#failbook — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #failbook, aggregated by home.social.
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It’s truly a mess — but we do need anti-capitalist messaging, and it can be dressed in positive clothes.
I’m using the “negative” language to make space for something more positive. Sometimes you need to name the problem before you can move beyond it.
The hashtags make everyday life feel unpleasant, and that’s a small but needed step if we’re serious about challenging the #deathcult of neoliberalism, #stupidindividualism around identity politics and postmodernism, #dotcons for the tech industry’s con job around our communications, and #failbook for the mess we’ve made over the last 20 years..
Name the problem, make space for the alternative. Then build something better.
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I wrote this 5 years ago before the #Fediverse took off.
We have a class problem that needs attention. A large part of the privileged (empowered) world has spent the last 10+ years posting memes, outrage and identity signals on #failbook - helping build #dotcons into incredibly powerful systems of social control.
This is uncomfortable, but we need to be honest about it. The problem is not just “them” - it is also the participation of people who had the resources, education and influence to build something different but instead fed the systems that now shape public culture.
A class with power has a responsibility to look at how that power is used. The #openweb alternative is not more outrage inside closed platforms. It is rebuilding spaces based on participation, trust, transparency and shared ownership.
We need to look at ourselves and act.
Urgently.
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OMN history note: #Failbook, activism, and the enclosure of organising https://hamishcampbell.com/omn-history-note-failbook-activism-and-the-enclosure-of-organising/ The lesson is simple, even if uncomfortable – if you organise inside systems designed to fragment you, you should expect fragmentation.
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OMN history note: Failbook, activism, and the enclosure of organising
This is a mess we are finally starting to move away from. For over a decade, #failbook was one of the main organising spaces for progressive activism. On the surface it looked useful: easy groups, fast sharing, broad reach. But structurally it was never neutral. It was built as a #dotcons attention machine, optimised for engagement, conflict, and dependency. That design matters. Platforms like this don’t just host activism - they reshape it. They push people toward reaction over […]https://hamishcampbell.com/omn-history-note-failbook-activism-and-the-enclosure-of-organising/
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This message is a shovel
Ten years ago - and honestly long before that - there were endless conversations on #failbook about how useful it was for campaigning. The dominant view back then was simple: it’s just cat memes, it's just tooling, it isn’t political so we can use it harmlessly. Before Snowden, this wasn’t a fringe view - it was probably a 90% consensus, especially among activists, and #fashionista tech communities. I’m not pointing fingers here, as this was normal. Many of us - including friends and […] -
The Open Media Network: More Than Just a Tech Project
At first glance, the #OMN (Open Media Network) might look like another stalled technical project, a collection of code, standards, and protocols. But to think of it only this way is to miss the point entirely. What we’re building is a social and technological fabric for the #openweb, woven together by shared values and practical needs. Yes, there’s tech, but the tools and standards we develop are not neutral. They lean, by design, toward openness, transparency, collaboration, and […]https://hamishcampbell.com/the-open-media-network-more-than-just-a-tech-project/
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The #Hashtags Tell a Story: Building Trust in a Messy World
We live in a time of crisis. Climate, community, communication, all are breaking down. Our tools and platforms no longer serve us. To make sense of this, we need to tell stories. And in the digital world, hashtags are one of the most powerful ways we do this. But our hashtags don’t just tag, they trace the roots of our problems, and signpost paths out. Each one is a seed. Together, they are a map.#dotcons – From #openweb to walled gardens. Once, the internet was a place of openness, […]
https://hamishcampbell.com/the-hashtags-tell-a-story-building-trust-in-a-messy-world/
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The Spring OMN: The River of News Project
Originally Published 3/15/2016 — Updated 07/2025
“A river that needs crossing: political and tech blogs – On the political side, there is arrogance and ignorance; on the geek side, there is naivety and over-complexity.”
This project builds from a simple truth: we’re failing to communicate across divides that matter, and the #openweb continues to decline in the face of #dotcons like Meta (#failbook), Google, Amazon, and Apple.The inspiration, the technical model draws from Dave […]
https://hamishcampbell.com/the-spring-omn-the-river-of-news-project-2/
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Everything we build sits on standards
An example of the #geekproblem is the refusal, or failure, to engage seriously with standards. In tech, as in life, nothing exists in isolation. Every app, every protocol, every line of code rests on a foundation of inherited agreements: protocols, languages, schemas, and governance systems. These are the invisible scaffolding of the digital world, we call them standards, and whether people like it or not, everything you’re building is already part of an industrial web of standards.
