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Sharing IS actually f*cking Caring

Sharing IS actually f*cking Caring

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I give thanks weekly, sometimes even daily. I also find Thanksgiving to be a bit of a farce followed immediately by one of the most massively marketed days of gross consumption as a national sport; not to mention the whole high jack your country vibe that the Pilgrim colonial story forgets to add to the small pox covered blankets so graciously shared with the indigenous people of the Americas. 

I promise this post is a glass half full read.

And please, mansplainers, stay out of my dm’s. Thanks.

 

All that said, I will do my best to be an optimist about both gratitude and the digital community we can lean into with the current state of both the world and the ever adapting technologies which run it.

Afterall, we humans write the code, at least for now anyway. Though the writing committees have yet to be updated with inclusive practices aka developers and coders but we are working to make that happen before another group of cultural contributors are written out of the history books in trying. 

My obsession with both using #techforgood and the importance of community is quickly becoming my life’s work. And even though I’ve only recently taken over as main contributor to the Boss Blog in the  last few months, the myriad of contributors since we launched in 2021 fill my gravy boat with gratitude.  Those connections to thought leading women and femme forward industry disruptors continue to form the ethos which runs LBI Digital’s big mission: 

to build the safest and most importantly GENERATIVE place on the internet for women!
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But lately, I need more than just gratitude lists and saying thanks for my $12 a dozen eggs and hard to find medications.  Really, I swear, I have some uplifting things to say here. I have this constantly nagging feeling that we are quickly becoming less community focused and more tribal with a capital “I” globally. This leaves me and many others I speak to more anxious than ever about how we do community care; even with a more matriarchal way of leadership & developing tech with inclusion in mind at the very top of my wish & gratitudes lists.

Also, please remember the opposite of Patriarchal order isn’t a Matriarchy. The gentlemen who give the Wiki definition do mention Matrilineal leadership. But really Patriarchal organization is top down, “might makes right” and leaves little room for diversity, equity or inclusion. 

Yes, a Matriarchal order does prioritize those structural inadequacies, it also does not leave out male leadership and or men. Again, mansplainers please stay out of my dm’s. Thanks!

 

 Why I care & maybe you could, too!

 

 I attended my undergraduate studies at a farm school. Not because I was a country mouse, far from it in fact. I was and still am a city mouse who likes all sorts of boots, not just shit kickers you wear when bringing the cows in from pasture. I chose Warren Wilson College because it had such a unique focus on community and student lead work crews; most all students, faculty and support staff lived on the sprawling 1,100 acre campus and participated in maintaining the pillars of the WWC triad: academic education, student run work crews ranging from cow pasture duties to HVAC, plumbing and pretty much anything a campus needs to run. Add a commitment to community service hours off campus and the average Warren Wilson student was decently exposed to circles outside their own upbringing, we grew to be fairly well educated from a liberal arts perspective and ambidextrous af; willing to put out a yard fire with a thimble and a garden hose. 

True story. 


In short, my 3 years at Wilson taught me the value of doing good work in the community and beyond, always returning back to campus to share meals and encouraged to participate in academic discussions outside your lane of study. We were taught to activate around political campaigns and learned to co-pilot student lead rallies and protests. WWC taught  the value of civic engagement and our individual value was expressed through the collective. I received my Poli Sci degree from a gun toting Libertarian, a Red Book carrying Communist and a Wall Street Journal reading Republican. – Well this is how they all identified themselves at the time. Things may have changed.

Fast forward the tape give or take 20 years and many Wilson graduates have gone on to build amazing communities, businesses and social impact orgs of their own. One could say that my building of LBI Digital is an obvious extension of WWC’s triad training. And I can see that.  And also often catch myself wondering if this insatiable desire for a community like that which raised a young, curious Rose into a globe trotting, digital producer with big visions of building a better, more inclusive internet on the web’s next update, is maybe just a pipe dream of liberal arts folk lore. 

Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Certainly though I am grateful af for all the lessons I’m learning as a face planting, bootstrapping, creative tech businesswoman and possibly, even a visionary. Something about taking the long road is fun for Wilson kids. 

Maybe I am a visionary. But so was Bucky, Jobs & Gates, too!

 
 
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Most innovators are visionary, out of touch with the dumpster fire that can be reality and willing to continue the vision no matter the storm. I can relate. And likely most anyone who knows me well. Sorry and maybe… you’re welcome. 

Covid gave us a window to really reprioritize how we spend our time, resources and energy. And I will add to my gratitude list that I’ve had a lot of time to study the internet and the community of women I’ve been building since 2014 when I started my women lead production company and then when I started LBI in 2017 as an in person conversation focused event series with ‘bossy’ women.  Certainly taking my skills from camera tech to digital product tech hasn’t been easy but I am ever grateful for being curious and finding the good mentors to answer my questions in my various programs of study. 

And in this ‘getting back to normal’ phase in a ‘post covid’ world, I’d say we are anything but normal. With the intention to stay optimistic on this post, I won’t include the long check list of current dumpster fires that likely number far more than what was B.C. ‘normal’.    

( B.C. = Before Covid)

And we now have an even clearer view into the crack in the facade of both how communities congregate and how technology is being utilized. And for some wild reason, I do remain glass half full on how we can put our humanity back into both. 

 

What can we do now aside from making gratitude lists, passing the sweet taters and sending thoughts & prayers?

 

Yes we can be kind and hold open doors, use our damn blinkers and help old folks cross the street. Great ideas. Always. And let’s activate more sharing as actual caring, aka Mutual Aid.

In our most recent LBI Digital Podcast, we talk with industry disruptor AJ McCreary in Portland, OR and how her organization Equitable Sharing Circle is doing the seemingly impossible.

 

Sharing IS…actually f*cking caring.

(and so is conscious use of SEO, LLMs and back linking !! )

 

I started this blog to better share proper SEO with people who are interested in searching the web about women so that when anyone starts to Google such a phrase as ‘Women in…..’ the first 5 things that come up would not be related to our body parts. Please and thanks. 

Also, true story. In 2021 when testing this experiment, the results were not exactly academic and were borderline pornographic if not full on Hand Maiden’s Tale-esque.  

** Update: I did a quick Google check and we are doing a slight bit better, ladies. Certainly there is still much work to be done but at least the Women in labor, orgies and similar scenarios are further down the list.  

I want the community of internet users to eagerly search about  ‘Women in…..and find immediate SEO generated keywords like: Women in the White House, Women in Business, Women in Tech, Women in Leadership, Women in shit kicker boots, etc.

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I mentioned before, with all the possibility of info share that exists circling the globe with cloud computers at our fingertips, it is not an accident that the coding bots have programmed this version of the internet ( Web 2) to be not exactly equitable in both the gender and race categories.

I’m throwing around some commonly heard but possibly not always commonly understood tools of tech and their creative uses so that we can use #techforgood. I hope to break down how doing things like simply connecting our threads of thoughts, gratitude lists and resources can be to build a better internet for its next version.

Coming Soon: 

 Web 3 built by all the humans for all the humans!

 
When we use the simple tools of this version of the internet (Web 2) cloud sharing (you post on someone’s wall, add a photo to a feed or send an email ) you can imagine the invisible threads you are stitching across the interwebs, right?
So when we think of tools like SEO and backlink sharing, we are building our own tiny webs of the information we share both between each other and between our shared missions, sales funnels, offerings and indexes.
Sometimes this info gets to people as intended and other times the algorithm gods have other plans. 
And sometimes companies like to find that information and sell it back to us.
 
Yea for extractive internet-ing!! Just kidding. It kinda sucks and I think it can be so much better. Don’t you??

Most coders & developers know this but not most common internet users! 

And just like the podcast made internet radio casting available to anyone with an iPhone (initially), such template website building tools like Squarespace, Wix and the like have made building websites a click or two away for the pedestrian technician, so now is app building and most content creation. See the Balenciaga Pope.

And as Sam Altman return to his post as CEO of OpenAI and rebuilds a fully new board that won’t throw him out with the bathwater, we better also start to learn more about how Large Language Models work because whether we like it or not, we are contributors to them. Send in the LLM’s !! 
 
LLMs are basically tech models built off of similar technologies to that of the human brain and essentially pull their operating data form the current draft of the internet. Importantly, much of the data LLM’s pull are based on patterns it finds in code, programming and already existing text and imagery online. 

If that LLM bot is pulling data from an internet largely built & written by a specific sector of humanity, then this is important to notice how it will be biased. And so let’s thank the AI bots for their work thus far and add some diversity to the pot, shall we?
 
Flooding LLM with articulate conversations about equity for women and other underserved groups will teach the AI bot and its budding data sets exactly how to include all of humanity in its advances. 
 
Using SEO wisely on our personal and professional websites that aim to build a better & more inclusive world with equity driven economics will be foundational components of Web 3 builds, beyond Bitcoin bros and Crypto dumpster fires.
 
 
 
 

Hence the resounding question of 2023 :

If video killed the radio star, will AI kill all our content creation jobs??

 

 

With gratitude, my answer is yes & no. 

Yes because technology always asks us to evolve.

No because we code for the bots by teaching the bots what to code for.

 
 

I’m also grateful for no mansplaining dm’s.

love,
Rose
 

 

PS:
Are you dizzy by modern tech updates ??

I got you.

Want to ask a Creative Technician anything??

This session we will talk Owning Your Own Brand on ye old internet and building up that LLM strong.

Thursday Nov 30 at 430pm PST is your next chance to Pick My Brain.

See you here!

 

What the TECH!?!? Wanna pick my creative tech brain?

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Pro BLOOM, Anti DOOM – How the Future of Tech is Female & Generative !

Pro BLOOM, Anti DOOM – How the Future of Tech is Female & Generative !

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We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for!  

With another civil war (re)started over two weeks ago now, the big deep feelings of big deep feelers and  heart lead leaders like myself are beyond words. My guess is, you can relate. 

From my Ukrainian and Russian relatives fighting each other to my Israeli family fighting our Palestinian cousins, it’s ever more clear to me that new leadership around the world isn’t only a good idea, it is required! 

Dynamic and longstanding issues such as those in the Middle East clearly have not and will not be solved with warfare.

Looking closer to home here in the ‘United’ States, we have had our own civil war brewing with school shootings, dance club masacres and parade snipers. 

We just don’t call it a full blown civil war  because that would be, dare I say, unpatriotic. But we all live on the planet together, even if divided. And in this entry I hope to inspire you, dear reader, to change just 1% to help in an effort to unite our humanity because….

We are not ok. We are not ok as a human collective. We are not ok as a planet.

I will save the gloom and doom of climate change for another article but in short, we are on an express lane to the end if we do not change our ways, our leadership and how we organize ourselves. PERIDOT.(spelled like this on purpose!)  

And I have not come to write poetically about tech today. Although you have bit at my click bait so I promise to deliver a tech solution. It just isn’t as poetic as usual.  

Today’s writing is a direct CALL TO ACTION to change our ways, as women, theys, thems and the mens, too.  It’s a love letter of sorts, yes. But it is more Big Mama love than gentle therapist call and response. Cool? Cool! 

I did not come to play today …or ever if I am honest! 

We don’t have time to pontificate on the ….’ what if we try this instead’? ‘Or how about that?’ Any leading with the same old tools of modern militarism that has largely put aside collaboration, conversation and construction actions with a ‘Might Makes Right’ , Machiavellian approach will only sweep the dust of human remains under the rug of neo -colonialism.

