SOCIAL MEDIA, Co-ops & I

'Even the memory of what's been lost, has been lost.' Jane Jacobs

Since I was 16 I have always been a co-op member. I have always banked at a credit union (credit unions are financial co-operatives) and have often been a member of a consumer co-operative, groceries and gas being my main purchases there. Nothing fancy like a housing, work or daycare co-op, but, co-operatives, nonetheless.

Much of Alberta's rural electrification was carried out by groups of farmers who created co-ops to string the electric lines big companies saw no profit it stringing (the whole 'last mile' problem). Yes, even redneck Alberta not only had, but still has, rural electrification Associations, many of which are co-operatives.

Alberta’s natural gas co-ops are now the world’s largest rural natural gas distribution system (https://energyrates.ca/everything-need-know-albertas-natural-gas-co-ops/).

But legislation prevents me, an urbanite, from undermining our large petrogarcs; I am forbidden from joining energy co-operatives.

Alberta has a trucking co-operative created by some trucking companies that all had the same problem of getting small amounts of goods to Alberta's smaller communities; 'lets form a co-op, we can give it all the small jobs, thus, combined, turning them into big jobs, and drive the rural highways to get goods from city to town. That's been a very successful model for years now. And we, yes, Albertans, has others, too.

Co-ops! So what, and why?

Well, basically, the money. Keep it local and keep it honest. As a member of my credit union, I am an owner, and I have shares, and votes in what happens. Unlike, say Canada's big banks - TD, BMO, etc. which pay their CEO & a few majority shareholders huge profits every year, my credit union gives annual profit to its owners, which is to say myself and all the other members. We, the owners of the credit union, don't demand 'Higher profits!' We don't bully our staff into selling more product. We don't squeeze our customers because we are they! We want a stable organization that is lending to stable people and organizations that are socially responsible - not mining companies out polluting peoples' drinking water in the 3rd World.

So, when the financial melt down happened in 2008 what did we do? Basically, got on with our lives, it didn't affect us (we were in a country that believed in regulation, so our entire banking system was insulated from the USA nonsense, but, the Credit Union was a secondary shield, we expected fiscal responsibility over profit. And we slept well in 2008.

So, in co-operatives, the owners, which is to say the users, know where the money's coming from, going to and what its doing, and most of what its doing is staying local. You want socially responsible, local finances, join a credit union and as many co-operatives as you can, your money will stay as local as possible. And, of course, read more about the shining star of co-operatives the Spanish Mondragon Co-ops (link below).

Yea, but, relative to social media, what? Relative to Jane Jacobs, what?

In Canada there used to be federal support for co-operatives, for broadcasting the idea and for building them. Co-ops were seen as an important tool in the toolbox of those who would support innovative business and social justice. New housing cooperatives housed hundreds of people in many cities in Canada, existing housing co-ops still do, but CMHC, the federal organization responsible for housing, no longer supports co-op housing development. The idea of co-operatives has been waning for 50 years now.

For example, in my digging around the social media world I find what? Well, at one end, we have Mark Z. & his Facebook. He becomes fabulously wealthy, I get a social media platform (that is understaffed by underpaid workers) and advertizers get, for a price, easy access to me. Or, on the other hand, there are all the volunteer-run, non-profit platforms, TRUST CAFE/DIASPORA etc. which are add free, under-financed and volunteer-run. But there are no co-operative social media platforms wherein the platform is staffed, self-funded and independent. At least none that I know of.

I would say that, these days, social media has a hugely important role to play in our lives and in the world. Social media is too important to hand off to the mercy of billionaires like Z. et al.

Also, at the other extreme, social media is too important to be run by volunteers in their free time on their servers.
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IMHO, all social media platforms should be user-owned, should be co-operatives, generating income to pay their bills, but putting anything extra put back into the platform, maybe into content creation, maybe member dividends for each member or whatever else members wish to do with their money. But the platforms should be able to pay their way in this world and their users should have control of them, both for the sake of the platform but also for the empowerment of the people themselves.

What do you think?

https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/about-us/

#Co-operatives, #social-media,#credit-unions,#investment