Rant.li

Fueling a saturated movement with new energy

⠀ ⠀ Starting with the post that introduced Solarpunk 15 years ago¹, the literary and aesthetic movement has been gaining momentum in recent years, with its vision of a sustainable future powered by renewable energy. However, as renewable energy is getting more and more mainstream while many societal problem remain, it’s time to expand the scope of Solarpunk to include the Fediverse. ⠀ You may ask: but why? The answer is the same as at the time for Solarpunk: back then, people called for a new narrative regarding climate change. One that is less doomerism and more positive, so that they could already think about that future and push the overall project. And now we have the same situation with the internet: over the last decades with series like black mirror, we are still stuck in doom-mode even though we know that for some of these problems, dezentralized social networks could be the solution. We just need more stories that fill this vision with live. ⠀ Fedipunk could be a new literary and aesthetic movement that seeks to explore the intersection of Solarpunk and decentralized social networks. In this future, people can connect with others who share their interests and values and build communities around shared goals and aspirations. The Fediverse provides a fertile ground for this kind of experimentation, with its diverse range of platforms and communities. In contrast to centralized platforms, it puts community-building at its core instead of keeping users as much time as possible in its walled garden to increase revenue. It also includes data centres as central building blocks of communities just as other infrastructural components and maybe even uses their heat to warm houses. In this future, we have also reformed our forms of governance so that its more democratic and participatory and have built systems that are more responsive to the needs of all people. Fedipunk is not just a literary movement – it’s a call to action. It’s about imagining a better world, and then working towards making that world a reality. It’s about building communities that are based on trust, collaboration, and mutual respect. Because the world depends on it, the internet needs to get out of its comfort zone again. Fedipunk should be all about that. ⠀ All artists and people in general that feel creative or just in the mood can contribute to this. And apart from that: what existing works of fiction or art do you guys have in mind? Or which ones would you like to see? In any case: join the fun in imagining a future where Solarpunks and Fedipunks work together to build a better world – one that is sustainable, decentralized, and more overall liveable. ⠀ Here are my propositions for the central themes of Fedipunk, with a few stories as examples: ⠀ – Give people back agency, helping individuals out of toxic communities and give them the possibility to join healthier communities, encourage deconstructing authoritarian social networks and authority in general (“Last Days of Larry” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/last-days-of-larry, “Blue my Mind” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/blue-my-mind, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman) – Help building and connecting communities in the fight against climate change (“Breath Taker” https://fungiverse.wordpress.com/2023/10/29/breath-taker/, “Lamella on My Mind – Across the Fungiverse” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/lamella-on-my-mind-across-the-fungiverse-a-novella, “Lamella on My Mind – Into the Fungiverse” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/lamella-on-my-mind-into-the-fungiverse, “Romi & Juliette” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/romi-and-juliette, “A Half-Built Garden” by Ruthanna Emrys, “Planet Magnon” by Leif Randt) – Work against totalitarian, authoritarian social networks (“When the Words collide” https://rant.li/fedipunk-stories/when-the-worlds-collide, also His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman) ⠀ If you like the idea, help raise awarness for the genre with #fedipunk or #rememberthebird, contribute your own stories and art and join the discussion around it. Thanks. ⠀ Written by @[email protected] in October 2023, licenced under CC BY 4.0 (Attribution) ⠀ ¹: Flynn, Adam; Sturges, Missy (22.04.2008). “From Steampunk to Solarpunk”. Republic of the Bees. https://republicofthebees.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/from-steampunk-to-solarpunk/