In short, the Patriarchal ways of organizing and solving for complex issues like xenophobism, sexism, racism,  and really any -ism with the low hanging fruit of barbaric war, assault and overall colonial tactics to divide & conquer need a system restore; a full on iOS update or maybe even a fully new device all together. 

 

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In honor of the late & great Ceta Walters,

her legacy sons and iconic,

online presence,

Clark & Stone

 

We are all so deeply connected in our shared humanity and not just in a woo woo way,  ok!? We are intrinsically woven together in a very technical way, and not only in a surface level consideration via social media and the world wide web but also through our
shared economics…in online marketplaces, our shared, global trade routes… on Shopify, our shared use of resources….run from our smartphones. 

And then there are the very physical, real connections to our shared need for clean water, fresh air and the ability to simply live! To build walls, refine borders and separate ourselves from the ‘other’ is no longer going to ‘work’. 

We are now more globally connected than ever through technology and may I suggest, empathy.  We will not be able to aptly evolve business , technology or humanity if we do not recognize this interconnectedness; if we want to live and even more, if we want to thrive! It will not matter how much money you make, who you share a bed with each night or who wins what election if we do not lean into our shared empathy. 

How can empathy-lead technology  break down walls, reach across the aisle & build bridges? 

Over the past many years of lives lost to Covid, economic recessions, cost of living increases, and humanity getting a solid x-ray of our condition, we as a species have been forever changed. 

The social uprising we are experiencing in this very moment of Israeli & Palestine conflict bends the same broken heart chords as deeply felt after the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery & Breonna Taylor stateside in the spring 2020.  It feels terribly similar to the killings of a young Black man named Anderson Arboleda in Puerto Tejada, Colombia in June ‘20, and later that summer in South Africa, demonstrators came together following the police killing of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies, a boy of mixed heritage with Down syndrome.

The social uprising that continues to respond  to overt overuses of power, pointing to inhuman, apartheid regimes, woke up the world wide web by using live streaming social media apps to show all that is happening in real time to help us globally understand that it is very unlikely that we will be ‘getting back to normal’ anytime soon. 

Messy civic grief that spilled out to impact public discourse on race & racism on social media was powerful and remains a very potent force of use of technology. 

Certainly graphic images & live streaming of death by murder of war and  innocent lives lost 1 at a time or by the multitude can’t be the solution but it can allow us to see, feel and maybe even empathize that which is happening on every continent of the world and even in our own backyards with a variation of impact; even if we think it will not ‘bother’ us. 

But let me be clear, I am not advocating that we livestream the revolution globally until our empathy is dragged out of what life is left in our devastated, mourning souls.

What I am calling for is a rebuild and reboot of systems lead first by women so we can realign community through a Matriarchy model and eventually come back into balance integrating a healed patriarchy into an evolved form of governance we’ve not yet seen. 

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But first, the power of the women.

Let’s be clear, building up and supporting a Matriarchy does not mean men get less. In fact, I suggest things get better for everyone!

In order for me to properly access my leadership powers right now, I’m currently on a social media break because of the effect that each individual ‘news’ reporter with their own broadcasting device – a smartphone- can be massively powerful and it hurts my deeply empathetic self and leaves me feeling powerless. I actually set a 5 minute timer to post this entry on the few channels we still play on as a protective measure. 

Please, dear reader, do protect your heart so you can show up tomorrow. 

The current version of tech does not aim to protect its main contributors, you & me, in any way!

That super tool of a smartphone paired with mainstream media utilizing the social media space to also broadcast the networks’ more biased narratives is equally powerful and possibly more dangerous. So then, how can we use #techforgood  to power Community with a capital C given the firehose of doom scrolling more than easily found by opening any current social media app?  

Before you cancel my idealistic and Big Mama heavy proposal, I need you to stay with me for a few more hot minutes and know that I do, in fact, recognize this will probably  not happen overnight. AND we as a powerful collective of live streaming, super humans with super tech tools do need to stop giving our tacit consent by bending over for war, dehumanizing and extractive forces!

When we say things like ‘this is just how humans are’ or ‘war is just what we do’  pulls our collective power away- much like doom scrolling does.  Please notice, I am not saying victims of warfare tactics are bending over. I am saying those of us surviving the carnage of war and going on our day to day activities without doing a damn thing are saying, ‘ok by me! Keep on the killings!’

Agreed, this is how humans act under this type of global, male dominated leadership. I am here eagerly writing to express how we can build better ways. 

Bell Hooks writes exactly that the patriarchy doesn’t only wound women. It harms men by not allowing them to live their full lives as well because of the constraints of such a top down system; a flawed system that most certainly makes very little room for any gray area of any kind. 

The human condition to categorize runs deep and typically has us building systems around putting people in boxes and then asking ourselves to check which box we are contained within. With this mentality, we are either: ‘with us or against us’, ‘black or white’, ‘gay or straight’, ‘a man or a woman.’  The gradients of life are screaming for us to recognize the spectrum of our shared existence. This is so very real and boxes checking will be burned in the livestreaming of the revolution if we do not collaborate, elevate & inspire each other to live together. 

A big shift towards an equitable spectrum of life will continue to see a pendulum swing far away from top down models. But I will argue, it can get better with women at the helm. Looking at powerful movements where women moved mountains with our collective the day women of Reykjavík went on strike was pivotal in passing key legislation for Iceland. 

Please pardon the box checking gender studies I am about to cite but I am working within this Patriarchy to propose a Matriarchy. Thank you for your understanding.  

When leadership styles are noted  amongst men & women, many psychological studies indicate that two countries with women leaders, would never go to war.  

Also notable in the boxing of gender is that ‘women who are said to behave in a more feminine, collaborative, empathetic manner might be less likely to be elected or appointed to lead their country.’  

And I’m here to say f*ck that shit!  We can be fierce AF, hold the line, build great business, compelling tech AND not throw fists over it…or drop missiles. 

Of this, I am convinced. Just look at what the Oprah of Venture Capital is doing!

What the actual Tech!?

What can we do when we feel all these feelings? See all these truths?  When we realize we are being lied to. We are told that technology takes our jobs. We are sold a bill of goods that tech is and will continue to reduce our wages and increase inequality, threatens our health, ruins the environment, degrades our society and corrupts our children. Well sure. This version of Web 2 built around colonialism and tested with the military first sure does a lot of this. And also…

All civilization has been built on technology, even pre patriarchy used tech!

** Remember technology is a tool that ‘advances’ culture. And new technologies will build new civilizations, particularly for the better of  those that can evolve out of the industrial war complex.

Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the bleeding heart of progress, even when it is waged against us instead of including us in its build. Technology can be  the realization of our potential. Can we shift our potential to be fully humanist and not just bottom line, land grabbing, wall building, war mongering centered? Yes, yes we can!

We are told to be angry, bitter and resentful about technology. But I am here, once again, to disrupt the native and bring the good news! I’ve got my Rose-colored glasses on and I am raising the technology flag for everyone! We must be techno-optimists .

Bloom scroll instead of doom scroll!

So what if our shared technology, our common tools to distribute  information, to move money, to check in on friends & family, to open more resources towards equity – a term I’ve coined called #Tequity – what if all of this technology also centered our human condition and not just the bottom line? Well, it would have to be built with everyone in mind and with many more voices in leadership and step away from military minded, colonial expansion.

Please stay with me here: 

Divisive war values bottom line politics. War values land grabs, the accumulation of wealth & power over the human condition. 

Collaborative peace values heart count over head count, humanity over profit and connectivity over individualism.

These policies may sound unrealistic if you’re trying to run a business that actually makes money, but consider brilliant business women Sonia Passi & Chani Nicholas and their respective ventures together FreeFrom ( a social impact org) & Chani brand, an astrology-focused tech and media company, is showing how taking care of your employees while simultaneously giving funds to a social impact organization can also grow your bottom line.
And to these points, there are many other tech based businesses doing the same dang thing.

We can and need to evolve what our values are as a human species and tech can still be a part of the conversation. And given the current ruling class of most all countries is primarily based on the Industrial War Complex, with men leading the way and also building the technology that is first tested within each countries militia, we have to begin to move forward with gusto on two very important items:

1. Support, encourage and push more humanist, female forward leaders to the front ASAP!

I previously thought we  simply needed more Women in leadership roles. I was wrong and this is not enough because as we have seen, simply putting pink on the Patriarchy does not work . 

We need new leaders in women, theys, thems and men to embody a upgraded  way of leadership that is collaborative, utilizes NVC and a more collaborative, woman forward model than the current male-dominating, Patrichal structures that rule the world.

Solving complex issues of decades of systematic oppression will not be solved with missiles. We must push our women leaders forward and those kind gents, theys and thems who stand for humanity. We cannot vote with our pocket books ever again!

Consider all those who voted for Trump the first time – many of you have mentioned this in a very confessional way to me – my Jewish family, my BPIOC fam, and even my Women collectives have shared this to me, in confidence but moreover in shame. They say they voted this way because of money. 

We cannot vote with bottom lines in mind any more.

We can certainly vote with our pocket books when shopping, when contributing to political campaigns and when supporting important, charitable giving circles. But not in voting, not in building new leadership!

2.We must actively be part of the building of technology to be generative instead of extractive.

The very tools we were sold in the late 1980’s on into the 1990’s and into this millennium have been purported to give us all the worlds’ information at our fingertips, to deliver us products at the snap of a finger.  

But as it turns out, our access is only to a small portion of all the info that can be shared.  Seriously I am building spreadsheets of grant monies for HUB’s, resources for sexual health & wellness, and political activations – If you haven’t already, please dig deep into the LBI Digital podcast Money, Sex & Politics. 

Instead, what we have now in Web 2.0 is our own information pulled from us in what is ultimately a very extractive, colonized informed model of top down modalities. We must inform the build of tech by both our use of it and where we plug into building it better as Women, BIPOC and diversifying the tech landscape to be inclusive, generative and not the divide and conquer model it has been built up to be. This is what Web 3 will look like, truly collaborative and based in generative, humanizing technology builds. 

CALL TO ACTION :  pick AN issue, any issue and ACTIVATE! 

  1. Notice the power of collective action and do not give into doom scrolling. Put your phone down, take a walk and see how much power you just regained. 
  2. Now if that inspired you, take that power to the streets. Volunteer at a shelter, read a new book or article you would never consider, or study your local form of government structure to see how you can activate within it. 
  3. And if that inspired you, host a conversation in your home, on your stoop or at your local coffee house about civic engagement. The power of community is real and will inspire everyone involved. 
  4. For the overachievers in the crowd, scroll down to see how you can activate your newly inspired and reclaimed power within LBI Digital.

 

TL:DR  

As a world, we desperately need new models of leadership. And it’s clear that technology is never going to leave us as a human species so we are smart to embrace it and get involved in its build, usage and implementation.

When we use #Techforgood and build it with women leaders, we will see a more equitable world, or as I love to say we are building #Tequity. 

The old masculine models of leadership through top down structures that the patriarchy requires are broken and killing us all, slowly and swiftly. 

We can do better! You can do better! I can do better !

