Derek Caelin @Argus@mastodon.technology

I'm excited to share my #apconf2020 talk, "Decentralized Social Media vs the Trolls."

In it, I tell how the #Fediverse, a #decentralized social network, rallied together to isolate an invasive right wing extremist group through codes of conduct, human moderators, and strong moderation tools.

Thanks to @ashfurrow, @emi, @maffsie, @catgirl@lgbtqia.is, @laurelai and all the folks who gave me their time and perspective.

https://conf.tube/videos/watch/d8c8ed69-79f0-4987-bafe-84c01f38f966?autoplay=1

(Hosted on a #peertube instance, conf.tube!)

"This principle underpins what Black feminist author adrienne maree brown calls 'emergent strategy'. Emergent strategy grounds design justice practitioners' commitment to community-based organizations that are lead by and have strong accountability mechanisms to, people from marginalized communities."

"Ultimately, at its best, a design justice process is a form of community organizing. Design justiice practitioners like community organizers, approach the question of who gets to speak for the community from a community asset perspective. This is rooted in the principle that wherever people face challenges, they are always already working to deal with those challenges; wherever a community is oppressed, they are always developing strategies to resist oppressionn."

"Analysis of political power is the design process - who sits at the table, who holds power over the process - what decision-making process is used - will be fundamental to the successful future articulation of #DesignJustice in theory and in practice."

"#DesignJustice organizations choose to work in solidarity with and amplify the power of community-based organizations. This is unlike many other approaches to PD, in which designers partner with a community but tend to retain power in the process: power to convene and structure the work, to make choices about who participates, and, usually, to make key decisions at each point."

"Unfortunately, this does not change the fact that in most design processess, the bulk of the benefits end up going to the professional designers and their institutions. Products, patents, processes, credit, visibility, fame: the lion's share goes to the professional design firms and designers. Community mements who participate in design processes too often end up providing the raw materials that are processed for value further up the chain."

"More frequently, the intentions of #designers are good. Well-meaning designers employ PD techniques for a wide range of reasons. For one thing, the process of working with community members in enjoyable. It feels good to elicit #design ideas and possibilites from 'non-designers,' it can be quite fun and engaging for everyone involved, and it can feel empowering for both design professionals and community members."

I sometimes play a game called "count the number of pages before the author mentions Foucault" and I always lose!

"As #design scholar and practitioner Ramesh Srinivasan says, "#Foucault points out that cultural violence is perpetuated through seemingly inclusive systems, what one today might describe as liberal or neoliberal. These systems appear democratic, yet in practice they subordinate beliefs and practices not in line with those who manufacture discoure and panipulate media and technology systems to maintain their power and privilege."

"For example, workers participating in a PD meeting with managers at the table may not feel comfortable saying what they mean or sharing their full experience. The same may bee the case in any PD process in which socially dominant group members are in the same room as marginalized folks, but without skilled facilitation."

"Power shapes participation in all design processes, including in [#ParticipatoryDesign], and the politics of participation are always intersectionally classed, genered, and raced. Asaro outlines several challenges in PD projects: for one, it's not enough to have end users simply join design metings. In a workplace context (or in any context), some users will feel they have more more than others."

The 41 Things #Biden Should Do First on #Climate Change
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-biden-climate-change-advice/

The #GameStop Fiasco Proves We’re in a ‘Meme Stock’ Bubble
https://marker.medium.com/gamestop-proves-were-in-a-meme-stock-bubble-b3f39163a77f

Listening to Gina McCarthy (the new US #Climate Czar) lay in to fossil fuel companies gives me hope that the #Biden administration has good people at the helm.

How to Save a Planet: Meet Your New Climate Czar https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet

"But working with #Murkowski, #Manchin pushed through a sharply divided Congress the biggest #conservation legislation in a decade, helped fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the first time in a half-century and made sure the latest coronavirus stimulus bill included billions for #solar, #wind and b#attery storage.

Manchin’s environmental score as kept by the League of Conservation Voters jumped from a low of 20% in 2014 to a high of 86% in 2019."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/25/manchin-climate-congress/

Remember this context for the #drilling moratorium. We are out of time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/25/ice-melt-quickens-greenland-glaciers/

Lamont Remarks on #Killingly Plant Raise Eyebrows of #GreenEnergy Proponents
https://ctexaminer.com/2021/01/23/lamont-remarks-on-killingly-plant-raise-eyebrows-of-green-energy-proponents/

#Jan25: 10 years Later - Insight
https://zeynep.substack.com/p/jan25-10-years-later