[HacktionLab] HacktionLab Digest, Vol 38, Issue 22

[Sy]

On 21/06/11 10:34, hacktionlab-request at lists.aktivix.org wrote:
> I don't even want particularly to be 'included in techies' processes' so much as
> to know that design of the most important of those processes are
> starting from the needs and desires of ordinary activists, particularly
> those with a lot less techy knowledge and interest than me..
>
This seems like a deeply problematic approach to me. While I understand 
that most people are used to expecting that techs provide a service 
(usually working for a company which is for profit, and is paid for by 
advertising and data mining) which they simply consume, it seems quite 
unfair to expect that activist techs become similar service providers. 
The politics of social movements around building directly democratic, 
inclusive and horizontally organised structures requires that people do 
get involved and are included in techie processes and design, not simply 
declaring that they don't want to be involved but will complain if they 
deem the service they see other people providing isn't what they desire. 
The producer/consumer relationship you seem to yearn for between 'tech' 
and 'ordinary' activists does not and should not be a part of activist 
culture because it's completely contradictory to the politics of the 
movements themselves.

The kind of space BarnCamp creates, where people who aren't techs (and I 
include myself in that category) are able to work on co-designing 
projects with those who have the requisite technical skills, as well as 
attending workshops which help to teach them some of the skills to begin 
doing things from themselves rather than than being entirely dependent 
on others for any technical input is imo important to achieving a 
situation where there isn't a tech/ordinary or producer/consumer hierarchy.

I'm also intrigued to hear about some specific examples of problematic 
FOSS/activist software you've encountered recently, if we were having 
this discussion in 2005 I'd wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of 
the usability of activist tech tools, however I really struggle to see 
how your complaints apply to (for example) Ubuntu, Libre/Open Office, 
Lightworks, Statusnet, Hyperactive, Wordpress (.org) or Crabgrass. Tech 
tools have come a long way recently towards evolving a toolset which 
empower users with limited technicity to create media-rich content which 
imo can compete with all but a few high end professional proprietary 
tools (which are out of the economic reach of most 'ordinary' people 
anyways).

Sy