axbom - digital ethics and compassionate design

PSA: Choose your Mastodon instance

While I've written several guides and posts on Mastodon and the fediverse, the first step of joining is always the biggest obstacle: Choosing an instance to join. Seeing a demand for it, I put together this brief overview of 10 instances. You will often hear that there are "thousands of

newsletter

25 years of online resilience

Twenty-five years ago today I registered axbom.com as my domain name for sharing updates and stories. I had started blogging (or web logging) prior to then, on a Swedish platform known as Passagen, but owning my own name as a dot com was exhilirating. I first coded my pages

fediverse

The many branches of the Fediverse

As more and more people are asking me about Mastodon I felt a need for a picture to point at, showcasing how the software known as Mastodon fits into the much larger concept of the Fediverse. I made this visualisation to help myself and others explain the many different use-cases

fediverse

10 quick Mastodon tips

There has recently been a huge rush of people trying out Mastodon. This is also noticeable in the number of people reading my earlier Mastodon Guide. I wanted to take this opportunity to provide a brief list of usage tips that I wish I had at hand when first setting

Per Axbom standing at the back of a room, holding a beer, getting ready to speak to audience members in a lounge setting.

digital guidance

Why I left algorithm-based social media and what happened next

This is a blog adaptation of a recent 15-minute talk I was asked to do at an Ambition Empower event. Having noticed that I am no longer on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn people are naturally curious as to my reasoning and how this works for a small business owner.

digital ethics

Three lessons from a man who averted nuclear war by not trusting a computer

On September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov made the correct decision to not trust a computer. The early warning system at command center Serpukhov-15, loudly alerting of a nuclear attack from the United States, was of course modern and up-to-date. Stanislav Petrov was in charge, working his second shift in place

digital ethics

Flashing content that can trigger seizures

World Ethical Data Forum autoplays a video at the top of their page that can trigger photosensitive epileptic seizures

The creepy sound of online trackers

I can't get the noise out of my head. People who watch the video express awe and disgust. And that is why Dutch software developer Bert Hubert's experiment is so powerful. It doesn't really uncover something that we shouldn't already know. Something we often choose to ignore. The brilliance is

newsletter

Mindless data collection

Avoiding data collection on the internet is a challenge. In a recent experiment with online anonymity, I withdrew cash to pay for a coupon that would allow me to sign up for Mullvad VPN. I even wore a baseball hat to more easily obscure my face. One of the few

democracy

A guide to voting in the Swedish election

Since the election of 2014 I've maintained a website about voting in Sweden's general election. I made it to provide an easily accessible English-language overview, hoping to encourage more people to vote. Many people may hesitate to vote if they feel uncertain about the process or are afraid of making

Per Axbom speaking on stage at Front Conference

digital ethics

How to build the good and responsible thing @ #frontzurich

Per Axbom's keynote at Front Conference in Zürich, Switzerland. Presented on August 26, 2022.

newsletter

Algo-free behavior

This is the first newsletter sent from my self-hosted Ghost installation with absolutely no tracking of clicks and opens. It’s embarassing to admit how long it often takes me to put my money where my mouth is, to actually work in alignment with the responsible innovation I teach. Sure

Illustration of 3 astronauts asking How should I act, How should I be and What is my responsibility.

digital ethics

Digital Ethics and Moral Theory Explained

A brief guide to moral philosophy and how digital ethics fits within the branch of applied ethics.

Robot with a stop sign in front of a ballot box, asking "Are you hooman?". Four obscured letters at the bottom.

digital ethics

How captchas break democracy

A terrible captcha solution making it difficult to vote for many EU citizens.

indieweb

Indieweb and self-hosting my own space

As I'm moving all my online assets to a VPS (Virtual Private Server) I wanted to share my current setup. I also want to emphasise that I've been able to set this all up with decent technical knowledge and an understanding of how the internet works, but far from adept

Screenshot of Revue status message and a confectionery factory conveyor belt on a colorful background

copywriting

That Oompa Loompa message on Revue

As I'm moving my newsletter subscribers from Revue to a self-hosted platform I requested an export of my subscribers. The message on screen from Revue I got was this: We'll set our Oompa Loompas to work on exporting your subscribers and they'll send you an email once they're finished. I

Panda surfing away from shark-infested explosion towards a green island with an oak tree and flowers.

digital ethics

Bye, bye algorithm

Saying goodbye to Twitter, LinkedIn et al.

newsletter

Big Tech Wipeout

It’s been a very long time coming with so many hesitations and false starts over the years. I’ve truly wanted to commit to small tech, open source software and ensuring that I publish my content on my own platforms. Keeping the content from being used by others for

digital ethics

Faux-tonomy - the dangers of fake autonomy

The word autonomy is being thrown around these days, often to imply that software is running without human intervention. But it still does not mean software can make decisions outside of the constraints of its own programming. Software can not learn what it was not programmed to learn. Importantly, it

newsletter

The Mammoth in the Room

It’s starting to look like Musical Chairs in the Social Media Games™. Are you on Mastodon? Do you know what it is? I’m in it for the third time. The third time is the charm, right? Shortly after settling down after a considered approach to making a personalized

fediverse

A Brief Mastodon Guide for Social Media Worriers

Tips and advice for getting started with Mastodon. Especially if you're used to Twitter.

digital ethics

The Trouble Diamond

Asking the right questions for moral management at each stage of the design process

communication theory

That unpleasant job posting from Nielsen Norman Group

How a job posting communicates culture and values. Are you ready to join the elite?

Illustration of a man looking in the mirror and pointing at his own reflection.

newsletter

Keeping Up Appearances

The past two years I’ve been struggling to stay in touch with people, work colleagues and friends. My unease over global and local uncertainties, big life decisions and a string of illness and health issues in my close network of familiars caused me to turn inwards. In a big

Person by computer. Online meeting, and a cameraperson in the same room ask: "is everyone okay with recording this meeting?"

digital ethics

Consent for recording meetings

Things to keep in mind when recording digital meetings. Consent is often requested far too late.

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