You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism | Authoritarians and tech CEOs now share the same goal: to keep us locked in an eternal doomscroll instead of organizing against them

[bobs_monkey@lemm.ee]

It did break down the barriers for those less technical by bringing the conversation to a web browser that was certainly more accessible as opposed to a terminal, for better or worse. It's not far off from the fediverse in that it does take some technical understanding to navigate, which does create a sort of barrier. Now, whether that is good or bad is a subject of debate, and I'm inclined to agree that the more accessible a platform is, the more watered down the conversations become.

[bobs_monkey@lemm.ee]

constitutional rights

Hate to say it, but there's the very real possibility those days are numbered.

As it sits, those of us that are savvy need to be actively using and promoting privacy-centric communications methodology to ensure we have a means to communicate safely and effectively as time goes on and those tights are further eroded. I don't see the internet completely dying, given the technical nature of it, but peering and connectivity will likely be hampered in the coming months and years, so it is in our best interest to find and employ feasible solutions now to attempt getting out ahead of anything those muppets come up with.

[morrowind@lemmy.ml]

Even violent fantasies about putting billionaires to the guillotine are rendered inept in these online spaces—just another pressure release valve to harmlessly dissipate our rage instead of compelling ourselves to organize and act.

ahem lemmy

[nullpointer@programming.dev]

"bread and circuses" has been an effective strategy for thousands of years.

[paradox@lemdro.id]

They've been censorious for over a decade. It's just the old target was "acceptable" to most denizens of reddit and similar social media. Now that the censors are expanding their reach, we see umbrage? Come on now.

[uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

I have the social skills of a cholla cactus and so when someone says ѻɼﻭคกٱչﻉ ץѻપɼ กﻉٱﻭɦ๒ѻɼɦѻѻɗ กﻉՇฝѻɼᛕ I find it only confusing and unintelligible. I did consider making cookies for my neighbors with a notice saying _I don't know how to ዐዪኗልክጎጊቿ ል ክቿጎኗዘጌዐዪዘዐዐዕ ክቿፕሠዐዪጕ but maybe someone else does...here's some cookies? Mind you, my neighborhood is a tad lower class and has an air of desperation so they may not trust my cookies.

It's a thought. My kitchen appliances are lent out right now, and I don't actually know how to bake.

But I seem to understand enough leftist theory to bridge those who, like me, have been brainwashed to see communism and socialism as derisives and terms of contempt.

I'm also going through a psychotic break because a lot of stressors piled up at the same time seventy-seven million voters decided to give the Genie's lamp to Jaffar.

[rottingleaf@lemmy.world]

Maybe it's better to refrain from growing strong men, though, just average will do, with average children, not weak.

[mangocats@feddit.it]

Maybe we won't be guillotining them anytime soon, but we can at least slow their roll:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVgNJf6CsBA

[southendsunset@lemm.ee]

Same. I’ve learned a lot since I joined Lemmy.

I genuinely believe centralised social media was created to make you feel like you’re doing something.

[not_rick@lemmy.world]

Thanks for sharing this article. What a disgustingly crass sentiment

[samus12345@lemm.ee]

Then start your own server and post whatever you want.

[samus12345@lemm.ee]

Yeah, the US Constitution is just a piece of paper now because nobody's enforcing it.

[zorque@lemmy.world]

You are the exception, not the rule. Just because you have an easy time with something does not mean everyone does. Everyone experiences interaction in a different way.

Just because it brings no value to your life does not mean that opinion is universal.

[reddig33@lemmy.world]

Sure you can. Fight online propaganda with online propaganda.

[bobs_monkey@lemm.ee]

It may be a good time to note that the constitution page on whitehouse.gov is still 404ing.

It's available on congress.gov and archived under bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov, but the current admin has yet to put it back.

[icastfist@programming.dev]

TLDR - We need more Luigis against the techbros

[mox@lemmy.sdf.org]

I suspect the vast majority of people turning to social media as a pressure release valve feel disempowered, and honestly don't know what more they can reasonably do. How can a fly meaningfully change the orbit of a planet?

This article is insightful, but practically useless. I think it would be better if it also presented specific actions and achievable goals that would lead to shutting down encroaching fascism.

[samus12345@lemm.ee]

Oh god, I haven't checked the White House website since it went full fascist. A big-ass picture of Dear Leader right at the top. North Korea, China, Russia...even those countries don't have anything so blatantly cult of personality on the front page of their websites.

[sbv@sh.itjust.works]

One of the problems with online forums for organizing is that it's hard to naturally build an organizational structure. It's possible, but I think it requires experienced organizers to start choosing collaborators from the userbase.

• in online forums, people get upvoted based on how much users agree with the comment. They are rewarded for being popular, not for having a direct impact on the problem being discussed.
• IRL people who commit effort to the cause get a certain amount of social capital, and the satisfaction of having an effect. They also form social bonds with other people in the group. Participants are rewarded for having an effect.

We haven't seen a lot of organizing boiling out of the existing forums (Reddit, Facebook, blogs) and microblogging (Twitter) platforms. There have been a bunch of leaderless movements, like #metoo and BLM, but those have had a moment and then faded out. If they were effective tools for organizing, I would expect to see more organizations come out of them and persist.

Conversely, volunteer community organizations form all the time - people are physically situated near people experiencing similar problems who are invested in solutions they think will work for their community. In-person organization is self perpetuating in the sense that there is an inherent reward for having an effect.

I think it's possible to use online tools to create a movement, but like the author of the article says, most of us spend our time posting and upvoting rather than doing something that will change policy.

[rottingleaf@lemmy.world]

It did break down the barriers for those less technical by bringing the conversation to a web browser that was certainly more accessible as opposed to a terminal, for better or worse.

I beg your pardon, but what about web forums? I don't think anything technical was required with those.