Democracy as a Design Space (Interview with Nathan Schneider)
Jul 19, 2022
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Nathan Schneider, a media studies professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and an expert in cooperativism, dives into the fascinating world of crypto. He shares his journey into cryptocurrency and discusses encoding human rights on the blockchain. The conversation examines the role of cooperatives in social movements, challenges of decentralized governance, and the reimagining of labor. Schneider critiques the notion of neutrality in blockchain tech while advocating for inclusive frameworks that enhance democracy and empower marginalized communities.
Nathan Schneider highlights the intersection of blockchain technology and democratic engagement, advocating for decentralized governance as a path to collective decision-making.
He emphasizes the challenges faced by social movements that leverage social media, which often struggle to translate messaging into real political power.
Schneider underscores the importance of embedding human rights frameworks within blockchain systems to ensure equity and counter existing power imbalances.
Deep dives
The Journey into Cryptocurrency
Nathan Schneider's initial encounter with cryptocurrency came during a book tour for his work on the Occupy Wall Street movement. While in San Francisco, he met a friend who introduced him to the Ethereum white paper, presenting it as a potential vehicle for deepening democratic experimentation. He recognized the potential of blockchain to facilitate decentralized organization and collective decision-making, drawing parallels with his experiences in cooperative movements. This revelation connected a craving for democratic engagement he observed post-Occupy with the technological possibilities encoded in blockchain.
Lessons from Social Movements
Schneider reflects on the challenges faced by social movements, particularly the disconnect between their capacity and their outreach. He emphasizes how social media, while enabling broad messaging, often fails to generate tangible political power, illustrated by the events in Egypt during the Arab Spring. The lack of political capacity often leads to outcomes less favorable than expected, highlighting a need for movements to understand their political roots and build real power. This understanding is echoed in the potential for blockchain to foster decentralized governance, offering tools to create lasting change rather than transient moments of activism.
Cooperatives and Technology
The cooperative movement plays a significant role in resistance and democratic organization, historically linked with various social justice struggles. Schneider underlines how cooperatives provide a safer experimentation space compared to political organizations, allowing for community-driven innovations. He notes that many cooperative enterprises emerged from movements aimed at improving the lives of marginalized communities, underscoring their potential as a counter to exploitative systems. Through his experiences with startup founders, he found that cooperative models face substantial barriers in the tech space, necessitating practical strategies to support their sustainability.
The Interplay of Blockchain and Human Rights
Schneider argues for the importance of instilling a robust human rights framework within blockchain technology, cautioning against the notion of inherent neutrality in crypto systems. He points out that claims of neutrality often ignore the political philosophies embedded within the technology, such as property rights taking precedence over labor rights. As blockchain technology evolves, it must adopt the values of human rights while ensuring capabilities for governance and accountability. This conversation encourages developers to design systems that promote equity and inclusion rather than reinforce existing power imbalances.
Reinventing Democracy through Technology
Engaging with blockchain technology presents an opportunity to reimagine democratic processes, moving beyond traditional governance structures. Schneider advocates for viewing democratic structures as design spaces, where creativity and adaptability can flourish. By learning from historical successes and failures in governance, the blockchain community can innovate in ways that protect human rights and expand collective decision-making. This reimagination reflects a broader push within society to explore new political possibilities and alternative forms of governance that are more responsive to people’s needs.
He has to be one of my favorite thinkers involved in the crypto space as you may have noticed that I've mentioned his work throughout the podcast and in my own writing. During this interview we spoke about his story of getting interested in crypto, his recent piece on encoding human rights on the blockchain, and so much more. It was a great conversation.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist) and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit and Discord to join the discussion.
ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix Itand is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.
The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.
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