cenv
6th November 2009, 20:56
We all recognize the Internet's potential for agitation, propaganda, and organization, but we have yet to realize this potential. So here's my idea: an online "gift economy." Think of it as eBay without money, or an extension and politicization of BookMooch (http://bookmooch.com/), or the global application of the anarchist tactic of the "Really Really Free Market." Basically, it would use modern technology to build a framework through which people around the globe could get or give stuff (books, clothes, CDs, movies, computers, anything) for free.
As the negation of exchange value, this "online gift economy" (for lack of a better term) could build a bridge between people's lives and communist theory. Think about how successful scams and advertising schemes that offer people free stuff are. Now imagine what the idea of free exchange could accomplish without the fine print of marketing and the twisted logic of capitalism. This would allow us to spread communist ideas from the perspective of lived experience, not abstract ideology. It would give people a glimpse of what the abolition of the commodity and the creation of a system based on human need, not exchange value, would mean.
Of course, there's no guarantee that this would become the next Facebook, but it's worth a shot. Our movement needs to figure out how to connect the principles of communism to people's everyday lives and how to lever the potential of modern communications technology. This could help us do both. Thoughts?
As the negation of exchange value, this "online gift economy" (for lack of a better term) could build a bridge between people's lives and communist theory. Think about how successful scams and advertising schemes that offer people free stuff are. Now imagine what the idea of free exchange could accomplish without the fine print of marketing and the twisted logic of capitalism. This would allow us to spread communist ideas from the perspective of lived experience, not abstract ideology. It would give people a glimpse of what the abolition of the commodity and the creation of a system based on human need, not exchange value, would mean.
Of course, there's no guarantee that this would become the next Facebook, but it's worth a shot. Our movement needs to figure out how to connect the principles of communism to people's everyday lives and how to lever the potential of modern communications technology. This could help us do both. Thoughts?