#geekproblem

4 posts2 participants0 posts today

Hamish CampbellNews, the signal-to-noise mess Almost all our posting in the #openweb and in the #dotcons in response to #mainstreaming news is noise. It’s reactive, fragmented, performative. We scroll, we rage, we boost, we dunk, but we don’t build. Sometimes, someone posts something thoughtful, something deep, meaningful. But it vanishes in the churn. The system is designed this way. Even on our #openweb, where we have more autonomy, we are mirroring this spectacle path, feeding it attention, reposting its narratives, amplifying […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/news-the-signal-to-noise-mess/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/news-the-signal-to-noise-mess/</a>

Hamish CampbellRegime change in the west There’s a "normal" dangerous illusion still clinging to liberal democracies: that we’re in a time of political turbulence, but the foundations remain intact. That, somehow, we’ll "course correct." But this need to be seen as blinded thinking. What is obvious is that we’re actually experiencing is regime change, not in some distant land, but right here in the West. And it’s not coming from tanks or coups, but through the ballot box, boardrooms, social media algorithms, and #NGO […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/regime-change-in-the-west/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/regime-change-in-the-west/</a>

Hamish CampbellMainstreaming: Building Grassroots Balance Our history of involvement in #EU digital outreach and policy meetings has made one thing starkly clear, our #openweb is deeply entangled in the process of #mainstreaming, a messy, often co-optive dynamic where grassroots voices are softened, diluted, and redirected into bureaucracy, then in the end they are simply #blocked. Yes, while there is value in taking part, it's also a wake-up call. The push to shape digital paths from above is strong. But without active grassroots alternatives, […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/mainstreaming-building-grassroots-balance/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/mainstreaming-building-grassroots-balance/</a>

Hamish CampbellRebooting the #openweb in a good way The #Fediverse exists, and more than that, it’s alive and kicking. Sure, it might be a messy, chaotic, a bit fragmented, and yes, still niche. But let’s not underplay it, this is the healthiest corners of the internet we’ve got. Tens of million accounts, hundreds of thousands active people, sometimes talking about how we build our digital spaces from the bottom up. Yep, there are the cat videos, the #fluffys and the #spikys. But also an in-group debate is bubbling away about who […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/rebooting-the-openweb-in-a-good-way/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/rebooting-the-openweb-in-a-good-way/</a>

witchescauldronA sharp take <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/a-sharp-take/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/a-sharp-take/</a> That’s the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a>: not the code, but the refusal to look at the problem outside the code.

Hamish CampbellA sharp take In the end, all social action happens through generalized talk, categories, metaphors, shorthand. That’s how language works. But we live in a cultural amnesia where this is forgotten, mistaken for “common sense.” The #OMN embraces this messy, human space, while the #geekproblem seeks rigid machine-like CONTROL. They’re often technically right, but socially intolerant. We, by contrast, are often technically wrong, but humanly right. What we need is a bridge between these approaches, […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/a-sharp-take/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/a-sharp-take/</a>

witchescauldronCritique without action is just noise. If we want real change, we need to move beyond commentary and into building. From <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GeekProblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GeekProblem</a> to <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OMN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OMN</a> Solutions <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/from-geekproblem-to-omn-solutions/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/from-geekproblem-to-omn-solutions/</a>

Hamish CampbellFrom #GeekProblem to #OMN Solutions Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, we hit the same wall: misunderstanding and misdirection. The #geekproblem isn't just about bad code or poor decisions, it’s about an unhealthy, almost inhuman obsession with control. Where we are now is the federated model, which is a useful half step, a half-measure? Federation is an interesting paradox, as it panders to control, offering people their own little digital kingdoms. It dilutes control, spreading authority so thinly that […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/from-geekproblem-to-omn-solutions/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/from-geekproblem-to-omn-solutions/</a>

Hamish CampbellThe Failure of #Mainstreaming – What Comes Next? It should be painfully obvious by now that all the current #mainstreaming paths have failed. Whether we look at politics, technology, media, or activism, the same patterns emerge, co-option, stagnation, and eventual collapse under their own mess and contradictions. The valid question isn’t whether mainstreaming has failed, it has. The real question is: What do we do about it? This applies just as much to our efforts to reboot the #openweb as it does to broader struggles in the "real […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-failure-of-mainstreaming-what-comes-next/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-failure-of-mainstreaming-what-comes-next/</a>

hamish campbellThe <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/mainstreaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mainstreaming</a> influx is a HUGE distraction to our <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/fashernista" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fashernista</a> and <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> people, and this is leading to a fuckup on usability <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/a-guest-post-the-mess-of-the-current-openweb-path-a-users-experience/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/a-guest-post-the-mess-of-the-current-openweb-path-a-users-experience/</a>

Hamish CampbellA guest post – The Mess of the Current #OpenWeb Path: A User’s Experience Setting up a #Mastodon account to move away from supremacist platforms like #Twitter, #Threads, #Bluesky, and #LinkedIn felt like the right step. But almost immediately, I ran into one of the core failures of the so-called #openweb—drastic post length limits, artificial restrictions, and a general lack of usability. At first glance, Mastodon appears no different from the mainstream platforms it’s supposed to replace. With the post lengths, why are we still replicating big tech […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/a-guest-post-the-mess-of-the-current-openweb-path-a-users-experience/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/a-guest-post-the-mess-of-the-current-openweb-path-a-users-experience/</a>

witchescauldronThe issue with <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FOSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FOSS</a> tech developmentThe failure of many <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FOSS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FOSS</a> 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 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> 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. * <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#4opens</a> culture—embrace open process, standards, and real collaboration. * Bridging solutions—tech that activists can actually use, not just developer-driven experiments. * Funding models beyond <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NGO" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NGO</a> traps—so projects remain independent and sustainable.The fight for the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/openweb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#openweb</a> is not only about resisting <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dotcons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dotcons</a> but creating alternatives people can and will use. Can we move beyond abstraction and actually make history?