Here is how we are doing 1% better with LBI Digital & how can you participate in women forward tech that leads to world peace:

1. Join us for free What the Tech convo
RSVP here for Thursday Oct 26 at 430 PM PST

2. Listen to the LBI podcast: Money, Sex & Politics latest episode and share with your people! 

3. Be first in line for the next cohort on the Backstage Pass Fall 2023!

4. Scroll down to comment on this post and share those comments with your people!

Other Women Lead / Human Forward Tech resources you can join & tell your friends:

MONEY: Maggie Love’s She Fi 

SEX: Bryony Cole’s Sex Tech School 

POLITICS: Kristina Wilfore + Lucina Di Meco #ShePresisted

WILD CARD: Genevieve Thiers’s Entertainmint.com

Body Support via Somatic Healing online: The Class  & Sah D’Simone

 

 

 

Let’s GLOW UP the internet in Web 3.0 shall we? See you October 26 at 430pm PST to talk Tech for Good. Our next topic is how to actively Bloom Scroll and find us always Backstage!

with big love and sincerely af,
Rose

AI: Humanity is the Antidote!

AI: Humanity is the Antidote!

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As I wax poetically as LBI Digital’s main blog contributor for 2023 (new workload, who dis?) I’m pulling loads of inspo from the LBI podcast: Money, Sex & Politics.  And whilst I love to work smarter and not harder, I’ve been a bit of a slow adopter for this AI surge beyond the chatter, screaming fright of “The Bots are coming, the Bots are coming!” I usually first ask myself if we can see past the hype machines of wild new cycles of intense myopia and get real with what is actually happening??

I am only now giving it a test run on my own writing projects because a) I feel compelled af to build #techforgood because we can! And b) even though it feels like we are in a reality TV episode of The Jetson’s whilst wearing Google Glasses orating us Orwellian snippets from 1984 in your voice of choice a la Siri, we do have a say in how fast or slow, light or dark and even how much value we allow technology to take from us.

Ever the judge-y Shebrew, I like to watch and listen to others critique art, science, politics and well, basically, culture. But before I fully jump in to make my own judgment. I’m a nerd. I like to study things AND then dig in once I think I have an idea of the zeitgeist around it. Straight out the gate, I see the current hype on AI to be a bit narrow because we as humans have tried to build it as an extension of ourselves however, it – and I say “it” bc robots do not have gender, they don’t have any parts that make them human, and they cannot cry! Those robots look radically different than we do simply because we are actually collaborating with tech to make those ‘its’ in the first place. But again, I want to dispel my own disbeliefs and short judgements and explore the dang tech itself.   So join me, won’t you??

WHAT THE TECH?

free monthly convo 

This month we talk AI and how we human women are directing the expansion.

RSVP for a great convo

Sept 28. 4pm PST 

 

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In my purest right brain/ left brain combo of creative/ dweeb mode, I have gone ahead and tested the Chat GPT; which I love to call Chat GI Joe but more on that & a myriad of other cute pet names for my bot later!

I’ve asked the Robot D’ Chat to come up with some blog articles on the topic of AI – super meta, right? I also wanted to compare how El Chat thinks of itself by encouraging it to think harder. For example, I first enter the prompt : ‘How is the internet like the human brain?’

It had a very basic answer lacking depth and my own human brain thought “Come on bots, you are smarter than this!” I then prompted the Internet Trolling Robot – pet name Itter– to search using the algorithms of  LLMs to garner the information I was asking it to fetch with a more specific ask to see if this **recent buzz is worth the squeeze. 

**It’s important to note that AI has been put into practice since the 1960’s at MIT and that we are seeing a huge surge of it in pop culture right now is likely due to a myriad of reasons including but not limited to more humans understanding our own power and being less inclined to be trolled by anyone, including a cute Small Wonder of a virtual assistants (which is honestly very creepy looking back at it. Sorry we didn’t help ya, Vicki girl : ). But this tech wasn’t built in a silo. Nothing ever is and it’s imperative that we look to the build of this tech and begin to ensure it is used as #techforgood. 

Also interesting to notice around that same time in 1962 Bernard Katz modeled neurotransmission across the space between neurons known as synapses. Then in 1966, Eric Kandel and collaborators examined biochemical changes in neurons associated with learning and memory storage in Aplysia.

The 1970’s didn’t produce much headline news about the internet or advances in  neuroscience but as art history always shows, the collaborative effect of our collective consciousness strikes again! And in 1981 Catherine Morris and Harold Lecar combined techniques of studying the brain in the Morris–Lecar model. Such increasingly quantitative work gave rise to numerous biological neuron models at the very same time that a new- found, adorable electronic newspaper called the telepaper was being lauded as ‘experimental’!

What if we consciously developed the various systems of the internet to do much like the brain does but with human consciousness ??

This heart count over head count idea leads with intention and puts the users’ experience first as we explore the multitudes of ways of using tech yet undiscovered; likely because we haven’t included the diversity of humanity in its build.

Just like that of the brain, in studying the internet and its possibility, we have yet to fully discover all of the ways in which a wired system like the brain can operate when it actually connects all of its systems to one another to fully support its functioning. The brain connects its wiring to the spinal cord and on through the body directing it to do things so quickly and seemingly unconsciously. 

But what if we could consciously program the bots to better use AI for good? Or at the very least, Control-ALT-Delete the propensity for us to say tech is taking over whilst shouting uncontrollably “The Bots are coming! The Bots are coming!”

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Back to asking the Chat to write the blog. When I asked it to tell me about AI being related to human brain synopsis, here is what it had to say:

(also, do I use quotes for a robot’s words?? Honestly, IDK!!)

 

🤖 <<You’re absolutely right. The comparison between the internet and the human brain is a fascinating one and has been a topic of discussion in various fields, including neuroscience, computer science, and artificial intelligence. While the two are vastly different in many aspects, there are some interesting similarities and parallels that can be drawn.>>

 

The bot went on to compliment my human brain by listing a very detailed & organized comparison. You know my human brain loooooves a list! 

🤖

  1. **Complex Networks:** Both the internet and the human brain are incredibly complex networks. The internet is a network of interconnected devices and servers, while the brain consists of billions of neurons and synapses that are connected to form intricate networks.
  2. **Information Processing:** Both systems are involved in information processing. The internet processes and transfers digital data, while the brain processes sensory input, thoughts, and emotions.
  3. **Parallel Processing:** The brain and the internet are capable of parallel processing, allowing them to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. In the case of the internet, this means handling multiple users and data streams, while the brain can process various sensory inputs concurrently.
  4. **Adaptability:** Both systems exhibit a degree of adaptability. The internet can route data around network failures, and the brain can rewire itself to compensate for damage or changes in sensory input.
  5. **Learning and Memory:** The brain is renowned for its ability to learn and store vast amounts of information. Similarly, the internet accumulates and stores an enormous amount of digital data, making it a vast repository of knowledge and information.
  6. **Emergent Properties:** Both systems exhibit emergent properties, where complex behaviors or functions arise from the interactions of simpler components. In the brain, consciousness and thought emerge from the interactions of neurons. In the internet, phenomena like social networks and online communities emerge from the interactions of users and websites.

However, it’s important to note that the internet is a human-made system designed for specific purposes, such as data transmission and communication, while the human brain has evolved over millions of years to support a wide range of functions, including cognition, emotion, and perception.

While we have made significant strides in understanding both the internet and the brain, there is still much we don’t know. The study of both systems is ongoing, and researchers continue to explore their complexities and possibilities. It’s likely that we will uncover even more parallels and opportunities for learning from one another as we delve deeper into the study of these remarkable systems.>>

 

This right here: … it’s important to note that the internet is a human-made system designed for specific purposes, such as data transmission and communication…THIS IS KEY!!


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🤖 <<….The study of both systems is ongoing, and researchers continue to explore their complexities and possibilities. It’s likely that we will uncover even more parallels and opportunities for learning from one another as we delve deeper into the study of these remarkable systems.>>

 

We know so little about ALL that the human brain can do and is capable of. Like did you know that the human brain actually keeps shifting and growing its capacity well into adulthood? It was previously thought that after early childhood, patterns are set, never to be re-wired; that old dogs could never learn new tricks. But au contre mon ami! Our brains have so much elasticity and we are still learning just how much.

As with the internet, we have only seen 2 versions of it so far. The iterations of variations from Web 1, 2 and soon to be 3.0 has us realizing – if only a few to start- that the exploration of the dark matter of the world wide web is as nefarious and undiscovered as our own human brains. 

 

I went on to ask Chat GI Joe to tell me if it agreed that the antidote of AI is the human brain and here is what it said :  

 

🤖 <<It’s important to clarify the relationship between AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the human brain. AI is not necessarily an antidote or direct opposition to the human brain; rather, AI is a technology developed by humans to simulate or replicate certain aspects of human intelligence and problem-solving.>>

 

OK!! So it knows who its creator is. But here is the other thing. Chat GPG or as I love to jest Chat GI Joe is just one version of a piece of algorithm technology currently being used with its headliner as AI. We don’t need technology to further colonialism which ultimately touts that there is only one way to skin a cat or anyone who isn’t like US is the enemy. In this case, and I’d argue in most, intelligence is some kind of spectrum and isn’t actually just a duplicate of us humans. Thank god!

And it’s even more important to note that Chat GPT is owned by Open AI– with leaders made up of billionaires with not a large variation of cultural or gender background: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Ilya Sutskever, Jessica Livingston, and Reid Hoffman. This is certainly not the most diverse group of tech leaders AND it’s also notable that many of them, including Dr. Jeffery Hinton has called for an AI timeout. Womp womp! 

See, the thing is, the spectrum of intelligence is way more interesting than we can build in a box. 

But we have this uncanny human need to build the box first even if the systems are already growing around us! But let’s be real. What AI is not is a factory of brains being grown in a jar.

Intelligence is relational and comes from our experience in the real world, not artificial, not just human but also not just inside our brain. Our physical & emotional experiences affect our human intelligence as does our environment, the families we are born into and so much more. 

Intelligence whether we are talking artificial or real deal is embodied and can’t be reduced to just thinking in the same way AI can’t be seen as just a reductive siloed system of technology somehow untouchable by human control. We built it after all and we can build it better if we are actively exposing for its shadows AND building #tequity into the models; both LLMs as well as the actual structure of companies that build this kind of tech.

And because I love a good list, let’s see what the bot’s list of quasi organized thoughts form into with cute bullet points when I asked it : Is the antidote of AI the human brain??

🤖

  1. **Complementary Roles:** AI and the human brain can complement each other. AI systems can perform specific tasks, such as data analysis, pattern recognition, and automation, with great speed and accuracy. Human brains, on the other hand, excel at tasks that require creativity, emotional intelligence, moral judgment, and complex decision-making. In many scenarios, AI and humans can work together effectively.
  2. **Tools for Augmentation:** AI technologies can be used as tools to augment human capabilities. For example, AI-powered software can assist doctors in diagnosing diseases, help researchers analyze vast datasets, or aid artists in creating digital art. In these cases, AI serves as a support system rather than an antidote to the human brain.
  3. **Ethical Considerations:** The development and use of AI raise ethical questions and concerns, such as job displacement, privacy, and bias in algorithms. These issues should be carefully addressed to ensure that AI serves human interests and values.
  4. **Limitations of AI:** While AI has made significant advancements, it still lacks the holistic cognitive abilities and consciousness of the human brain. AI systems operate based on algorithms and data, whereas human brains possess general intelligence and adaptability that allow us to navigate a wide range of situations and challenges.

In summary, AI is not an antidote to the human brain, but rather a technology created and controlled by humans. The relationship between AI and the human brain is complex and evolving, and the two can coexist in ways that leverage their respective strengths and capabilities. The goal is often to use AI to enhance human capabilities and improve our quality of life while being mindful of ethical and societal implications.>>

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So then, what are the benefits of AI, dearest robot digital newsie ??

