Building Participatory Media with Evan Henshaw-Plath (aka Rabble)

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In this episode of the Decentered Media Podcast, Rob speaks with Evan Henshaw-Plath, widely known as Rabble, a technologist, activist, and early contributor to what would become Twitter. Their conversation offers a deep and reflective exploration of how digital communication platforms have evolved, and what can be done to reclaim them for civic participation and community empowerment.

Drawing on his early experiences with Indymedia, Rabble recounts how technology was once used to support activist-led media during pivotal global protests, most notably the 1999 WTO demonstrations in Seattle. He describes how these early experiments in collaborative, decentralised media laid the groundwork for new forms of participatory journalism, long before the rise of social media giants. This backdrop serves as a foundation for examining how grassroots tools like TXTmob enabled real-time coordination among activists and helped shape what would eventually become known as microblogging.

As the conversation develops, Rabble provides a first-hand account of the creative process behind Twitter’s initial development, offering insights into the cultural and ideological tensions that surfaced as the platform grew. He reflects on the moment when platforms shifted from tools of participation to vehicles for commercial surveillance and centralised control, particularly as venture capital interests began to dominate design decisions.

The discussion also turns to Rabble’s current work on nos.social, a decentralised social media platform built on the Nostr protocol. Here, he outlines an alternative vision of digital communication—one that enables people to own their identities, govern their communities, and exit platforms without losing their social connections. He explains how this approach draws inspiration from the open architecture of podcasting and email, and why protocols, rather than proprietary platforms, are essential for sustaining democratic dialogue online.

Throughout the episode, Rob and Rabble examine the deeper ethical and philosophical questions that underpin digital media development. They consider the challenges of fostering freedom of speech in a context shaped by moderation dilemmas, identity conflicts, and the psychological dynamics of social media use. Rabble discusses how the economic incentives behind advertising-based platforms have shaped user behaviour, and why rethinking the funding and governance structures of online systems is central to creating more just and inclusive digital environments.

Closing with a call for a new social contract for the internet, Rabble outlines the core principles of a proposed Social Media Bill of Rights. These include the right to privacy, the right to control one’s data and identity, the right to choose or exit platforms freely, and the right to participate in shaping moderation and algorithmic choices. For Rabble, these are not abstract ideals—they are practical necessities for building a media landscape that truly supports human dignity and democratic engagement.

This episode is an invitation to reflect on the structures that shape our online lives and to imagine new forms of media that are cooperative, decentralised, and grounded in civic responsibility. It’s a conversation that moves between personal insight, technical knowledge, and political critique, and it offers listeners a valuable perspective on how we might reclaim the digital commons for the public good.