[ICTs-and-Society] Sustainable Internet Communities as alternative to the capitalist Internet and capitalist ICTs?

[Iordanis Kavathatzopoulos]

Dear Christian and friends,
This issue is important, interesting and a challenge. Why not arrange a 
round table discussion on this theme at the conference in May?
Regards,
Iordanis

On 2012-01-20 08:28, Christian Fuchs wrote:
> Dear Louis and Gilson
> Dear all,
>
> Thank you for the contributions. This list indeed welcomes 
> discussions, especially as preparation for the Uppsala conference in 
> May. I am one of the conference organisers and administrator of this 
> list.
>
> I think the question Louis brought up and upon which Gilson has 
> followed up is a very profound one: How can one establish sustainable 
> Internet communities and sustainable ICT? How can one establish 
> alternatives to the corporate control of the Internet? What is the way 
> forward and which actions should best be taken and supported? How does 
> the crisis of contemporary capitalism bring about (or does not bring 
> about) a legitimacy crisis of capitalism in general and therefore also 
> a legitimacy crisis of the capitalist Internet and capitalist ICTs? Or 
> formulated in other terms: How can struggles create such a legitimacy 
> crisis?
>
> I think one can envision alternatives as the struggle for autonomous 
> spaces, spaces that are autonomous from the colonization of digital 
> media from capital and power. The question is then how it is possible 
> to fight the powers that exist without having the same access to the 
> resources (money, power, visibility, reputation, personnel, labour, 
> etc) they control? What are experiences with working in alternative 
> digital media projects that aim to have a non-capitalist character? As 
> long as we live in capitalism, we have to get hold of money in order 
> to survive. So how to commit a lot of time for alternative projects if 
> these projects are non-profit and do not finance a living?
>
> Are alternative media and alternative projects that struggle for 
> autonomy from capitalism trapped in an antagonism, in which they 
> either create and reproduce precarious voluntary labour (if they lack 
> resources, but maintain an autonomous character) or loose their 
> autonomy (if they get commodified in order to increase their resource 
> base)? How can alternative digital media project best be organized? 
> How can economic, political and ideological autonomy from existing 
> powers be established? And how do these powers constrain struggles for 
> alternatives?
>
> ICTs and society in times of capitalism and capitalist crisis pose a 
> lot of interest questions.
>
> Best, Christian
>