About

Introduction

(N.B: Page and project under construction. Some clashes with education section - but the two are linked. Given presence at Occupy LSX I don't have as much time to contribute to the site. Over the next week I will be working hard to add content to all elements of the site. Thanks for your patience!)

Understandings 

It's important to be clear about the understandings that drive the message behind this project - and first define what I mean by an understanding. An understanding is not static, it is informed by relevant information and subject to change on the basis of an ever evolving and changing environment. These ideas are all linked but the attempt to categorize them has been made arbitrarily perhaps through habit! You decide..

        Reality/The Universe:

1. Our world and indeed universe are emergent and ever changing. Within a human context, useful ideas yesterday may be obsolete tomorrow. The pace of change in our current human society has accelerated faster than most of us can keep pace with; a phenomenon we can call 'cultural lag' - a vast portion of conflict in our times seems to be predicated around rapid changes catalysed primarily by technological advances. This is likely to do with the inherited fear of change that our culture seems to incubate - particularly the way children are becoming more and more 'peer orientated' - placing acceptance by their peers as paramount, over personal growth and contribution to their social environment. When human needs are not met - we see more destructive consequences then we can perhaps track.
   
   The thousands of years of 'recorded history' so often referred to do not and will not define the present or future - as illustrated wonderfully by philosopher Alan Watts, who desribes the idea of the past governing the future as the dog being wagged by it's tail - or the ship being steered by it's wake. The past is instructive to understanding the present - but it does not determine either the present or future.
   
   
   The Human Family: 

'Grass Roots Journalism'

Media it seems has been branded as something to be detached from society and culture. Something impartial. The idea that media or indeed information can be free of the influence of cultural zeitgeist is evidently unfounded. Even 'Alternative' media often tiptoes around core issues and seems too timid to directly engage people in how they might move forward in relation to the discussed topics, perhaps for fear of showing lack of impartiality, perhaps through the limitations of their own cultural lens. However, in an age of mass misinformation and engineered confusion of the masses, should we not where possible, in our social media, apply knowledge we have that may help others understand certain scenarios as well as to make viable solutions available for investigation?

Is it possible to move away from what the 'John Motson' approach to reporting? What is the priority of our media - to be the first with the scoop? to merely report on events, or to investigate and enquire into such events, armed with relevant knowledge, to provide both context and by extension - inject the society with a dialogue that we can all verify - one united by 'physical referents' As a soft wired empathic and collaborative species, I am reinforcing the idea that our media is an extension of our social immune system.

If there were such a thing – and we accepted a liberation of media; for it to become something connected to our larger society and to provide a service greater than mere reporting – what would inform that direction? How could that direction or information be tested? Instead of being led by a political ideology – can media transform to follow a more scientific principle? To analyze things systemically whilst keeping up with the current zeitgeist – in other words – recognizing the shifting patterns of media consumption in the wider society that is moving more and more toward video and internet news rather than the decaying print based medium.

Understandings - not conclusions

My understanding is thus: 'media' has become a social construct - an abstraction - and the world does not obey the artificial boundaries we impose upon it. If anything we are all to a degree, journalists. What differs is our level of experience and understanding in this field. We all take mental notes of events, and report them later to our friends for various reasons. There are times when we must stay neutral and times where we have the knowledge to positively influence the understandings of others. 'Propaganda' is a synonym of information - yet a word with extremely negative connotations.  The driving force of what a journalist is - is our culture. Our culture, largely a product of our environment and traditions, reflects what media is to us. Is impartiality possible – or can 'media' align with empirical and observable phenomenon and be an integral part of society that has  an emergent, free exchange relationship with those who might use it. With these guiding understandings - not principles, will we be able to plant the seeds that will hopefully help a sustainable society flourish - improving our relationship with our environment.

This is why I have decided to launch Nexus Media – which for now will be UK based. I would not like to see this as the establishment of an institution or movement but of an idea. That we are the media. We are the reporters. That to designate roles solely to certain small groups will very often result in those groups serving their own interests of survival. Our media must be built from the bottom up, and this idea seeks to grow from a single initial blog – this one. The imagery and 'branding' used on this site is for both for culturally necessary aesthetics, and simply a meeting point for those who may wish to learn about or expand the suggested ideas.