Now this gets good. I had to ask the bot a few times- actually saying, try again to get this detail of a list. I really want to give Chat GI Joe the benefit of the doubt, so I said – nicely- please try again. And here is what I got:

 

🤖 <<Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a wide range of benefits across various industries and applications. Here are some of the key benefits of AI:

  1. **Automation:** AI can automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, improving efficiency and reducing the need for human intervention. This is particularly valuable in industries like manufacturing, finance, and customer service.
  2. **Accuracy:** AI systems can perform tasks with a high degree of accuracy and consistency, reducing errors and improving overall quality. This is critical in fields like healthcare, where precision is vital.
  3. **Data Analysis:** AI can quickly analyze vast amounts of data, identifying patterns and insights that would be difficult or impossible for humans to discern. This capability is invaluable for data-driven decision-making in business and research.
  4. **Personalization:** AI enables the personalization of products and services. Recommendations on streaming platforms, personalized marketing, and customized user experiences on websites are all driven by AI algorithms.
  5. **Cost Savings:** By automating tasks and streamlining processes, AI can lead to significant cost savings for businesses. This includes reduced labor costs and improved resource allocation.
  6. **24/7 Availability:** AI-powered systems can operate 24/7 without the need for breaks or rest. This ensures continuous service availability and support.
  7. **Improved Healthcare:** AI can assist in medical diagnoses, drug discovery, and treatment recommendations. Machine learning models can analyze medical images and patient data to aid healthcare professionals in making more accurate decisions.
  8. **Enhanced Customer Service:** Chatbots and virtual assistants powered by AI can provide immediate customer support, answer inquiries, and resolve issues around the clock.
  9. **Safety:** AI can be used to enhance safety in various domains, including autonomous vehicles that reduce the risk of accidents, predictive maintenance in industries, and security systems that detect anomalies.
  10. **Innovation:** AI fosters innovation by enabling the development of new products and services. For example, AI is driving advancements in robotics, natural language processing, and computer vision.
  11. **Environmental Impact:** AI can be applied to optimize energy consumption, reduce waste, and make processes more environmentally friendly. It plays a role in sustainable practices and conservation efforts.
  12. **Accessibility:** AI technologies, such as speech recognition and text-to-speech, improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities by making digital content and services more inclusive.
  13. **Scientific Discovery:** AI aids researchers in areas like genomics, climate modeling, and drug discovery by accelerating the analysis of complex data and simulations.
  14. **Supply Chain Optimization:** AI can optimize supply chain operations, leading to better inventory management, demand forecasting, and logistics planning.
  15. **Enhanced Creativity:** AI-driven tools can assist artists, designers, and writers by generating ideas, suggesting improvements, or automating certain creative tasks.

It’s important to note that while AI offers numerous benefits, it also raises ethical, privacy, and societal considerations that need to be carefully addressed.

Balancing the advantages of AI with responsible and ethical development and deployment is essential to harness its full potential for the benefit of society.>>

 

OK then! Let’s say that again for the people in the back :

It also raises ethical, privacy, and societal considerations that need to be carefully addressed. Balancing the advantages of AI with responsible and ethical development and deployment is essential to harness its full potential for the benefit of society.

 

 

 

 

TL:DR 

Intelligence can’t be boxed and sold so easily so please don’t buy the hype, at least night so fast! How can our curiosity of our own human intelligence allow us to think new thoughts about the world instead of the same old things systems?

I’ve said it before, we cannot simply put pink on the patriarchy.

Adapting old and outdated modalaties for a new inclusive world requires more than simple system updates. Just as our brains have evolved, our use of tech must also . Additional pathways of outer tech need to be discovered as curiously as those who study the brain explore neuroplasticity. And with tech, we can’t just keep pretending any of it – AI or otherwise- is built in some sort of vacuum none of us have the button to adjust. That is simply not the case.

We built it. Now let’s break it!

Join me and other #thoughtleaders, #industrydisruptors and #businessactivists on changing the course of tech and thus the world! #ComeBackstage and let’s #Glowup the internet together!

WHAT THE TECH?

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Expose for the Shadows in Web 3

Expose for the Shadows in Web 3

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My background is in photo + video production. I started with a Mickey Mouse camera at age 4, on film, and eventually ran my own dark room and then evolved into the digital space as a large events camera company owner & operator. Contrary to my mentors’ suggestions that digital wouldn’t last, I kept evolving into new ways of doing my craft. 

And I successfully ran an international production company with digital technologies for 7 years and consulted with a few camera & API companies that didn’t exactly agree with my mentors. 

Afterall, technology is really only a way to do something and the evolution of that process.

Where it gets murky is in the communication of that process, who is designing it, AND for what end result. In my 12+ years in working with cameras professionally, as a women with far to many #metoo stories to count in my own evolution, I’m here to say I’ve not only learned to expose for the shadows literally but I am now charged with the challenge of doing so with tech in mind; and not just the old fashion technology built primarily by the Silicon Valley demographic but the new & improved version that I am calling TEQUITY.

TEQUITY is when we evolve the use of technology with the equity of ALL humans in mind. And when women, people of color and any underrepresented human can gain access to and edit the blue prints of that which will form our lived experience, that builds TEQUITY. And if you listen or read ANY bit of information on AI, Web 3, or the speed at which these technologies are advancing, you will hear over and over again:

‘Nobody knows!’
‘There are no experts who have the answers as to how fast!’
‘We are still very much writing the rules.’

The more often I hear these types of considerations that no one is actually in charge of this evolution, the more fired up I get about using Tequity as a guide rail in evolving our use of tech!!

In the photographic dark room, one takes their time in processing the image with the exact amount of time in exposure and in the developer bath. Then comes the very important stop bath to tell the process to end,  a quick fix bath to settle tones and then a cleansing wash bath. It is a whole process before you hang your print to dry overnight.  As you slowly expose the image though, it’s the magic of seeing what comes to life from the shadows of the initial capture.

Spending many, many long nights developing the shadows in the dark room, I often felt like I was an astronaut who was exploring outer space for the first time,  every time I processed a print !  Finding the small details in the shadows has taught me to be very detail oriented and also look for gems where we might not expect to find them. 

I bring this whole OG photo boss experience to light because as I am building our mission stronger with LBI Digital, I am often feeling this same sense of exploration and discovery. It’s pretty common that I feel like I am in the darkness of outer space, imagining what is possible from a previous exposure, almost like a dream of  something I think is beautiful, inspiring (a photo I previously took) and then I have to wait until the image fully processes for it to be totally seen & experienced.  

Expose for the Shadows

 

And if you’re still with me, imagine the idea of what the next version of the internet (Web 3) can be if we ensure the build of it is both diverse AND humanity centered. That is to say, what we have here in the current version of the internet ( Web 2) is only utilizing a small fraction of the talent and potential on this planet AND undeserving it at the very same time. 

So then in the next version of the internet (Web 3), we can begin to develop an image or images that more accurately show and serve our collective humanity’s needs & abilities. With this beautiful and inspiring dream, we can look forward to exposing the shadows so we don’t just recreate another version of the same structures that simply are not working for all – and I am speaking both about the technology and the systems which they are built upon. 

Of note, Google’s parent company Alphabet’s main shareholders include The Vanguard Group → who owns Black Rock → who has large positions( owns the most shares )  in Pfizer,  Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and, of course Google. BlackRock also has large positions in Nvidia and Broadcom, which happen to be America’s two largest semiconductor companies. It is worth noting that Web 2 isn’t just tech ya’ll! It’s A LOT of everyday companies we all interact with daily and will continue to use more and more, via technology. We might as well have a voice in the matter.

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Our collaborating bosses have pointed to this before, we need to build our futures based upon what we need as a collective and not only as an individual. The power of the Community with a capital C is where we came from as a species and where we will need to build from if we care to continue to live on this planet in ways which are sustainable.  If we can begin to connect the channels of Web 2 better and with more TEQUITY in mind, we will actually participate in the build of Web 3. In fact, this entire time I have been writing (& that you have been reading) is participating in building something new, something integrated and something better. And you can take the next step in participating by commenting below, sharing this blog or better yet, #Comebackstage

Much of what we have been building with LBI Digital is focusing directly on sharing more openly the tools & resources that women can use to leverage more equity  because we live in a world that didn’t allow us to have our own bank accounts in the United States until 1974 & many women globally still do not have this right. As within the US, access to health care for all bodies including those of pregnant bodies is not universal and one can spend time in jail for attempting to access those rights. And yes this blog just got political bc money & sex ends up being very political when gatekeepers be gatekeeping!! 

So back to the tech of it all:  if we each look at evolving our own personal usage of how we do something ( technology) and be willing to evolve with – or even better in advance of it,  we don’t have to fear tech because it will work for us, not against. And by us I mean, ALL OF US!

 

 

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Again, we can’t just put pink on the Patriarchy. I am not simply calling for all the ladies to use tech, faster & more furiously in our pants suits and stern resting boss faces. That’s shit is tired and I for one am totally over it.

What I am calling for is taking the few good parts of our current model of the internet (Web 2) and building better with you, me and all the people who were not involved in Web 1 or 2 builds. The next version of the internet in Web 3 is where we not only get to read & write to the cloud collective, but we also get to own our ideas, our intellectual property and our purse! This works out nicely for women and those we take care of because we women make up 52% of the US population, 47.7% of the Global workforce and 11.6 million US business are owned by women contributing to 1.7 TRILLION dollars to the US economy.

OK ladies, let’s get IN FORMATION!!

7 minunte Final BsP Pitch Dock Velocity

 

In a recent talk with Story Co Chief of Staff Caroline Shaul, we dig into the power of women accessing tech in this Web 3 build and why we need not be scared of it.  Also, it’s happening anyways so might as well get involved (& get paid!!)

The LBI Digital podcast, Money, Sex & Politics is being built on Web 2 tracks – current internet tools. And you can bet your best ladyboss dollar that we have some pretty big ideas on how this podcast and its supporting Boss Blog will be activated in the next version of the internet, Web 3.  We are looking directly at the shadows as we learn more about exposing the next version of the internet.

And as I expose for the shadows – either in the photographic dark room or on the world wide web it is all a process of becoming, evolving and maybe even being! – record scratch !!-  OK! This is totally not a self help blog AND I do feel like the unearthing of all the BS in the shadows is actually a really needed step,***must not be skipped ** likely what we are all living through right now, so that we can see the full picture, all of it clearly exposed.  As a creative, I would far prefer perfecting the  processing of powerful portraits instead of going and excavating all the dirt & grime that is Web 2’s very extractive model. But somehow this Web 3 bug has bit me and luckily I am super into evolving,  learning to look at the shadows even when I don’t want to. Shout out to Carolyne Elliot’s phenomenal book Existential Kink who invites us to look at the shadows often – and that is self help AF!!

Please know I am not picking fun at self help books or the evolution of our own shit. Honestly, I’ve had to do A LOT (& continue to do so) as I work in dismantling old patriarchal ways of being within myself AND the internet.  In the last 2.5 years of big collaboration with amazing women mentors, I’ve realized the building of LBI Digital must be done with my humanity (& a good sense of humor) in my front pocket at all times. This work is not light but then again, living on this planet right now is not for the faint of heart and I am convinced we can build better. 