witchescauldronDevelopment - Next Steps for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OGB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OGB</a>The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OGB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OGB</a> (Open Governance Body) is a native <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/openweb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#openweb</a> project to enable decentralized, transparent governance for grassroots media and activist networks. However, like many open projects, it faces significant development roadblocks.Currently, the challenge is moving beyond theory into implementation. The stalled dev work at <a href="http://unite.openworlds.info" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">http://unite.openworlds.info</a> highlights the common issue: lack of dedicated developer focus. The problem isn’t just writing code; it’s building a bridge between activist needs and functional, people-friendly tools. The <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> looms large, developers work in isolation, disconnected from real-world social movements, or they get caught in perfectionism instead of delivering working prototypes.What <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OGB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OGB</a> needs is practical iteration: a rough, working proof of concept, rather than endlessly debating the ideal model. The project requires coders willing to work openly, embracing the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#4opens</a> (open source, open standards, open process, open data). The biggest blocker? A culture that prioritizes control over collaboration.

witchescauldronThe development of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndymediaBack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndymediaBack</a>The reboot of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Indymedia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Indymedia</a> (<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndymediaBack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IndymediaBack</a>) is about reclaiming grassroots, open, and radical media infrastructure outside of the control of corporate platforms and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dotcons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dotcons</a>. However, the development side has stalled due to the same issues that have stalled other <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/openweb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#openweb</a> 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 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OMN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#OMN</a> (Open Media Network) framework already outlines how to create syndicated media flows using <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/4opens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#4opens</a>. The stalled dev site at <a href="http://unite.openworlds.info" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">http://unite.openworlds.info</a> needs committed developers who care about media as a movement, not just a tech experiment.Without serious investment in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DIY" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DIY</a>, people-friendly, open-source alternatives, activists will remain trapped inside the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/mainstreaming" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mainstreaming</a> of social media platforms. The question is: can we finally push through the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> and make this happen?

witchescauldronThe <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GeekProblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GeekProblem</a>: Why Open Development Is Stuck in a Dead End <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-why-open-development-is-stuck-in-a-dead-end/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-why-open-development-is-stuck-in-a-dead-end/</a> This is why open projects fail. They mimic the structures of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/dotcons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dotcons</a> without the resources to sustain them. They chase security and rigidity at the expense of usability and social flow.

Hamish CampbellThe #GeekProblem: Why Open Development Is Stuck in a Dead End It’s no sin to have to submit to the #dotcons overlords—we all do it, whether we like it or not. Just recently, I found myself installing that vile spyware known as #WeChat because this was the only way to talk to the people I needed to talk to. That bitter swipe to hide the app from view brought a momentary sense of agency, but the reality remains: we are still too often failing at building out the #openweb that normal people find useful The fundamental question is: why? It's too […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-why-open-development-is-stuck-in-a-dead-end/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-why-open-development-is-stuck-in-a-dead-end/</a>

hamish campbell<a href="https://phpc.social/@elazar" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@elazar</a> have tried a few times to make this socially easier over the last 20 years. Each time has been a compleat fail, it's a <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> that is hard if not currently impossible to fix at the moment, we need fresh ideas and paths.

Hamish CampbellThe #NGO mess is hard blocking We need to talk, again, about how the #NGO world pushes HARD BLOCKING over the native #openweb paths we need to take. This isn’t some new issue; we’ve been having the same conversation for years. And yet, here we are, watching the same bad behaver and the same mistakes repeating, only now, with the #mainstreaming flooding in, with more funding and institutional interference. The simple antidote to this incompetence? Listen. Think. And stop blocking. Seriously, it’s not that […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-ngo-mess-is-hard-blocking-2/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-ngo-mess-is-hard-blocking-2/</a>

Hamish CampbellThe #geekproblem is too often soft blocking change and challenge in tech The #geekproblem has been an ongoing issue in the development of radical and open internet paths. This is particularly evident in the influx of #mainstreaming users into the #Fediverse, bringing with them behaviors that, for us #openweb natives, are easy to recognize as part'ish, a mix of good intentions and ingrained habits that common sense uphold the status quo. Our response needs to be one of patience, hand-holding rather than outright biting, because if we want real change, we need to […] <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-is-too-often-soft-blocking-change-and-challenge-in-tech/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/the-geekproblem-is-too-often-soft-blocking-change-and-challenge-in-tech/</a>

witchescauldronTechnology and Social Change Working with the Facebook Generation <a href="https://hamishcampbell.com/technology-and-social-change-working-with-the-facebook-generation/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://hamishcampbell.com/technology-and-social-change-working-with-the-facebook-generation/</a> The path isn’t more <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/geekproblem" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geekproblem</a> tech fixes or empty branding exercises, it’s a radical grassroots step to collective agency.

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