Reactions to the Boston Marathon Bombing

One of the major reactions to the Boston marathon bombing occurred on the internet. Social media was especially rife with speculation over who the bombers were and why they committed those acts. One of the greater spectres that has loomed over the social media landscape in the past few years is the group called “Anonymous.” While the social media reaction to the Boston bombings might be unrelated to “Anonymous,” and instead constitute a spontaneous reaction to the event, it might still be useful to look at this group of internet users as a model for how social media participants might behave. “Anonymous” is known for being a loose association of unidentified individuals who use internet technology to carry out hacks on the web in the name of protest.
According to Gabriella Coleman (2012), “Anonymous” began on the internet forum 4chan, and grew from the culture on that site (paragraph 1). 4chan (n.d.) describes itself as “...[A] simple image-based bulletin board where anyone can post comments and share images.” (What is 4chan? section, para. 1) The site notes that the name “Anonymous” came from the moniker used to identify posters that did not choose to register an identity for posts on the site (Who is “Anonymous”? section, para. 1).
Anonymous does not have any formal structure or organization. In his paper, “Is it OK to Be an Anonymous?” Phillip Serracino-Inglott (2013) explores the organization of Anonymous. He says its “members” consist of a heterogeneous mix of computer hackers, activists and trouble-makers. All of these members range wildly in terms of level of expertise and experience. Participation in Anonymous activities even vary a great amount, with some participating in activities deeply, while others only lend a hand...

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...to the Boston bombings were a case of internet vigilantism is up for debate, and it’s unlikely that Anonymous itself had much involvement in the social media reaction to the bombings. According to Phillip Serracino-Inglott (2013), however “Anonymous are indeed vigilantes,” (p. 138). Even if vigilantism may not be part of the social media reaction to the Boston bombings, Anonymous is worth mentioning as a demonstration of how vigilantes might behave on the internet. They show how the internet allows unassociated people to unite together in reaction to major events. According to Serracio-Inglott (2013), Anonymous users make use of, and are perhaps even influenced by the various technologies they employ for their activities (p.228). Their participation in major political events makes them a notable factor when studying the internet reaction to these kinds of events.