So with deep breaths, long reads & high kicks to systems that oppress anyone, I am here to build #techforgood for the best possible use of Web 3 for ALL of us. And when more women activate the possibility of running our businesses in Web 3, in using the connective tissue of the internet most fully, we will see that the systems of oppression fall away because our collective power is so much stronger and, sexier!

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But what do you think dear reader? I’d love to hear you go off in the comments below. And even better yet, if you feel a way about Web 2 into Web 3 that I haven’t thought of, let me know. #ComeBackstage and connect to other women who are changing the world, one click at a time!

We invite all #thoughtleaders, #industrydisruptors & #businessactivists who want to live life on terms of expansion, access and TEQUITY to raise their hand and #ComeBackstage. We will happily pass you the mic!

When we begin to break down barriers of entry both in conversations about money, sex & politics AND in the actual ways we discover & access information that can change lives, we are using #techforgood

Tech for Good

Tech for Good

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What happens when the wild wild west of the internet & its brain child the World Wide Web is bought back by women?? And not just **any women, specifically women who don’t look like the women who have traditionally climbed the ranks in big tech companies or owned large swaths of land.

**We’ve got to remember that previous generations of feminists have often left out large groups of women to be included to live our best lives. I’m here as a humanist who wants to see ALL women thrive. In setting up women for success, we set up our families, communities and cities to also thrive. So let’s talk about building the next version of the web and maybe even turning the internet inside out.

What if the internet we were sold in the 1990’s by the likes of Steve Jobs & Bill Gates actually worked like the info center contributed to by human brains that Buckminster Fuller intended.* Both Jobs and Gates mirrored much of their work off of ol’ Bucky’s theories and practices. Let’s not forget to mention the women who were key in building the .com directories as we have come to rely on daily:Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithms. Radia Pearlman was fundamental to the evolution of technology called ethernet. And of course, Grace Hopper who worked on the very first computer built, Mark 1 and coined the term ‘bug.’ #truestory

But first, tech for bad?

Notably, the first version of the internet’s usage ‘Web 1’ was piloted by the United States military. Knowing that information, it is not surprising that our current model of Web 2 is still patriarchal in form and thus very, very extractive. Its aim is not to leave you with the warm fuzzies. Trigger Warning: It’s to divide & conquer, it is to search & destroy and maybe even rape & pillage.

We are often asked to give our ‘consent’ by checking little boxes with even smaller print. But what are we even consenting to and what are we getting for that exchange? Hmmmm…not quite a balanced exchange if we need to purchase our data back from the likes of Equifax, Transunion, etc. etc. But what about Web 3? How can that look different?

We can begin to think of that original book of work Bucky Fuller handwritten with the intention of somehow freely sharing knowledge and experience through technology; after all he was both a futurist and someone who gave a damn about more than his plot in life. He saw the advances of tech as the best way to help humans ALL have better lives. Bucky did not know how but knew it would happen. He was building for and during the inevitable evolution of technology; just as I suggest we as women begin to do yesterday.

TBH, I feel similarly about how we can harness the good intentions of the World Wide Web and shift from the certain goal of bottom line profit and data extraction. 

The initial perks sold to the common human in using the internet and its channels were sold in a far different package than what we are currently consuming. What was to be the free usage and sharing of information is more like a non stop infomercial we are all paying to both produce and purchase from.

The whole thing needs a revamp and I’m here to keep saying WHY even as we discover the HOW!

The Digital Revolution is being televised

I suggest a full system upgrade. Going back to our daydream of woman – ALL women having access to the information and the application of that knowledge into our daily lives, we can begin to ensure all of humanity will experience true equity in ways that the current use of the internet simply does not provide. You’ve maybe heard, ‘When Mama’s happy, everyone’s happy!’, maybe tech companies and their supporters might well consider this adage as we expand and contract our work forces and their missions.

By centering women’s needs, we will see ALL flourish.

The US military launched Web 1 and the tech bros brought us Web 2. How about getting some lady insight into how Web 3 will be built ?? Excuse me please, bitcoin bros !! Ladies coming through !!

My re-vision includes digital resources to be easily accessed by ALL- let’s be clear: I do not want to turn a boy’s club, which is currently big tech, into a girl’s club. Simply putting pink on the patriarchy will not work. What I do want to do is reimagine how we structure, contribute to and break down barriers into more collaborative technology.

We need to first ensure access via reliable & secure signals so anyone who wishes to connect can. And then once inside the Net, we have to deliver what has been promised: useful & safe avenues on which to travel where we can share these direct links to information on Money, Sex & Politics.

You can picture a market place much like an Amazon, but instead of showing what you need to purchase in stuff aka consumables, the human programmed algorithms show you the tools & resources based around equity of knowledge & information. Ensuring access is key so varying points of entry for all the reasons accessibility need be considered is paramount: from price point to how information is telecast or shared.

In this new version of the Web, it’s third now for humankind, leaders teaching about anatomy and sex education are not tagged as pornographers, charging them to come up with code words about parts of the human body all of the earth’s people have!! Did you know that the word ‘Segg’ is code for Sex on the Web 2 because certain Puritanical bots are trolling the otherwise ‘safe’ internet streets to keep Segg educationalists from spreading Anatomy 101 like wildfire !

This incarnation of tech as good will be where women leading other women are not seen as people of suspicion and have their social media accounts suspended. And on my Web 3 cloud 9, we will be hosting curious conversations and riveting discussions that help us move the needle towards equity for ALL without trolls, dick pics and the variety of **other** unsavory experiences that many of us 49.74% of the world’s humans who call ourselves women have experienced.

Tech for Good

 

I am here to burst the Patriarchal Puritan Bubble that Web 2 thinks it needs to moderate and appropriate whilst pulling all the data it wants in the meantime. It’s a bit of a two-faced business model, don’t you think? Perhaps the time spent chasing down Humanist policy women leaders & Drag Queens could be spent building better access points to wi-fi for low income areas across the World Wide Web’s reach. The move to building safer & truly vetted technology based on the needs of our current & living population can and should be prioritized.

Currently, finding financial resources for education or business expansion often includes hours, months or years of research. During that time digging for gold, patterns are tracked and marketing information garnered. As an example, I write for loads of grants.

I have been researching these for years aside from so many advertisements for MBAs, PhD programs and cohorts filling my feeds, the most viable hub I’ve found on my own volition and without the bots pointing me in the right direction for this is a Google doc shared between thousands of women. (DM me on the Backstage Pass for this doc!) WE CAN DO BETTER!!

A new way to access information safely has yet to be launched but it’s being tested and tried, this time by futurists outside of the military and by women who want coding credits this time! This kind of inentional access would help women access more financial resources to live our best lives, be it for business expansion or educational pursuits. Naturally, increased wealth for women always increases the quality of life for our families, our communities and our cities in which we live. Again, WIN WIN!

What if this future access to technology also allowed us safe spaces to share education & resources around sexuality, anatomy, reproduction and health care options so that no woman ever went without the knowledge of how to care for her body and where she might acquire that care? Access to healthcare is a human right and the information directing us to it is integral! You may have seen sites like #metoo’s Survivor Sanctuary or She Should Run as good Web 2 spaces to build from. These are tremendous resources and beautiful foundations which we can expand upon. In the next version of the web I’m imagining, we must prioritize places like this AND ensure their safety as well as accessibility. We need less **cookies ( more on cookies later) and more generative info shared than extractive. Current modes of internet use seem to require this extractive model.

And what if we were so bold as to call of this ideation political; what if we even ran for office en mass, or even better yet, utilized our collective purchasing power of 83% in the US alone and our nearly 1.7 trillion US dollars we contribute to the American economy on average through our 11.6 million women owned companies. Not only do women make up 52% of the US population, we make up 47.7% of the global workforce.

If we took even just 1% of this energy in numbers and directed it to build Web 3 with women’s wealth, health and leadership in mind, we’d not only see a new way of using tech but also an increased quality of life.

Tech for Good

 

What the Tech ??

Ok, maybe you don’t want to build tech. Heck, maybe you don’t even like using it very much. And maybe that’s because it wasn’t really designed for you to like it. Afterall, both the military and bro culture doesn’t usually build for comfort or inclusivity.

Let’s again suspend disbelief for a few more moments and possibly consider that even your use of tech could be adjusted just slightly today to actually be “good” and “ rewarding”, maybe even generative!

Think about it: you could walk into an area on the web, inside the internet general store of the future and get only what you came for and leave considerably more connected to resources, inspired and very equipped with the tools you went searching for in the first place. Not sure what I mean, come Backstage and see what I’m talking about !!

Considering that our brains’ firing synapses and pathway processing is very similar to computers and thereby what the internet is emulated after – they are human powered afterall.

There is some value in comparing the brain to both the internet and the World Wide Web. But let’s also clarify between the two: The internet is hundreds of millions of computers- like smart phones, desktops, car dashboards, washing machine operating systems, basically any automated devices that connect that information to another via the internet.

The World Wide Web is hundreds of millions of websites or addresses inside the internet, many which contain links to other pages on that site or other sites all together.

If the internet is the airport, the World Wide Web is the moving walkway between gates and the gates are individual websites, IP addresses, etc. etc.

It’s a lot but it’s also a lot made BY HUMANS. And I’d like more WOMEN humans to be involved in how it works because I promise we gals will also ensure it works well for EVERYone. OK? OK! Because let’s be honest, whether or not we are involved in these system ‘updates’, they will continue to evolve with or without our input.

Let’s Do Tech For Good Instead!

TDLR: We tell new stories, we write new code and we weave together better connective threads that do not divide but instead stitch us closer together.

E X P A N D E D
We no longer accept that the only people fit for expansion of ideas and integration into our cultures are white men. We write ourselves – ALL WOMEN – into the story.

We are no longer just interested in shattering glass ceilings by way of climbing some bull shit ladder. We are breaking down door ways, telling gate keepers to keep moving and establishing our new roots in a digital world to be grounded strongly in the human experience, not just the bottom line. We can absolutely build tech for good and with the outcome of a generative product instead of a simply extractive one.

We collaborate with other women who have this same mission, albeit different copy, and write these new stories into the DNA of technology. That’s all that code really is: Storylines, scripts and maps! It is a series of prompts aka stories that are told to systems to replicate, expand upon or automate; those prompts are written by humans. Let us create these prompts to code for our colorful, varied and non monolithic human experience.

When we ask AI to find an image of people on a beach, we need AI to know that ‘people on a beach’ means more than white men on a beach. #truestory

We elevate each other’s mission by weaving together our various stories that tie to the same mission via that World Wide Web we discussed above. Think of of it as a massive SEO ( search engine optimization) that takes critical mass in cross connecting programs like Berhenda Williams in Detroit. B is leading the Power of Girlhood by serving young Black & Brown women whom she connects to in circles like that which Gina Bianchini is building. As founder of Mighty Networks, Gina & her team decentralize the power of community from its badly behaving Uncles of Facebook, Twitter and the like.

What I am building with LBI Digital on those Mighty networks connects with women worldwide to give us a global hub to operate from and stay directly connected to other thought leaders pushing the envelope like to Shira Yevin’s project that rocks! Gritty in Pink is led by women who are changing the face of live music & booking more female talent across stages worldwide. Those threads directly connect to Maxine Cunningham’s project based in British Columbia, Canada accessing brains world wide: Pick My Brain. Max and her amazing team are making the human brain our number 1 global export to be commoditized and get this: we each get to own our own content because it’s our own ideas, IP and brainpower!

