rushkoff

Okay, I think without losing the thread on the possibilities of constructive networked hive creativity, we can also look at a bit of its opposite: internet mob behavior.

While we may not all be able to agree that networked groups allow for collective innovation on an altogether new level - perhaps we can agree that the Internet allows for forms mob activity we never saw before.

Just the fact that, as Mark alluded to, there is so much power online in being "anonymous," is itself both empowering to those living in repression, but also terribly troubling. In my own experiences with angry online mobs, it was my very identity - my name, address, pictures of my family - that served as the mob's main weapons.

Or, back to the outline:

What are the, perhaps, unintended effects unleashed by our mass connectedness? Does anonymity plus connectivity always equal misbehavior and cruelty? How are we to explain some of the collective anger that seems to be unleashed online - and is it a result of the same anger characterizing much of our society's discourse, or is it the cause?