Is the Fediverse movement a political movement?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

Is the Fediverse movement a political movement?

#EvanPoll #poll

[shadowdancer@mstdn.social]

@evan
Wow! I wasn't aware I'm participating in a movement! I mainly just look at cat pics and read about tech topics, but if participating in a movement is that easy (and fun!) I'm all for it!

I just hope the movement here is for social equality, environment, world peace, u know, all the good stuff.

I would be very disappointed if it turned out I was taking part in some fascist movement without being aware of it.

[michaele@mastodon.ie]

@evan
Is not the Fediverse textbook anarchist praxis? I'd say Yes.

[gnomon@mastodon.social]

@evan not primarily, but definitely tangentially.

[mensrea@freeradical.zone]

@evan you know what they say, all art is propaganda

[mensrea@freeradical.zone]

@evan quiz proposal: is software / code art?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@mensrea https://evanp.me/pollfaq#requests

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@gnomon elaborate!

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@michaele this would all have been a lot easier if I knew there was a textbook.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@shadowdancer *are* you participating in a movement?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@mensrea Then again, I am reminded of this by @rhea

https://rhea.art/is-art/

[carpetbomberz@mastodon.online]

@evan There's no eff no. So I just voted No.

[shadowdancer@mstdn.social]

@evan
Well, that's kinda what I'm wondering here. Your poll sets the premise that there actually is such a thing as Fediverse movement, which then leads to the question of what counts as participating? Does me replying to you count as participating?

Please don't get me wrong, I love Fediverse and I would so much like to think it as some kind of collective action directed towards all that is good, but is it, really, more than just a social media?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@carpetbomberz why would you say eff no?

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@shadowdancer I think you've hit on some important questions.

- What is a movement?
- What does it mean to participate in a movement?
- Is there a Fediverse movement?
- Is everyone on the Fediverse part of the Fediverse movement?
- What does it mean to be a political movement?

All fun stuff to think about. I wonder what your draft answers would be.

[elight@tenforward.social]

@evan Hadn't considered it. I responded "Yes but..". However, I am uncertain.

As. a "movement", it is decentralizing authority.

Ironically, "decentralizing authority" aligns with what in America we call "Libertarianism" and with the pre-MAGA "Conservative" party: deferring choice (*and responsibility*) and power to tne entities closest to the problem, often the individual.

But it also aligns with what we call "Progressivism" as it is about preventing tyranny by distributing control.

That single value, distribution of control, seems inherently political.

I'd say it's also anti-capitalist. However, there's nothing preventing different parts of the fediverse from attempting to capitalize.

I've opined in the past: is there anything preventing any fediverse node admin from selling data/content to outside entities? AFAIK, there is not. Therefore, any anti-capitalism baked into the Fediverse relies of the forbearance of the administrators/developers involved and not on the Fediverse itself, as an idea.

[evan@cosocial.ca]

@elight thank you so much for your thoughtful reply!

[valhalla@social.gl-como.it]

@evan @michaele apt install anarchism? :D it's not just a t-shirt

(it still works in trixie and forky)

(I'm not sure it's the *right* textbook, I only know that there exist one textbook and…)

[evan@cosocial.ca]

Thanks, all. Good conversation and very contentious poll here.

My answer: yes, but it is also a spiritual movement.