Before the glory days of the internet, an activist was standing on the street with a sign. Maybe on a soapbox making a speech. Activists in large numbers would break laws, or even resort to such bold moves as standing in front of tanks. Civil disobedience was the workhorse of social change for most of the 20th century. But it’s a new era now. This is the century of the internet and a new form of activism has rapidly grown there too.
They call themselves Hacktivists. You may have heard of Anonymous, but they are not the only group. Through image boards like 4chan and 711chan many communities started, merged, and split over the subject of online activism.
Anonymous is probably the most influential and powerful, so for this post I’ll mainly focus on them. The iconic images of the Guy Fawkes mask and the suit without a head have become synonyms for Anonymous. They’ve shut down government websites around the world, discovered the tormentors of Amanda Todd and Rehteah Parsons, and led the way on many issues of social justice and liberty.
Anonymous was a large backer of the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement, and had a considerable role in ensuring that the protests remained peaceful. They work to undermine such organizations as the Westboro Baptist Church and the Church of Scientology have a difficult time. They even went after the North Korean Government. These guys have balls, and the skills to pull it all off. Anonymous is an organization by the people and for the people, the supporters of the 99%. They don’t forgive, forget, or even back down.
Unfortunately, there is also a darker side to the hacktivism of Anonymous. Extreme decentralization weakens the group's potency. The organization without any leaders has no ability to plan strategically and maximize their resources to further their goals of a free internet. It has even been speculated that some of their actions could diminish the freedom of the internet instead of defending it.
They attacked the Chinese government. They attacked on cyber-security companies that were lobbying for internet regulations. They shut down the sites of big music companies and many US government sites in response to them closing file sharing sites. They even shut down sites that run other sites, immobilizing thousands of blogs and businesses in one fell swoop. This strain of activity could be roughly compared to shooting a bazooka into the middle of a vote on gun control. By cyber-attacking anyone who tried to control the internet, they could be further increasing the fear of an unregulated “wild west” internet.
So what’s your take on these hacktivists? Is shutting down websites and wearing a Guy Fawkes mask really activism? Are they the voice of the oppressed in the twenty-first century, or are they simply sowing the seeds for their own destruction by poking the hornet's nest?
Personally, I think it is always better for a group of individuals to decide moves rather than one leader. Leaders can quickly become corrupted with power and turn their organizations into what they initially fought against. Internet activism in my opinion is a lot safer and better strategically to get somewhere rather than screaming through a megaphone and disrupting the peace. The internet is our biggest and most dangerous weapon. With a click of a button, a man in Thailand can see whatever you have posted. It is the only place where you can turn a society to chaos very quickly. Now of course I'm only speaking hypothetically but groups like Anonymous are fighting forest fires with a water gun. Small steps result in power.
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