Blog

For a long time, I have been excited by the idea of democratic groups (e.g. coops and unions) communicating AS groups, rather than relying on individuals relaying messages, or forming a new group to chat in. Space Tube is my current project to experiment with this idea (Wobbly is my old one). By linking existing chat groups together with bridging software, I want to see if new forms of communication emerge from the connection process....
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Wobbly is a workplace organising platform being designed and prototyped by a small voluntary team of developers. It’s a communication and coordination tool with structures and processes modelled on the IWW’s organising style (hence the name, coming from the IWW nickname). We’re creating a space for energetic, powerful, and democratic unions to win struggles and grow. The Problem The gig economy has brought a host of new challenges for workers with it. Low wages, lack...
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It takes a village to make an app. Large software platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are more than just code and data: to a human being they feel like worlds. The way worlds are created and governed determines the kind of worlds they can be. Using worlds created for value-extraction for democratic purposes is not impossible, but it is difficult. If you want a world that makes democratic and open behaviour easy, you need...
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