Now, […]
https://hamishcampbell.com/everything-we-build-sits-on-standards/
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What Is Journalism in a Community Space?
Ten years ago, I posted photos of a police raid on a boat in Mile End Park to a local Facebook group. What followed was a storm of critique from fellow community members, particularly around privacy, ethics, and the nature of local news. That exchange came back through the memory algorithm on #failbook, it’s interesting because it sits at the heart of a question we keep coming back to. What is journalism, and where does it belong? The debate wasn’t just about a photo or a post. It was […]
https://hamishcampbell.com/what-is-journalism-in-a-community-space/
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People, community, the long struggle between the #openweb and #dotcons
This is a mess that has been clear to see for 20 years, but people keep falling into the same traps instead of stepping off the cycle of control. We had something, we lost it, and we are still refusing to face why. Let's use #Failbook as a practical example of a monster that devours our dreams, fifteen years ago, the writing was already on the wall, #failbook and the #dotcons would eat everything. It wasn't some grand conspiracy, just basic power and control dynamics. People knew this. […]https://hamishcampbell.com/people-community-the-long-struggle-between-the-openweb-and-dotcons/
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A path we need for the #openweb
The #NGO crew can be poison, not because they’re bad people, but because of how social structures and agendas shape behaviour. For the social health of the #openweb, we need to be mindful of what we take in. Just like in nature, some things are toxic in large doses. “Nice” doesn’t always mean “good.” There’s no contradiction here. "Don’t drink from the #mainstreaming." But remember, shit makes good compost! Instead of just being cynical, let’s grow something better from […] -
The top ten posts on the website
https://hamishcampbell.com
Sorting the wheat from the chaff
In part, the USA shift to the right is due to the #geekproblem in tech
#Failbook Activist’s and the hamster cage
#EU bureaucracy in tech funding
Free Software is Political
State Funding of #FOSS and Open Source: Is it a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?
Working with neo hippies for 20 years, they are now #mainstreaming
Corporate presence in the Fediverse?
The #openweb, the #commons, the real-world spaces we build are where the future lies
The victimhood narrative needs composting
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We Made This Mess—Time to Clean It Up
For the last 20 years, most of our crew have played a part in shaping the digital world we see today. What began as a space of radical possibility has been enclosed, exploited, and transformed into a corporate-controlled dystopia of #dotcons. We lived inside this algorithmic trap, and in many ways, we still do—fighting, trolling, and feeding the very system that keeps us addicted.Trapped inside the algorithm, these platforms don’t exist to foster community or critical thought; they […]https://hamishcampbell.com/we-made-this-mess-time-to-clean-it-up/
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Most of our crew have made this mess for the last 20 years. Life inside the #dotcons algorithm is a trap—one that people fight for, troll for, and become addicted to. These platforms are designed to feed engagement through division, making people react emotionally rather than think critically.
#Failbook and the rise of victim culture isn't an accident. It's a feature, not a bug. The algorithm rewards outrage, amplifies conflict, and keeps people in a loop of reaction rather than action. People get stuck performing identities instead of building real alternatives.
The #OMN approach? Step outside the algorithm. Build trust-based networks where people interact as humans, not as data points for corporate profit. The #Fediverse and #ActivityPub-based platforms offer a path out, but we need to push harder to grow them in a way that challenges #mainstreaming liberal control.
We don’t need more “ethical” #dotcons. We need an independent, federated media ecosystem. That’s what the #OMN is about.
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The stress of alt living in the remains of the commons, boaters in the UK
The boater community is in rapid transition, with the pressures from gentrification, corporate control (#CRT), and online group dynamics (#failbook) colliding with a long-established scruffy, self-sufficient, and sometimes chaotic #liveaboard culture. This can be seen in the #failbook London Boaters group which has shifted away from its activist roots into more of a "management" role, shaped by #NGO-style moderation and back-channel conversations with #CRT. The shift from grassroots […]https://hamishcampbell.com/the-stress-of-alt-living-in-the-remains-of-the-commons-boaters-in-the-uk/
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@rooftopjaxx think we have had that for the last 20 years since people jumped into #failbook and the #dotcons in general, what's next?
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Bridging the gap: Building a human-first #openweb
Many years ago, I wrote on my website sidebar: "A river that needs crossing—political and tech blogs: On the political side, there is arrogance and ignorance; on the geek side, there is naivety and over-complexity." Decades later, we still to often find ourselves standing on opposite shores of this river, struggling to bridge the understanding gap between human-centric communities and the techno-centric mindset of the "geek class." This divide is a core challenge for anyone invested in […]https://hamishcampbell.com/bridging-the-gap-building-a-human-first-openweb/
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Al final Lovecraft se cansó de escribir historias de horror cósmico y pasó a crear el mismo horror cósmico. (?)
