Just put a # in front of words

Let’s look at stepping away from the #dotcons as an example of hashtag affinity group organising. A hashtag can help name a problem, but it cannot by itself create a movement. It only becomes a tool for social change when shared language connects people to shared relationships, practical projects and action. The “spade and compost” metaphor is useful for this, the hashtag helps identify the mess, but the point is to pick up the spade and compost with them. A useful progression is: Name → Connect → Organise → Act → Build → Repeat: Name the problem: #dotcons, #stupidindividualism, #deathcult, #techshit give people a shorthand for something they already experience but may not have language for. Connect the people: hashtags allow people who recognise the same problem to find each other. But this needs to become an affinity group of action, not just a pile of accounts using the same word. Make the metaphor understandable: explain what the hashtag means and give groups lived examples.…