+1 862 207 3288 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnyAB2wY-9c ) and read the article by Youmans and York (See upload file ).
Here are some questions to prompt discussion, but feel free to discuss your own views as long as they are relevant.
1. Are “chaotic” hacktivists like Anonymous useful for democracy? Do we need them to “keep the internet free”?
2. Are online activists valuable voices of dissent or just geek mischief makers? Are they using the moral high ground to justify their own need to wield power?
3. Are hackers terrorists?
4. Is the story of Anonymous one that demonstrates the democratic power of the internet – or the power of the digital divide, where those with tech skills and knowledge dominate? Do you find the possibilities illuminated by Anonymous liberating or terrifying?
5. Given the tension between the goals of activists and the interests of the owners of social media platforms, is social media beneficial to social movements such as those in the Arab Spring? Or is it a false hope for activists living under repression?
