::fibreculture:: The Leisure Class as Lynch Mob (Scientology vs. Anonymous)

[Katie Cavanagh]

Thanks to you both for this interesting thread,

It is not just the ways in which the groups are forming:

<--snip-->This is a massive distributed denial of service attack being organised
by teenagers who came together over videogames, racist jokes, image
macros and mind-boggling japanese pornography. Some action groups are
forming in ways we didn't expect,  or still don't have a language for.<snip>

but also the capacity for organised action which is so interesting. On the one
hand we have numerous events forming on Facebook (for example 'Walk Against
Warming' invitations, discussions about the Kyoto Protocol) which spread
virally through the pre-existing networks asking individuals to physically
front up to show support. On the other hand, there are groups formed by
"teenagers" (is that correct?) joined by lolcatz who feel strongly enough about
Scientology to organize structured denial. Some networks strive for presence,
the others actively pursue absence. There is skill and motivation required for
the denial of service, is this the way the hacker movement is heading? Are
these networks of obstruction hacking? Or are they, as Christian/Mathieu
suggest, something new? Genus:Networkers Species:Anonomous, how do we begin to
classify online social structure? 

It is very nice to see Fibreculture awake again, even if it is fleeting.

Cheers,
Katie Cavanagh

Quoting Christian McCrea <christian at wolvesevolve.com>:

> Thanks Mathieu,
> 
> The 1990s push against Scientology was interesting because it split
> people interested in anti-corporate activism but for whom protesting a
> specific "religion" was difficult to reconcile with their political
> economy. Its quite hard to position anti-Scientology, anti-Landmark
> Forum or anti- Alpha Course positions as, say, active leftism - at
> least in English speaking countries. Not least of which because every
> time a sociologist or academic researcher has so much as looked askew
> at the group, they are declared 'Fair Game', and come under massive
> pressure.
> 
> Also because to become 'Anti' these groups is to devote your life to
> it; a passing interest in commentary simply doesn't pay.
> 
> However, I believe its worth keeping the candle lit on this because
> each of these groups give substantial money to right-wing governments
> and organsations, wield significant influence on the operation of
> social programs (in which they are primarily interested) and of
> course, free speech.
> 
> In Australia we also have the Exclusive Brethren, which is an entirely
> different kettle of insane fish.
> 
> I'm not interested in attacking Scientology at all, but I think that
> these incidents (grown exponentially since I made the first post, by
> the way) tell a social narrative of the internet that I think is worth
> tracing. For every initiative to build a Smart Internet, there is a
> Stupid Internet growing on its own. Anonymous is perhaps one of the
> least organised, least effective group actions in history but we so
> used to asking 'well where are the burning tyres in these online
> spaces, where is the activism?', that we may be missing it. This is a
> massive distributed denial of service attack being organised by
> teenagers who came together over videogames, racist jokes, image
> macros and mind-boggling japanese pornography. Some action groups are
> forming in ways we didn't expect,  or still don't have a language for.
> 
> So on one hand you have this amorphous weird entity formed in the most
> bizarre way, and on the other you have Scientology. Its a bit like a
> duel between bezerk bureaucratic monsters; a T-Rex and a Stegosaur in
> the Land Which Reason Forgot.
> 
> 
> -Christian McCrea
> Swinburne University of Technology
> 
> ::posted on ::fibreculture:: mailinglist for australasian
> ::critical internet theory, culture and research 
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-- 
Katie Cavanagh
Coordinator, BCA Digital Media
Director of Studies, Digital Media Studies
Professional Studies
HUMN127
Flinders University
GPO Box 2100
Adelaide 5001
South Australia
p: 61 8 8201 2077
f: 61 8 8201 3635
e: katie.cavanagh at flinders.edu.au