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

[Christian McCrea]

Katie,

Thanks for your comments. You are right in that there are some
interesting splits now in hackerdom (probably no longer accurately a
movement) and one of these directions is mischief for mischief's sake.
The creative technologist element has a new set of toys and tools to
engage with, with political capital and cultural forms to embody their
interests. If we look at what has occurred online since 2000, many
less people use email regularly than used to; as so much social action
migrates to the social database. (I call Facebook and Myspace social
databases here).

Also, while it is true that a DDoS requires skill and motivation,
there are automators involved that merely run on the desktop (again,
with an image macro superimposed over the status area) and keep you
updated of the damage you are causing on the target websites. There is
an element of leisure - of play - I think. Anonymous is obviously not
able to be classified as any age, but I say teenagers by making
certain calculated assumptions about music, film and gaming tastes -
visible in many of their forum threads - that reflect certain ages.

The hostility to Internet culture generally (to Myspace, Facebook,
Second Life, Habbo especially) makes it an interesting discussion
point for those looking at activism and resistance online, I think -
in form if not in content.

-Christian McCrea