Were next for grassroots/alt-media
Its common knowledge that grassroots media is well F**ed and that #failbook and #twitter are the problem not the solution. Were can we go from here? To reboot alt-media (and play a role in rebooting the open web) we need to create a affinity group to cross the geek/political divide that has demolished our ones flowing/healthy alt-media networks.
For a moment lets look at brood brush history, the 20th century alt-media was one of offline social movements, were modern (21st century) alt-media is a product of online social networks — the web. Take a moment to think about our years of failed encryption geek projects on the one hand, and, the constant churning of disappearing media silos on the other. The last 10 years have been a wasteland for both the geek and political.
The original internet/web seceded because it was a stupidly open design, it had no built in agenda to the network. Lets compare this ”new” for a moment to the pre-internet, the old wired telephone networks had all the smarts at the exchanges and the phones were dumb, it was a centralised hierarchical network. Were the internet had the smarts at the ends, the computers, and the network it self was dumb — a horizontal network.
This turning on the head of 20th century thinking is important to move out of our current long running malaise in alt-media. Am arguing the divide between politico’s and geeks is feeding a failed fixation on 20th century thinking in that they both wont to build systems (both technical and social) were the smarts are at the centre. In contrast we know that in the 21st century it is more powerful to build “empty” networks that connects the smarts at the edges. The word “empty” here gets a lot of negativity responses :) This is the touching of the core problem, take a moment to re-read and think positive thoughts ;)
An “empty” network is a general-purpose network that connects general purpose computers to general purpose people and community. Yes, the tech we need, like the internet/open web has an agenda but it is not sectarian as #failbook and other #dotcoms are, as are our own much smaller alt-media silos. Instead its “open” and “simple” based on “industrial” standards and open working social ideals. This is obvious, but it needs saying, The “dumb net” is completely ignorant of what the user wants to do — just data in and data out. Its up to the user to decide what the data is. Only “universal languages”, that is data standards, have flow, the is a ridiculous power for change in this obviousness.
Its not hard to re-boot to escape these 10 years of failure, actually its simple. Though its not going to happen with out a good affinity group who cross the geek/political divide. Message me if you think you have the smarts, skills, tolerance and humility.
Originally published on Hamish Campbell