We can cruise down freshly upgraded Web 3 streets to Gigi Diaz’s network of badasses inspiring women to live on their own terms and chat up Nicole Cacal in advocating for more financial inclusion practices! These ladybosses are all actively using the rails of Web 2 to build something that can be and will be next level powerful and generative in Web 3.

We inspire the global use of the World Wide Web in its next version to be inclusive, to be supportive and ultimately generative instead of extractive. As a cute little test, next time you stroll the internet streets, notice how many times you are asked to accept cookies. Also, WTF are cookies anyways?

I don’t know about you but my Granny told me to never take candy from strangers. Every time I go to a new website aka an internet stranger’s house, they wanna give me cookies! Or take my cookies ? Or wtf is even happening?

I will tell you that cookies are the cute af internet 2.0 way of saying:‘Hiiiii we are taking your info and might sell it back to you or someone else later. K bye!’ Now, as in the bakery, not all cookies are created equal. Some are deliciously helpful and some are just plain rude, dry and grabby af to be used solely for marketing. #themoreyouknow

ICYMI

We are currently active users of Web 2.0 , that is essentially the second incarnation of the internet map. In Web 3.0 we have the opportunity to build it better.

But we don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, I promise. Also, WTF did this statement even come from!?! Oh, interesting. Original abolitionists suggested fixing broken systems by not harming those suffering from them. Great idea, Wiki quoted gents!! It is as always a good to stay curious and keep learning about the old stories we haven’t been told as we write new ones of equity and inclusion. 

If you are at all curious about staying informed on the build of our shared future and how technology will direct it, I invite you #ComeBackstage and meet other thought leaders, industry disruptors and business activists.

We host a free monthly meetup via our bizz bestie Maxine’s PMB site.
Next event July 27 at 430pm PST/ 730pm EST

We talk (& activate) with women leaders world wide on the LBI Podcast: Money Sex & Politics. See two just dropped ya’ll! Get your listen on!!

OTHER WAYS WE ARE BUILDING

We connect with our reading & writing bosses here on the Boss Blog. We do social media differently as we pull back the curtain on how we do business and flip the script on how we share our tools and resources on the Backstage Pass.

Oh and one more thing, a note about WHY I am doing this and without dropping any guilt, why I think you might want to, too! My why is because I give a damn. I am actively interested in growing business, brands and stories that move the needle forward in actively building a better world. Current conditions point to less than favorable for most AND we can do better ya’ll. #Techforgood is the answer!

I have built 3 of my own brands/ businesses and consulted on many, many others.

I enjoy story telling ALOT and since that’s pretty much my job, I can also smell a fake. And the story we have been sold that there is only one way to do something or that there are limited resources so we should compete for them: I call TOTAL BULLSHIT aka misinformation, in simple terms NOT TRUE.

For those of us with more resources to share, it is our job to bust open the door to the BS scarcity story and hold it open for more folks to genuinely and inclusively expand access to ALL information that helps build a more equitable world. And since I cannot save all the wales on my own, I’m hoping you might want to join my Orca Band! LOL, But tbh, I am not really kidding! I’m with the Orcas and the natural order of ecosystems to be supportive, generative and abundant. This fake news of scarcity only fuels toxic capitalism and I for one am 100% over that shit. HBU?

Let’s GLOW UP the internet in Web 3.0 shall we? See you on July 27th to talk Tech for Good, our first topic is using blogs better! and find us always Backstage!

Community Nourishment: Growing An Online Space That Thrives

Community Nourishment: Growing An Online Space That Thrives

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In case you missed it (because you truly don’t want to miss it,) Rose Kaz wrote this week about the origins of the LBI Backstage Pass, what motivated her to grow this community and the dream she has for its cultivation.

Just like a garden, cultivating a community requires patience, dedication, and a love for growth.

Both require a delicate balance of providing the right conditions for growth, nurturing development, and pruning and removing obstacles.

In the short time I have been with LBI, I have dazzled by the colors of this garden.

Here is what Backstage pass member, singer, songwriter and producer Bridget Lyons has to say about her experience on the LBI platform:

Being able to create together in a community, and tell our stories, and be heard and support one another has been wonderful to be a part of. It’s been inspiring and mesmerizing at times.

Listen to Bridget’s full testimonial:

gowingathrivingspace1

I keep coming back to this image of of a garden and of the gardener, tools in hand, dream in heart, sitting down with a blank page and drawing out the garden plan.

She must take into account the growing conditions, what type of plant is likely to flourish, what type would need extra care. She creates a design both pleasing to the eye and in harmony with the landscape.

She chooses a variety of flora and fauna 

In different shapes, colors, heights.

Maybe she plans an herb garden where she will grow plants to harvest for her healing kitchen, or a cutting garden of bright blooms to make bouquets.

Maybe she will plant with the intention of attracting butterflies or hummingbirds or restoring native growth, bringing balance.

Soul Coach for transformational women leaders, Ber-Henda Williams says:

What sticks out the most to me about this particular platform is that in many cases when we have female identified or female-centric programming, it’s usually focused on patriarchy. In particular, white feminism has caused a detriment and harm to communities of color because it is singular focused. What I have found in being a part of Rose’s community is this it is intersectional in all the ways. It’s not only inclusive, but it is welcoming. It does not tokenize, but takes into consideration the entirety of the feminine experience.

Listen to Ber-Henda’s full testimonial:

growing a thriving space

After the dreaming and planning is done, the work begins – the work of tending the soil and planting seeds – watering, but not too much, shielding tender roots from the frost, pulling way the dead leaves.

As someone who loves a beautiful garden but really has to work at having a green thumb, I can say, growing a lush abundant garden is difficult but deeply rewarding work.

And that is how we grow a community.

Clare Ramírez, the Boxing Yogini, says:

The Backstage Pass connects me with a like-minded group of women in a world and land that can feel very lonely. Just trying to provide for yourself as a woman, and provide life and health for your business, can become a lonely space. It can become an anxiety ridden space, and it can become a vulnerable space. To be inspired by other women has really been useful, plus it’s a joy to work and speak and listen to women on their paths.

Listen to Clare’s full testimonial:

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Growing a thriving online community means:

Planting the seeds. Just as in a garden, you carefully choose the right seeds for your climate and soil, a community requires the right mix of people to be the foundation. This can be a core group of people who share similar interests and values, and it can been a variety of different people who share a common goal or understanding, or who are open to sharing that understanding, but it is people who set the tone for the community.

Providing the right conditions. Just as a garden needs the right amount of sunlight, water, and nutrients to thrive, a community needs the right tools, resources, and communication channels to facilitate growth and engagement.

Nurturing growth. A gardener must continuously water, fertilize, and tend to their plants to ensure they grow healthy and strong. In a community, you must continually foster engagement, provide support and resources, and encourage members to participate and contribute.

Pruning and removing obstacles: In a garden, removing dead leaves and branches helps direct the plant’s energy towards growth. In a community, removing negativity, toxicity, and obstacles helps maintain a positive and productive environment for growth.

Celebrating milestones and victories: A gardener takes pride in watching her plants bloom, and in a community, it’s important to celebrate milestones, from a member’s first post to a community event.

Just like a garden, a community requires consistency and attention to flourish.

And by following this map, tending to this garden, you have helped this community grow into a thriving and vibrant space for members to connect and share.

This is what Therapeutic Image Consultant Marisol Colette says:

Of all the social media platforms, this is the one that has the most positive impact, because it’s about the sharing of valuable information around how to show up in the world as a better person with more support.

Listen to Marisol’s full testimonial:

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The LBI Backstage Pass is your community. Rose is the gardener, but so are you.

You are the gardeners and the seeds and the beautiful blooms.

In my part of the world, it is icy and cold. The sky is grey. But deep beneath the frozen ground there is a glowing ember of warmth. There is life. 

In a few short weeks, the first buds and signs of spring will arrive and if I am careful and consistent, I will cultivate the tiny piece of land outside my back door and create a sanctuary for the wild life, an environment where the flowers can flourish…where I can flourish.

Before I know what happened, it will be summer – lush and vibrant.

As Rose dreams into the lush and vibrant future of this community, she invites us to dream along with her, plant along with her, cultivate this space together, and grow.

Thank you for your presence in this process.

More About Lori-Lyn

More About Lori-Lyn

Website | Instagram 

Lori-Lyn Hurley is a writer and artist who wants her work to nourish the wild parts of you and inspire you to live creatively and be your true self in the world.

Click here to come Backstage, meet Lori-Lyn and the entire community of femme forward leaders. 

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The social media antidote: real Community – with a capital C

The social media antidote: real Community – with a capital C

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Am I the only one that gets a bit of a rash from the mainstream way of doing social media? The chirping birds that once allowed a community of journalists to gather on a platform to squawk freely has degraded with the equally free speech of Trump-eters and Musketeers alike. Quick quips of less edited and more run ons seem to fuel an arbitrary fire of divisive rhetoric instead of an international call and response of reporting. Makes me itchy just thinking of it! How about you?

Facebook’s boat of town hall focus has long since sailed in consideration of a user first, Community centered model;  unless you want to sell your old Ray Bans or gently used couch. And now with it’s not so sly rebrand, Meta is no longer the digital hub to visit in simply searching for long lost cousins without getting tussled in a political crossfire. Or maybe you’ll  just have your movements tracked for what you may have clicked (baited) on, unsuspectedly. Let’s not get into the weeds about the actual WHY beyond Zuckerberg’s build of said social network but a simple survey on the ethics of the platform in the ten year span of 2010-2020 doesn’t  show FB was built to scale to make people feel good about ourselves and our shared humanity; aka Community! 

FB’s own takeover of the once ‘independent’ & ‘emerging’ social media channel,  Instagram, was notably created by a nice, New England guy who began his tech obsession playing warfare in simulation games like Doom. Kevin Systrom, who attended Stanford and would initially turn down Zuckerburg for gainful employment before developing IG (2010) for what he would  then quickly  sell for a cool $1 billion ( 2012) straight to his Ivy league peer, Mr. Mark Z.  Talk about a tech unicorn!!  As we all  know, Instagram (as does Meta) leads with its algorithmic shadows leaving users feeling more like it’s a high school popularity contest instead of an inspiring, visual landscape of creators {woof}! Are you scratching yourself yet?

Thesocialmediaantidote

Upgrades to Community building by way of  new social apps like the audio only Clubhouse, user monetized Fanbase and reportedly less ‘toxic’ micro blogging site Hive Social are taking their own moment to convince users to come along for a better, more curated experience, off of the quite literal ‘beaten path. {grrrrr} 

We humans are old dogs, and sadly, we don’t do new tricks well, it seems. 

Making new social habit is hard, generally, and then the specifics of switching patterns from shitty, addictive behavior is something of (wo)mans’ existential kinks of our earthly existence. 

But what of TikTok, you may say. It’s so fun, you may bark!  The Chinese owned, facial recognition software, in its American version, is made quite differently than its own, homegrown type where the Great Wall-ed Community audience consumes an intentionally more educational set of media; much more PG rated than its US ‘content creators’; think PBS and not HBO. Oh and if you’d like to register yourself as a company or business on TikTok to have a proper pro account, please be sure you upload your EID number and supporting tax documents. Are you kidding me? They are not even trying to be low key, creepy. Just upload your social and we will get your media out expeditiously. {Please pass the salve, I’m beyond irritated. }

With all those pitfalls to what a Community network really may need to flourish, it’s really surprising to me why we keep swiping for more!  Not shocking however, are my notes from over two years of interviewing & studying women, ages 22-48 on our shared social media experiences and behaviors. I have heard so many people, particularly countless women in business and loads of established, well-known thought leaders saying that social media just makes us… sad?! We are many times left feeling less than social, even suicidal. This is not exactly conducive to fostering a Community! When I actually take a closer look into my own social media consumption, even if I use it to study and also promote this antidote I am creating, I am typically left feeling like absolute shit. 