For Now and until further notice:

As one of those unemployed – one of those discriminated against by this system - I am tired of feeling like a victim, so it's time to take action - my main, eventual goal is to inspire other unemployed/socially isolated people, or just those committed to a sustainable human direction, to get involved in this project. What with the difficulty of fully embracing these values within this current paradigm I will try to train or offer appropriate resources myself in what I feel are valuable skills to achieving these goals. Of course, not with knowledge of my own but that which I have learned from others over time, and observation of what really makes for a cohesive society.

Due to the restrictions of the profit based system it will be difficult for Nexus media to function but with the current technologically fuelled paradigm shifts, I hope we will be seen as a vessel for public good and will eventually receive some level of financial support, (I am toying with the idea of support only accepted in second hand goods or local, debt-free currencies) when we take on more contributors and provide more content and support to worldwide movements.  Nexus Media will of course be provided for free, but with how difficult it has been for myself and a plethora of others to find work, it would be great to expand this work to operate for social/public good, in order to justify the support of locals. This I hope would take the format of sponsors, from volunteer journalists networking and offering promotion of local ethical businesses/charities/cooperatives as well as coverage and advertisement of events.  If the project grows, innovation offered can expand and more of those potential able human minds marginalized by the system will have the tools and environment to give something back to their host society. It’s common those who have realized the disposable nature of human life in a society where money demand is almost the only driving value, to feel indignation to change those guiding principles to ones which serve human needs.


I think it's sad that it's frowned upon to accept donations for such work in a world where so many are doing it for free. That said, for now, we are keeping things non-monetary, but are accepting donations of tools to help achieve what is laid out here. I'm absolutely all for free media - I don't believe the arbitrary restrictions we have in place in this information age can stay in place for long - nor do I feel employment being necessary for survival is a justified paradigm where machines and automation continually replace the human labour force, forcing societies to 'create' jobs that are often completely unnecessary, irrelevant and in fact contribute only towards the waste and destruction of both material and human resources.

(my) Goals

1. Applying science for social concern. I hope we can maintain the discipline to avoid speculation and value judgements, instead using 'the' scientific method to approach problems, referring to studies and literature wherever possible.
2. Provide insights with perspective from human needs and societal health, defined by physical referents. Physical and psychological health, levels of homelessness, unemployment (whilst in a wage/employment paradigm] & rates + their increase or decline rates.
3. Scrutinize where possible, key areas of local media where systemically socially destructive practices move undetected or pass without criticism. To locate not just inaccurate reporting but omission of demonstrably more socially relevant matters. To also offer a place for people of both dispositions, to come together to discuss these issues in a respectful way. All of this will be within a framework of understanding that it is extremely unlikely human beings wilfully or consciously seek to harm each other or their society through fault of their own.
4. To provide to viewers relevant information to act appropriately on issues dealt with. To develop human understanding of social problems as opposed to assigning scapegoats. To give both context and a forum for those offering solutions to social problems, without fear of viewer conceived ‘bias’ or political leaning. Nexus media does not recognize the ‘left right’ paradigm because it has no physical referent. 
5. To be interdisciplinary - draw upon fields of history, sociology, psychology to tie together events, ideas and patterns. Make attempts to follow this through with potential solutions and directions.
6. To report GOOD NEWS! Currently our media is pretty depressing. Let's make sure we report all thepositive things going on as well as the negative.
7. To support worldwide movements & other freelance/independent journalists giving genuine and investigative coverage as well as a resource of information made available for all who are willing to participate but do not yet have  the knowledge to move forward
8. Promote and apply the arts as a vehicle for social transformation.
   
   
   If you wish to become a contributor, and wish to edit, work on, or add to this list of goals, please email us at nexusmediaforum@gmail.com - please understand this is subject to constant modification as resources and priorities change - thank you