Week #13: Anonymity and Transparency
One of the first things that we learned in this class was that what draws people into the internet, is the ability and promise of anonymity. It is seductive in a way that people can be a whole other person, another side of themselves that they cannot be int he real world because not socially acceptable. I understand the lure of anonymity when it comes to social movements these days. The government attacks people who don't abide by their very strict, cookie-cutter rules, and that leads to consequences. It is a war that the government does not quite understand, one that threatens the security that they have built.
When you cross traditional protesting and the internet, something beautiful is born. For example, some of Rutgers' very own marched from the Douglass campus all the way up Rt. 18, creating quite a peaceful disturbance, and made their way to College Ave today. I followed the whole protest online through Twitter, Facebook, and Yik Yak. I didn't even have to leave my bed and I knew what was happening. I began reposting and retweeting and sharing until everyone I knew was flooded with information about the protests. Just the awareness itself is something strong.
I am in no way condoning any of the actions that Anonymous has done. Their intentions, though, good, do not come across that way. But that is the price to pay for anonymity.
https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/anonymous-threatens-shut-down-iggy-azaleas-usc-concert-010100249.html