{whimper and growl!}

During those last few years of research, I have also been conceiving and building the panacea for this scratchy mess of bad behaviors in tech. In creating this new model as a digital hub and corralling new users there instead of other, extractive channels, many women have confided in me that they would rather not show up at all to seemingly prove themselves on the current version of a social media like FB, IG, sometimes even LinkedIn- the more ‘professional’ space amongst the network camps! 

With all the ‘other’ extractive, toxic and alienating garbage that is the main stream, it’s no surprise that even those of us #livingourbestlives still feels like a shadow of ourselves after we put the phone down.  

In fact, many of our new users on The Backstage Pass have mentioned they’d rather just lean directly into a trusted Community instead. Internet users far and wide, particularly busy women, would rather go straight to the source when they need  support from Community. They’ve also told me that the space we are building Backstage is expressly different and participation there actually makes them feel good, seen and valued. Wooooa! Community with a capital C is reborn, meow!!!  Phoning a friend to ask her direction as to how to find the best resources on funding for a project or educational endeavor, where to find safe, reproductive resources or healthcare answers she can trust, or even where and how to get politically inspired??  Spoiler alert, that friend is often me and I know there are more amazing connectors like me to add to this generative model.  And so I want to know, why do we keep doom scrolling when we can easily be bloom scrolling ??  { see what I did there?}

Maybe it’s because the way social media is rigged currently is not real; one could argue it’s a bit surreal. It seems to serve as a weird hologram of what is sorta, kinda real with a filter and cute edit.  And maybe we like that, for a minute or two, because we are so flawed, pimpled, puffy eyed and truly exhausted by the reality of life. Perhaps we like to make it look like that A role, hologram is real. And maybe, once we’ve had 5-10 minutes ( or in my recent, covid holiday case, 498 minutes in one day of screen time), we suddenly are not as happy with such a photomicrograph of our shared existence aka Community as the channels suggest.  Instead users leave feeling like a mer shell of the hologram our filter told us we are; taking us away , one at a time, from actually being connected to the Community that we so eagerly desire by way of small bread crumbs of the ‘likes’ to our lustrous posts. Ah the dopamine!! { howwwwl!}

Maybe it’s because social media is mildly unconscious at this point.

It’s now so aged that it may have forgotten about its job description to act as a social glue and to utilize the internet for all its good tributes of tech facia;  connecting human beings to both one another and to a bevy of information that the world wide web boasts. Somehow the (questionably) well intended mission jumped the tracks and put profit first and divided the Community which essentially creates the content that makes it. Or maybe that’s just the tea we have drunk, served cleverly to us as Community whilst the architects never had true connection in mind. 

I mentioned a handful of new social apps making small waves with new approaches, which is arguably great for a variety of reasons:  accessibility, profit sharing and less toxic amongst them. I really want to not only center how we can individually profit off of usage of our  content, our own data and ultimately people power that we consciously lead; I want us to also think about how we can access the currency of the Community not as extractive but as generative; a total reverse usage of the model that big tech has presented as the only way the internet can be won. I don’t want to break the internet, I just want to buy it back for its shared, collective powers of Community, with a capital C. 

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The advent of modern day religion, albeit centuries ago, called humans to gather under one roof, in our various sects, together. Then, the $8 latte heralded by Starbucks underscored the opportunity to charge for that which tithes and offerings fell short of; perhaps a shortbread cookie instead of a dry wafer as you say hello to all your neighbors on the way to catch the train!  And now the “free access” to social networks that promise to connect as they openly make  major profits  from your personal preferences and data in exchange for your direct access to the Community you know that you want, or maybe you don’t know but it is arguably instinctual.

What if that value of Community was reverted?

What if that belonging that we all inherently seek because we are intrinsically herd animals ( sorry but we are) what if the value of your life lived wasn’t an accumulation for personal gain?  But the value we all carried was by how each of us are able to give support to our Community, and not just your inner circle, your local tribe but the larger Community of Humanity. 

This would require us, as humans, to see personal gains ( money and the gathering of wealth) to be far more than just piles of stuff. We’d have to refuse to allow how much or how frequently we consume to be an indication of success and the worth of the person. THIS is the antidote to separateness; a true salve to current day social media’s hologram of selfish, greed, jealous inducing and ignorant (sad) bliss. Big tech’s extractive nature has not only made pretend versions of ‘networks’ centering the most human thing, Community, but also made us all a bit melancholy in heading to the proverbial town square for our $8 latte blessing and data collection of facial recognition software and other fun grabs for personal information.  

In a timely report, our own US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy shares that we are in a pandemic of loneliness. With all these incredible uses of technology to connect us, we’ve never been so alone with over 60% of Americans struggling with loneliness and upwards of 75% of younger people in deep bouts of mental unwellness;  likely most common social media users.

But what if we didn’t need an ointment each time we used our handheld computers with power so great it can drive a car, adjust a thermostat or even make our morning toast!  What if we employed a bit of conscious economics to bring people together instead of dividing us in the typical, extractive capitalist models. Like I said,  I am not interested in breaking the internet but I would like to buy it back from the wild, wild west gents of tech delight ( looking at you Bill, Mark, Steve, Elon, Herman, Thomas, Charles and bevy of otherwise decisively progressive yet ultimately White Guys.) And let’s be clear, I don’t want to buy  back the internet  so I can be the Queen of the hill. No no! I’d like to be the god bless Robyn Hood of the internet:  redistributing the powers of access to tools & resources and flipping the script on how we do business.  

As a lifetime shit stirrer, now lovingly called an industry disruptor, I’ve been asking myself why we keep going back for more and where are the better ways? 

The simple breakdown of the words social + media would imply the goal to be to use media socially to take action, likely driving people to do something ….good, maybe even helpful to one another!  A fella woman in tech with veteran status far greater than mine, Gina Bianchini, has taken her love of Community with a capital C onto build and form a very powerful antidote indeed, a hub of hubs:  Mighty Networks. She & her very Community focused crew have centered the Independent Creator as lead of their own networks and empowered us to build accordingly. 

LBI Digital’s main hub is currently housed on Mighty so that we can build effectively, efficiently and with a shared ethos of women lead businesses with Humanists like Gina B at the helm. I’ve chosen this path to build our Community of badass women thought leaders, fella industry disruptors and business activists instead of continuing to support the outdated methods led by web profiters who seem to intentionally build divisive and separatist soap boxes that quietly collect data, runs ads based on your movements and otherwise extracts personal information from its users via automations, zaps and other cool roboto types of mechanisms. You will  see less of me, Rose Kaz, and less LBI Digital on the aforementioned dinosaur channels of extractive tech. I’ll be busy building generative and helpful solutions to access the incredible web of information we humans generate. I will be aggregating that information as it pertains to women’s equity in the world so we can ALL progress better together AND actually feel good about ourselves!

Modern day …errr Dino day social media is like our Grandparent with dementia that can’t recall if you are his nurse, best friend Johnny or car wash attendant. With due respect for whatever he has accomplished in his heyday, he isn’t really contributing to the overall growth of modern society and adding value to current day culture. Dinosaur social media is on its own walk in the never ending, cul de sac of a doom scrolling park, basically nearly in an induced coma. You’re drunk social media, go home!

 

love, 

Rose 

More About Rose Kaz:

More About Rose Kaz:

Backstage Pass

Rose Kaz  is the Fem Founder and she’s done this a time or two. Her photo & video production company has taken her around the world but her new app allows her female clients & even women she hasn’t met yet to lean into each other, learn about our opportunity as business activists to support, grow & shop directly from one another. We are building a new economy, globally. WOW!

And the app we are talking about is that which Rose + the LBI Crew has launched where the ask for women is  to: ‘ take center stage in their lives;  to stand up, speak out & get GLOWING like never before’ Think activism meets B school meets super hip, online resource center! Sprinkle in some new school networking and POW The LBI Backstage Pass is #trending!

Click here to come Backstage, meet Rose and the entire community of femme forward leaders. 

Creative Community

Creative Community

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The importance of creative community, and especially the support and empowerment of women and femme-presenting people by other women, femme, and non-binary people, can’t be overstated.

It’s important.

And we know why. We know we have faced and continue to face immense challenges throughout history – from discrimination to lack of representation in the workplace, in media, and beyond. But by working together, we can create a more equitable and supportive environment in which we all can thrive.

We can support instead of compete.

Creative Community

One of the most effective ways to foster a supportive community is through the elevation of one another’s work. We should strive to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our peers, both in our existing communities and in wider circles.

We can do this in a variety of ways – public recognition, sharing resources, and providing support and guidance. Taking the time to recognize and appreciate the work of other women creates a sense of camaraderie and solidarity.
We need that in order to survive.

And thrive.

CreativeCommunity2

When women come together to support each other, we make a powerful and unique impact. Not only does it inspire confidence and create a sense of belonging, but it also leads to increased collaboration and innovation.

We end up creating more.

Creating better.

When we join together, women are able to pool our resources and ideas, leading to more effective solutions, expanded creativity, and joy.

We find joy together, joy in one another.

In addition to the tangible benefits of working together, building community among women fosters a sense of pride and connection that assists us energetically. It’s important that we have a space to come together and share their stories and experiences, as well as to learn from and inspire each other.

The importance of community and the power of women elevating the work of other women should never be undervalued. When we work together, we create a strong network of support, collaboration, and innovation that leads to positive change.

And true success.

More About Lori-Lyn

More About Lori-Lyn

Website | Instagram 

Lori-Lyn Hurley is a writer and artist who wants her work to nourish the wild parts of you and inspire you to live creatively and be your true self in the world.

Click here to come Backstage, meet Lori-Lyn and the entire community of femme forward leaders. 

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It is Safe to Create Together

It is Safe to Create Together

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I was just in the Ladyboss Lounge, reading the new member welcome chat.

At quick glance, I saw people from Texas, Missouri, Michigan, California.

I saw women who host podcasts, are professional ghost writers, aromatherapists, attorneys, wellness coaches, and business coaches.

I noticed that I could click the NEAR ME button and find members in my area. (I discovered a chakra healer an afternoon’s drive from where I live.)

As I sip my morning coffee and explore this virtual meeting room, I’m struck by how it feels.

The way things feel is very important to me. If a vibe is off, I have to leave.

The thing about the LBI Lounge is…the vibe is on.

It feels good.

It’s a safe space, and that’s something we all need.

Over the past few years, I have found myself craving a place where I belong, where I can be myself and share my life and my work in a supportive, affirming environment.

Maybe you’ve been craving that, too?

It is Safe to Create Together

Being a part of a safe community, where we can not only network, but also collaborate, is so important. I mean, it’s life-giving, isn’t it?

To have a place where we can support and inspire one another, especially for those working in fields that have been traditionally dominated by men, is vital.

Safe community space empowers us – as individuals and as a collective.

As a Creative, I find it incredibly important to be in communities where I can share my work without fear of judgement.

it is safe to create

The LBI Backstage Pass is an environment that’s inclusive and welcoming – and that benefits me as a creator. It provides a sense of comfort and support that feeds my creativity.

