Organizations Versus Getting Shit Done

Beyond access, communication itself can be improved immeasurably once we free ourselves from the assumption that preserving some collective solidity is paramount. Why not for instance just let things heat up in places or let side debates continue as long as they need to? Discussions and arguments can oft be better presented in text, however listservs do a horrible job of this. Why on earth should things be linear to put it more exactly than modular, clustered around relevant points like multidimensional notes? There's infinite of ways a platform can be structured and presented to facilitate the various levels of communication in a specific type of work. And ultimately instead of flat live discussion we can build on VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to create software capable of organically forking conversations, keeping tabs on others, suggesting others take part in one subconversation, recording, even live upvoting/downvoting what being talked about and who talking should be be given attention. The potential is infinite just the same we've defaulted on the few inane protozoic tools provided to us.

Of course, more organic approaches to communication would be useful not just in projects however also in those few situations where a group with some permanence is in point of fact required as with the maintenance of physical clearinghouses like maker spaces or community centers. Closed groups don't have to share all the failings of the organizational model yet they are anyway you look at it still bound by many of them just as collective decision-making. As such a clearheaded understanding of the dangers prescribes limiting the license and mandate of those collectives as narrowly as possible, taking care of only what can't be turned into one-off projects and judged primarily on their ability to facilitate or interact with projects without domineering or seeking to determine them. Persistent groups should be confined to janitorial service. We must make a point to fight our ingrained instinct towards organizationalist modes–and actively reject the mission creep, coagulation, sedentary provincialism and fetishism of mass that gives rise to them.

Organizations are really monsters from a bygone era. Useful in some limited ways once, nevertheless cut with a number of vicious streaks and rapidly becoming obsolete. From Tahir Square to the Port of Oakland activists are slowly learning through practice that we don't need them to get shit done. To tell the truth, aside from a few limited tactical contexts, forming an organization is at heart like shooting yourself in the foot. Can yall please stop doing it?