#Facebook #Failbook #Instagram #Shitstagram #WhatsApp #WhatsCrapp #Zuckerberg #MarkZuckerberg #Lovecraft #HPLovecraft #HowardPhillipsLovecraft #Cthulhu #CthulhuMythos
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Failbook Activists and the Hamster Cage
A bit of history, activists who rely on platforms like Facebook (#Failbook) for organizing, where the platform’s algorithms limit real impact. The "hamster cage" metaphor talks to, activists are stuck in a cycle of activity that feels productive but is ultimately controlled and contained by corporate interests.
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Mastodon, Meta and Threads
For people who focus on working with the #dotcons there are meany traps, and a lot of dead-ends. This is less of an issue for people fighting them, the problem here is "common sense" #blocking this second useful path, which is a much less lucrative and a thank less task. So we will continue to have more people on the first mess path. A post that grew from a toot seed, I wonder if Mastodon is to Meta what Firefox once was to Google a small but significant project that big corporations can […] -
The current path of distraction’s and #stupidindividualism are pushing the cycle of pointless noise that is feeding into our inability to focus on real change. People are busy, swept up in distractions, and pointless pursuits to be the change and challenge they need to be. It’s a cycle of complacency with a bad outcome. Agitation, anger, and disturbance are powerful motivators, but we need to focus into something meaningful, to avoid drowning in the noise, we need to focus on what’s actually going on. But, in this mess, how do we push people to grow up and focus without falling into the trap of more #blocking or just offering more distractions or ‘better bling’?
The answer is simple and #KISS, by recreating collectives. We’ve seen first hand how hyper individualism (#stupidindividualism) isolates people, leaving them powerless against larger systemic issues. Rebuilding real, engaged, and active communities is key. Movements like #OMN, #OGB, #indymediaback, and #4opens are examples of initiatives that become the change and challenge we need. These projects draw from undercurrents of ideas that we know work, combining them with the best of #openweb tech to grow from small seeds into real change.
But it’s also essential to dig at the roots of the mess: #pomo (#postmodernism) and the #deathcult (#neoliberalism), ideologies that have shaped the mess we’re in, cynicism and cutting off collective alternatives. If we don’t address these root issues, they will keep returning, and we’ll remain stuck in the same cycles of decay.
The #geekproblem is real, it’s the problem of domination and control born out of geek culture shaped by “common sense” paths. Look at the decline of the #dotcons like #failbook and Google, where #fashionista optimism gave way to corporate greed. Then look at early days of #openweb projects like #couchsurfing and #indymedia, we had healthy, thriving native cultures that weren’t obsessed with control. The key is to recognize what went wrong and build on a path that doesn’t repeat those mistakes.
What the #dotcons think the future is, from meta
The challenge is that many within geek culture can’t see the value of projects like #OMN, as it exists outside their narrow, “common sense” world-views. We need to help people see beyond the obvious, look for non-mainstream alternatives, and recognize that the solutions aren’t in the corporate web but in the decentralized, open spaces, commons, we create ourselves.
Now is the time to reboot our own media and to be wary of #fashionista agendas that hijack and dilute the change we need. The way forward is messy, organic, and rooted in collective action. What we can do:
- Agitate and Disturb: Use media, art, and culture to push people out of their comfort zones and make them question the status quo. The hashtag story is a tool to do this.
- Build Collectives: Recreate spaces where people can work together meaningfully, paths that empower communities to balance the current #stupidindividualism. The OMN are projects for this.
- Focus on the Roots: Don’t only address symptoms, dig deep into the core ideologies that keep returning and haunting us, like #pomo and the #deathcult. This website is a tool for this
- Reboot Media: We need to take back control of our media, using open technology to create alternatives that aren’t based on capitalist greed but on #KISS shared values. There is a native project for this indymediaback
- Stay Wary of Distractions: Resist the temptation of ‘better bling.’ The solution is not to make the distractions shinier, but to focus on what matters.
The path out of this mess is in part social tech, which we need to build. It’s time to grow up, pay attention, and start building the world we actually want to live in. A shovel is need to compost the current mess #OMN. But I don’t have the focus to do this, we need a crew.
The key part of this is WHO decides, this is a political and democratic issue, not a tech “problem” we need to build with this strongly in mind.