Whether you are just starting out in your business or creative endeavors, or you’ve been building a business for years, being a part of a supportive and encouraging community can provide with the guidance and the energy you need to grow and develop.

A safe community for women to share their work is essential for creating a more equitable industry.

It helps to foster a culture of acceptance and empowerment for women, non-binary, and femme presenting people. It’s a great way to develop connections and make valuable contacts that will ultimately ultimately help us thrive and be successful.

But this morning, as I’m meeting this new faces and names and reading about where people live and how they live, I’m noticing how important it is for us to simply know one another.

Hearing one another’s stories, talking about where we are from and what we love is a reminder that life is good. The world is, at its heart, good.

And we as individuals and a community…are good.

We want what’s best for ourselves, but we also want what’s best for one another.

It’s both a comfort and an inspiration.

I’d love to meet you in the Lounge.

If you’ve been thinking about joining us Backstage, now is the perfect time. (It’s free!)

I’m going to pour another cup of coffee, and I’ll meet you there!

More About Lori-Lyn

More About Lori-Lyn

Website | Instagram 

Lori-Lyn Hurley is a writer and artist who wants her work to nourish the wild parts of you and inspire you to live creatively and be your true self in the world.

Click here to come Backstage, meet Lori-Lyn and the entire community of femme forward leaders. 

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The Ultimate Guide To Elevating Your Relationship

The Ultimate Guide To Elevating Your Relationship

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Relationships have changed more in the last 50 years than they have in the previous 5,000. We now have more freedom than ever to choose who we want to be and who we want to be within a relationship. But with this freedom comes the responsibility to understand how to create a solid foundation on which our relationship can thrive. In the past, relationships were more based on survival and need. Today, modern-day couples enter into a relationship for the psychological fulfillment of both individuals. 

The following is a guide to creating a happy and healthy long-term relationship.

Create A Common Vision

The first step to creating the relationship and life of your dreams is to have a clear vision. Having a life vision allows you to get more clarity about your future and what you truly want. To get from where you are to where you want to be, you must be specific. I am here to support you every step of the way.

The Ultimate Guide to Elevating Relationships

Create Your Vision Questionnaire

Strengthen your relationship by asking your partner the following questions:

1. Finances: How much money do you want to make annually? How will this money serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding money?

2. Home: What does your home look like? Where are you living? How does your home serve you? What are your values and expectations when it comes to your home?

3. Work: Where are you working, and what are you doing? Why does this occupation serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding your work?

4. Relationship: What does your relationship with your partner look like? How does this relationship serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding your relationship?

5. Children: What relationship do you have with your children? How does this relationship serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding your children?

6. Family: what type of relationship do you have with your family? How do these relationships serve you? What are your values and expectations when it comes to your family?

7. Health: What type of diet and exercise routine do you have? How does this healthy routine serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding your health?

8. Interests and Adventures: What are your interests, hobbies and adventure goals? How do these experiences serve you? What are your values and expectations regarding your interests and adventure?

9. Personal Life: How are you feeling within yourself? What type of person are you? What are your values and expectations when it comes to your personal lives?

Once you understand what you want your life to look like (goals) and begin to dig deeper as to why those things are important to you (values), you will start to create the foundation of your life and begin to take steps to thrive. 

Master Effective Communication

When two people come together in a relationship, they create three entities.

  • Partner One
  • Partner Two
  • The Couple

Understanding means being sympathetically aware of our partner’s feelings, tolerant and forgiving. To understand is to become familiar with them and to accept them the way they are.

We must understand our partners and listen to their needs and desires. We must gain insight into who our partner is and what they truly need from us. This understanding must come without judgement or expectations. We will learn how to truly listen by making an effort to hear them, being alert and ready to absorb and accept all information. (Acceptance does not equal agreement) To understand someone, you must learn how to communicate effectively.

The Ultimate Guide to Elevating Relationships 2

How well do you know your partner’s inner psychological world, their history, worries, stresses, joys, and hopes?

How to Have Effective Communication

Base your conversation on one topic at a time. Then go through the following steps:

The Speaker

1.  Speak clearly and directly while maintaining eye contact.
2. Give pauses so that your partner can comment.
3. Use “I statements”.

The Listener

1. Listen carefully to what your partner says, not what you think they mean.
2. Practice uninterrupted listening: Be aware that when we are in an argument, our attention span caps at ten seconds before we stop focusing on what the other person is saying and begin to think of our defensive statements.
3. Show you understand, regardless of whether or not you agree. Comment on what they said and validate their feelings.

Understanding Questionnaire

Strengthen your relationship by asking your partner the following questions:

What was the beginning of your relationship like, and what inspired you to make this commitment?

How are the two of you similar, and how are you different?

When do you feel most content in your relationship? When do you feel most unhappy or frustrated?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you respect your partner (1=not at all, 10=very highly)?

What is it about them that creates that level of respect in you?

What role have you played in contributing to the problems in your relationship?

Master The Power Couple Technique

Relationships without fighting are not only possible, but they are also necessary.

To navigate your relationship successfully, you must be able to go through conflict lovingly and respectfully, finding a solution that works for both partners time and time again.

ultimateguide

The 7 Steps to Success

1. Create a safe environment
Find the right time and place to have a conversation face-to-face with eye contact and respectful tones.

Example: When the kids are in bed on a Saturday night, you sit on the sofa with a glass of wine and soft music playing.

2. Each person states the issue in need of resolution. Do you agree?

Example: I tell my husband I am overwhelmed with the house chores. Working from home, taking care of a nine-month-old, cooking and cleaning are not leaving me time for self-care.

3. Each person states how they view the issue. 
Here we must practice understanding which is accepting our partner’s perspective as valid, even if we disagree.

4. Each person explains what outcome they desire. Do you agree?
Here we focus on what we want, not what we want our partner to do.

Example: I would like more time during the week to practice self-care.

5. Together, brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Make a list.
Be open and creative. Don’t worry about what is the only solution. 

Example: We could divide the cleaning by days. I can clean Monday, Wednesday and Friday while you clean Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We could hire a cleaner. We could have a cleaning party on Saturdays where we all clean while dressed in funny costumes and listening to our favourite music. We could divide the cleaning by tasks, and we each pick which ones we prefer to do.

6. Pick one you would like to try first. Begin to solve the issue.
We often get caught up on what is the one solution to fix everything. Instead, we can feel calmer and more confident by choosing one solution we believe MAY work, putting it into practice and seeing how it goes.

7. Check in with each other to see if you have resolved the issue. If not, pick another possible solution. Repeat this process as often as needed until you find a solution that works for both of you.

Improve intimacy

Sexual intimacy and sex are two different things. Sexual intimacy is not simply a physical act but a pleasurable experience between two people in Love who express trust, vulnerability and appreciation for one another. It’s about physical and emotional intimacy and improved health for both partners, thanks to the excellent release of hormones due to physical touch. Sex is not only about penetration and orgasms. Physical intimacy has a range of expressions, all focusing first on the mind. When couples embrace, they have increased levels of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for lowering stress and making us feel less stressed. 

Learn About Your Body

Now’s the time to explore if you’re unsure what you like or how to reach orgasm. Take some alone time for yourself to discover what gives you pleasure. Then go back to the first tip and communicate that with your partner. If both partners know what makes them feel good individually, it will give you a higher chance of feeling good when you are together.

Identify Your Turn Ons

What can you or your partner do to get you in the mood? Women tend to enjoy sex more when we are warmed up. So it’s essential to identify what that looks like to you. Is it a back massage, a candle-lit dinner with lots of room for dessert and neck kisses, listening to relaxing music or having a warm bath? Explore various possible turns and see which one works for you.

Live A Healthy Lifestyle

Exercise releases endorphins and hormones and helps you become attuned to your body. Through the aging process, exercise can help increase desire, especially among women.

Become An Adventurous Person

People who are curious and open to new experiences report higher levels of sexual satisfaction. Be open to new ideas, and don’t be afraid to try new things with your partner.

Ultimate Guide to Elevate

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the ability to be present in the present moment. This means not being worried about the past or fearful of the future. When you are with your partner, mindfulness can slow down intimate moments together and allow you to guide the scenario in the way which it’s most pleasurable to you.

Create Physical Intimacy Outside of Sex

Having a high physical intimacy outside of sex often translates to a heightened level of sexual intimacy during sex. Physical intimacy can include kissing, holding hands, cuddling, caressing, spooning, eye contact and rubbing. The more physically connected you are during the day, you will feel closer to one another. 

Schedule it

I know how busy we are, ladies! It never ends with the kids, the partner, the job, the chores, the meetings, and the friends! But if you are currently sexually active in a sexual relationship, it’s essential to understand that it is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. The bond strengthened during sexual intimacy will spill out into all the other aspects of your life; it’s an investment! When you make Love to your partner and are feeling happy and energized, that is how the two of you will show up with one another in other aspects of your relationship and with others, including your children.

Intimacy Questionnaire

Strengthen your relationship by asking your partner the following questions:

Describe our sexual relationship. What do you find most satisfying about it? What don’t you like about it?

How has your sexual relationship changed since we were first together?

How well do you think our sex drives match up? How often would you like to have sex?

How important do you think sex is in our relationship?

Are there things you want to explore sexually that you haven’t told me about?

Cultivate Joy

Joy is a fulfilling and happy occurrence in successful relationships. It means to experience great pleasure or delight with your partner.

Learn to play

Play reduces stress, improves sleep, reduces aggression, fosters creativity and strengthens the bond in relationships. Play can be considered “other-directed”—the kind that genuinely draws others into silliness and good cheer. Another play is “intellectual,” where we enjoy wordplay and creatively solving problems. Play can also be “whimsical,” an amusement with life and a slightly oddball attitude.

Invest in quality time

The most comprehensive study on happiness conducted at Harvard University shows that people who invest in their relationships live longer and happier lives. Beyond social class, genetics, or cholesterol levels, the study found that positive relationships with others were the leading drivers of someone’s ability to combat health issues.

3 Keys to Quality Time

  • Schedule it: Pick days and times during the week that you can enjoy with one another. Start with less and add more as time goes on.
  • Set the Boundaries: Define what will be done when and set the rules for each activity.
  • Give a significant amount: giving all of your attention to your partner gives couples time to relax and open up their heart to each other. Effective communication allows individuals to be themselves, bringing the team closer together. Scheduling quality time ensures you do not miss any opportunity to be together. During this time, don’t waste time worrying about the family, work and kids. Just focus on the moment life has blessed you with. To spend time together, you’ll also need to plan activities to keep the passion between you two alive.

Joy Questionnaire 

Strengthen your relationship by asking your partner the following questions:

1. Describe your perfect morning
2. How do you relax after a long day? A long week?
3. What three activities are you dying to try with me?
4. What habits would you like to introduce into the relationship?
5. What does fun look like for you?

Follow @raileymolinario on Instagram for daily tips on how to create a thriving relationship that truly stands the test of time!

This post originally appeared on raileymolinario.com.

More About Railey

More About Railey

Website | Instagram 

Expert Love Educator & Relationship Coach Railey Molinario is empowering us to create lives we Love by teaching us relationship intelligence. She’s best known for her signature program, the Power Couple PhD, which teaches couples her scientifically backed formula for creating happy and healthy relationships.

Click here to come Backstage, meet Railey and the entire community of femme forward leaders.

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