Aufderheide, American University – School of Communication, Rob Gehl, York University. Interesting #mainstreaming look, that bypasses the grassroots it’s actually talking about, this is a common issue with academic writing, am at Oxford this […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/can-this-platform-survive-governance-challenges/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/can-this-platform-survive-governance-challenges/</a>

Hamish CampbellNGIFORUM2025 is starting to timidly touch sense DRAFT It’s good to see events like #NGIFORUM2025. The #Fediverse and the wider #openweb reboot are real forces for social good, messy, hopeful, and grounded in decades of grassroots digital culture, we do need to support them. BUT we also need to speak honestly, as these spaces are not healthy by default. Too often, they are co-opted by #NGO and institutional actors who bring with them a dangerous kind of “common sense”, what I’ve long described as the parasite class. We see this […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/ngiforum2025-is-starting-to-timidly-touch-sense/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/ngiforum2025-is-starting-to-timidly-touch-sense/</a>

hamish campbell<a href="https://kolektiva.social/@witchescauldron" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@witchescauldron</a> <a href="https://eupolicy.social/@NGICommons" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@NGICommons</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/@moniquecalisti" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@moniquecalisti</a> <a href="https://social.numerique.gouv.fr/@cnrs" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@cnrs</a> <a href="https://mastodon.cloud/@OpenForumEurope" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@OpenForumEurope</a> <a href="https://eupolicy.social/@openfuture" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@openfuture</a> <a href="https://social.lfx.dev/@linuxfoundation" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@linuxfoundation</a> <a href="https://social.ngi.eu/@ngi" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@ngi</a> This needs <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/?s=activism+tech" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/?s=activism+tech</a> into these <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NGIFORUM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NGIFORUM</a> events and not as tokenistic <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> crap as it happens too often now. What we don't need is more <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/techshit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techshit</a> to compost <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/KISS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#KISS</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/NGIFORUM2025" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#NGIFORUM2025</a>

Hamish CampbellThat would be a battle worth of a saga Challenges the #fedivers faces and were next. The #twitter #bluesky thing comes from #blockchain crap – but don’t think it will end there – they will likely come up with a “new” standard that will #fashernista flash then promptly be forgotten. Would be interesting if they tried to colonize #activertypub we would see a wholesale selling out balanced with a community fightback – think the selling out would win, but this would kill the value in the standard, so everyone would lose. If […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/that-would-be-a-battle-worth-of-a-saga/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/that-would-be-a-battle-worth-of-a-saga/</a>

witchescauldron<a href="https://fosstodon.org/@chrisg" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@chrisg</a> <a href="https://fosstodon.org/@Gina" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@Gina</a> this is not a good post, it's dogmatic liberalism, dressed in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> cloth.What would a <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#4opens</a> space look like, and think mess rather than order, please.

Hamish CampbellMaybe we don’t then get the guillotine out… Because current #mainstreaming, centrism, comfy pointless political “maturity” worked out so well, the last time we had a hard shift to the far right in the 1930s. Those "well-meaning" liberals at the time were patted on the back for their reasoned takes and rewarded for their civility right before it ended in a world war. That’s the dirty compost of history we’re all standing in today. Fast-forward 100 years and today’s centrist are pretending not to smell the rot, their […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/maybe-we-dont-then-get-the-guillotine-out/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/maybe-we-dont-then-get-the-guillotine-out/</a>

Hamish CampbellComposting the#techshit funding Not surprised. This is probably the 10th time we've applied to the #NLnet / #NGI fund over the years. Just heard back: our proposals for #OGB (Open Governance Body), #indymediaback, and #MakeingHistory were not selected - again. “We are very sorry that we cannot offer you support for your good efforts.” Sure, I, appreciate the polite brush-off again. But after so many rejections for solid, urgently needed tech projects that actually fit the funding goals, it's time to name what's […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/composting-thetechshit-funding/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/composting-thetechshit-funding/</a>

Hamish CampbellWhat we need is useful compost layer’s for growing native projects DRAFT The #OMN perspective is that most of what we call “green technology” under #mainstreaming and #fashernista narratives is not ecological in substance, but rather a social performance of environmentalism, pushing lies of omission and distortion. Let’s use the #4opens, #geekproblem, and broader #openweb path as a way of looking at this mess. The mess: “green” as branding, not substance Most #mainstreaming “green” technology - electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, wind […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/what-we-need-is-useful-compost-layers-for-growing-native-projects/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/what-we-need-is-useful-compost-layers-for-growing-native-projects/</a>

Hamish CampbellNotes from the Bubble: A Conservative Pantomime at Balliol At Balliol, the event is thick with what I’d call posh gits. The event felt conservative, not just politically, but in the deeper, old-school, institutional sense. The air was deep with entitlement. The room was full of young wannabes, the privileged types who don’t need to try, the future "elitists" rehearsing for their inheritance. The line-up set the tone: First up, a writer for The Spectator. Then a student from Dublin, the token woman? Finally, a smug young man who writes for […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/notes-from-the-bubble-a-conservative-pantomime-at-balliol/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/notes-from-the-bubble-a-conservative-pantomime-at-balliol/</a>

witchescauldronIn the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/openweb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#openweb</a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fediverse" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#Fediverse</a> spaces, it's worth remembering: Many people only value things once they’re validated by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mainstreaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mainstreaming</a> sources. This is narrow, blinded behaviour — the kind that keeps the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/deathcult" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#deathcult</a> fed.If you only see value through the lens of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dotcons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#dotcons</a> algorithms, you’re missing 90% of what actually matters.A lot of the “famous” people in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mainstreaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mainstreaming</a> — even on alt spaces — are assholes. Not because fame makes you bad, but because climbing the algorithm's ladder requires selfishness, ego, and conformity.On alt platforms, sure, we have "our" assholes, that's life. But our assholes can be challenged, mediated, and composted into something better. On the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mainstreaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mainstreaming</a> side? They're more shit on the corporate pile.Please, don't bow down to them. Stay critical. Stay rooted. Keep your shovel handy. <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#4opens</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/nothingnew" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#nothingnew</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/techcurn" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#techcurn</a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fashernista</a>

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