#4opens #blocking #couchsurfing #deathcult #dotcons #failbook #fashionista #geekproblem #indymedia #indymediaback #KISS #neoliberalism #OGB #OMN #openweb #pomo #postmodernism #stupidindividualism
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#Facebook / #Failbook #algorithms are making the network increasingly useless for publicising real time events. I routinely get such things as my friends online DJ sets and events turning up in my timeline *days* after they have actually happened and today an interesting event in South Essex on a group I willingly joined only appears just now (so I would have 0 chance of attending it - it would be over by time I had driven there). Yet all manner of random stuff is forced into my timeline
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How many times have people seen the whole cycle of '♻️ insecure by design🤝we're sorry we got hacked🤝#ZombieInternet🤝#AI🤝#fails ♻️ ' on the #OligarchWebHosting business models play out now? 🤨
#TechSupportIsCourtBook
#BoomerONLY #FailBook #OligarchWebHostingTechSupport
#PR101 #MBA101 -
The Potential of #Hashtags as Shared Social Paths
#Hashtags have potential to be used for social change. They create connections between people, amplify voices, and mobilize communities. When used effectively, they transform individual expressions into collective movements. However, the current culture presents significant challenges to this.
The Problem of #StupidIndividualism
Today we are shaped by #stupidindividualism, on this path hashtags become acts of individual expression rather than collective tools for change. This individualistic approach hides the potential for constructive use. Instead of fostering solidarity and shared purpose, hashtags become fragmented and lose any meaning and thus impact.
#Dotcons as temples of the #Deathcult
Tech silos like Facebook (#failbook) and generally the dominant digital corporations (#dotcons) exacerbate this problem. Their business models and design promote individualism over community, a culture obsessed with profit and control at the expense of human values—creates a landscape where meaningful social change is impossible to achieve.
The Need for Collective Action
For #hashtags to regain their function as tools for social change, there needs to be a shift from individualism to collectivism. This requires:
- Shared Understanding: Developing a common understanding of the issues and the role hashtags can play in addressing them.
- Community Building: Using hashtags to build and strengthen communities rather than just expressing individual opinions.
- Strategic Use: Deploying hashtags strategically to mobilize action, raise awareness, and create pressure for change.
- Platform Accountability: Holding digital platforms accountable with the #4opens
The Role of Movements like #XR
Movements like Extinction Rebellion (#XR), though well on the #fluffy side, can play a role in this transformation. By emphasizing collective action and the power of grassroots mobilization, they could seed hashtags to build a global community, a common cause.
Conclusion, Hashtags have potential to be used for grassroots social change, but this potential is blocked by our #mainstreaming of individualism, which is pushed by our continuing use of the #dotcons. To harness the power of hashtags, there needs to be a shift towards native #openweb tools and a more collective agenda, community building, and strategic use. Movements like #XR could be a part of this path, as could projects like #OMN #indymediaback and #OGB
https://hamishcampbell.com/the-hashtags-embody-a-story-and-world-view
https://hamishcampbell.com/the-hashtags-tell-a-storie
https://hamishcampbell.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-understand-what-am-on-about-in-the-omn
https://hamishcampbell.com/reminder-about-the-hashtag-family
https://hamishcampbell.com/thinking-outreach-of-the-hashtag-story
https://hamishcampbell.com/lets-talk-about-the-hashtag-story
https://hamishcampbell.com/what-is-a-hashtag
You can support this path https://opencollective.com/open-media-network
https://hamishcampbell.com/hashtags-for-social-change/
#4opens #deathcult #dotcons #failbook #fluffy #hashtags #indymediaback #mainstreaming #OGB #OMN #openweb #stupidindividualism #XR
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Latest #Failbook phenomenon - #GenX on "rave memories" groups bragging about things that were genuine crime/anti-social (drug driving, speeding, theft of fuel and even vehicles + shoplifting from motorway service stations) - then complaining youth (including their own kids) are "snowflakes" and don't party as hard - because the scene has been locked down due to behaviour of the ravers in 1990s/00s so youth simply aren't allowed to get away with any of what we did BITD..
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Not much is radical
Putting content into #dotcons creates a feedback loop with diminishing returns. The impact is marginal - and shrinking - because all you are really doing is training #failbook’s algorithms to better sell you, and everyone who interacts with your content, more “stuff.” This includes not just products, but ideology: the subtle shaping of thought, behaviour, and community through algorithmic social control. It’s very easy to get pulled into a #flamewar on #failbook, because conflict […]