How

Manifesto

Hackmeeting is the annual gathering of Italian digital countercultures, communities that take a critical stance toward the mechanisms of technological development within our society. But it’s much more than that. We’ll whisper it in your ear, and only in yours, so don’t tell anyone: Hackit is only for hackers, i.e., for those who want to manage their lives as they see fit and know how to fight for it. Even if they’ve never seen a computer in their life.

What can you expect?

The following text was written at a pre-hackmeeting meeting in November 2025.

Things we like about HM, and things we don’t?

(First discussion with round-robin contributions)

We like: * self-management * Hackmeeting is one of the very few hacking events without cops, military, their filthy money or that of any sponsor * it is a national meeting, a treasure in the Italian movement * but HM is also a transnational network * there is a critical approach to technology, as a tool of oppression and liberation

We don’t like:

• communication and discussion methods on the list (e.g., trolling, machismo, transphobia…)
• We start from scratch every year: what values can we say we have in common?
• We don’t set aside enough time to discuss our values and affinities.
• People who idolize technology and technical skills.

We still don’t know how much capacity we have to change and evolve; we see both potential and limitations (given the annual nature of the meeting and the large number of people involved).

There is a trust between us that stems from affinity. There are values and practices that are somehow inherent in the fact that we meet in occupied spaces, for example. We don’t meet for material gain, but to share practices and emotions.

Doing things together during Hackmeetings binds us together because it allows us to experiment with these practices. Self-management is a tool that allows us to get to know and understand each other collectively as individuals.

After this first round, three macro-themes emerged for discussion in groups:

• Hackmeeting values/affinity
• Spaces for discussion
• How to implement the decisions of the assembly

Values/Affinity

Sharing - Sharing is (a)Caring

The theme of “stars” and supremacism is problematic for us.

We want to discourage talks that focus on the ego of the presenter.

To do this, we would like to encourage caring behavior in the first person. The person who “holds” the talk is the one who decides its approach: e.g., if we want to encourage the use of correct pronouns, let’s start doing it ourselves, let’s spread the word!

Let’s not just talk about our great successes, but also our failures!

We are not interested in demonstrating how technically skilled we are; we do not want performance anxiety!

Even listeners can (and must) steer the discussion in as horizontal a direction as possible —> no cults, no gurus (kill your idols!!!)

You can tackle “technically heavy” topics without showing off your ego.

Hacking things and people

… all this, keeping in mind that performativity is woven into our social DNA: it must be kept in check, but its origins must also be understood. Let’s try to be hackers: just as we like to understand how technologies work, let’s try to understand how people and groups work, and keep in mind the effects of (our) behavior.

Change… Processing

Transformation and Change are values for this community. Change is not a solution, but a lively, creative, transformative process made of love, struggle, and solidarity. We support change within the community, and transformation will be fueled by the community itself.

Change is also possible through curiosity about how things and people work in relationships.

Paletti - You Shell Not Pass!

How does Hackmeeting differ from other hacker events?

No sponsors, no military, no cops, yes to self-management!

We are united not only by a critical approach to technology, but also by the desire to destroy oppression in all its forms.

Mutual care and support - Embracing values, not just proclaiming them

This community is committed to staying engaged with the issue. We seek a remedy that involves listening rather than providing solutions; we do not want to shy away from the problems that are brought to light. We want to support those who are unable to participate in community events in person. At the same time, we realize that in the digital world of the list, we currently lack the appropriate tools to provide support and solidarity in the face of aggression.

Putting up a poster at the entrance is easy, but embodying values requires constant commitment. A space becomes more welcoming only when the people who pass through it listen and actively practice the values of the community, even if it is tiring and painful. We need to understand the tools we give ourselves to do this. We do not want to use exclusion alone.

Spaces for discussion + How to implement the decisions of the assembly

We feel that the assembly is the space where decisions are made. The decisions of an assembly can be modified in the next assembly. Reports of the meetings are sent to the mailing list for feedback, but online discussion cannot replace face-to-face discussion. If people are unable to attend the assembly for logistical/economic reasons, we will try to support them.

We are a group that needs to coordinate and discuss, and one assembly per year is no longer enough, and perhaps it never was.

Spontaneity takes time and exists thanks to more or less informal moments.

Open conclusions

• Every physical meeting can and must be decision-making, but obviously every decision can be called into question at the next meeting;
• the mailing list is not a decision-making forum, reports are only used to update people. We understand that this approach requires greater commitment;
• it is important for us to have dedicated “existential” moments, in particular:
  • one pre-hack per year dedicated to a spiritual retreat™: each pre-hack takes turns “sacrificing” itself to hold a two-day meeting (yes, two days of meetings and discussions, we have to do it :).
  • during the various community events, find other spaces for community meetings (whether thematic or varied).
• We would like the existential pre-hack to also be an opportunity to publicly communicate the “state of the art of the community,” the evolutionary moment in which Hackmeeting finds itself (including doubts and open questions).
• At the end of the existential pre-hack, an update will be posted on the website with a snapshot of the community (like this one, click). Of course, these images are not definitive: they can be redrawn when necessary.

At the next HM, we would like to:

• Clearly communicate logistical and financial support.
• Create dedicated spaces for care, such as listening, perhaps a small dedicated assembly?
• Encourage an inclusive approach to talks, making this explicit in the call. A talk is not a time to show how good you are, but a time for relationship building and sharing.