Week 14
Underwood and Welserâs article demonstrate the extent to which protests have radically changed my means of the Internet. As a result of societyâs fascination with the Internet and social media, todayâs means of protests incorporate a mix of online and offline cultures. Social media has become the new outlet of protests--a combination of memetic information, humor, and real world activism. Likewise mentioned in the article, I thought it was amazing to see that the Church of Scientology could be under scrutiny by a group of anonymous people, and it really comes to show how threatening a group of hackers can be through the kind of resistance they put forth. From what I recall, Occupy Wall Street was heavily spread by Anons who hacked into websites like the New York Stock Exchange. Word of these protests rapidly circulated from New York City to Boston, prompting for more social movements to take place there. It didn't stop there, for Anons also helped to organize protests outside of the London Stock Exchange.
While people always see that Twitter can quickly report on what is happening around the world, itâs not necessarily mainstream media that quickly reports on these incidents. While events like Occupy Wall Street were widely publicized for a long course of time, it is also important to acknowledge the fact that information wouldn't have been spread that fast had it not been for the anonymous hackers who started the resistance in the first place. Their ability to collectively gather on the Internet speaks volumes and propels for the large influx of information that other mainstream media companies would later seek out.










