Whenever a major news story hits the media, Anonymous seems to be there, making a statement, or trying to set things right, if they go wrong. So it is not surprising to see them mentioned in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings. However, rumours have been spreading, that the group was actually backing the attack. Anonymous posted a video message denying having any role in the bombings and promising to find the real attackers. It is not clear, where did the false message appear first, but it has been put in connection with a group opposing the Anonymous and is trying to shift the blame on them to damage their reputation. Are we getting to the times of cyberwars? A group, opposing another group, releasing false information; where is this going to end? How are people ever going to be able to trust any information they get?
Liz Harrison, writing for Conservative Daily News is rather skeptical about either of the groups saying, that there is just another of them to handle. According to her, they should be dealt with like "a couple cobras in a pen together – let them fight it out, see which one survives".
Source:
Harrison, Liz. "Anonymous, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and Conspiracy Theories."Conservative Daily News. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 May 2013. <http://www.conservativedailynews.com/2013/04/anonymous-the-boston-marathon-bombing-and-conspiracy-theories/>.
While I tend to perceive the Anonymous positively rather than negatively, this great article triggered one thought in me: “here we go.” An abuse of another important entity has arrived. Throughout the history, perhaps any powerful activists or institutions became subjects of admiration but also corruption, misuse and sometimes even unintended transformation. However, the fact that the Anonymous is truly “anonymous,“ might make it even more thorny for the group to “face” and fight its imitators and image convertors. Thus, the Anonymous might find holding its unique position in firm, respected and non-confusing manner more and more difficult if a chain reaction of interference with the group becomes a norm. Moreover, the future of the Anonymous does not depend only on the threatening external effects. It is also about its own internal decisions that will determine whether the group stays loyal to its original purpose and either just rises or falls, or whether it is going to recreate its ideology in some significant way. In any case, your blog, Silvia, was amazing to read and enlightened me of much information, evoked more of my interest in your topic, and filled me with anticipations about the future course of the Anonymous.
OdpovedaťOdstrániť- Aneta Z.