<story><title>Shell social media oil spill a &apos;coordinated online assassination&apos;</title><url>http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/shell-social-media-oil-spill-a-coordinated-online-assassination-20120719-22bpe.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>hcurtiss</author><text>What&apos;s shocking to me is the blatant manipulation of the mob.  Maybe this has gone on forever, but seeing it happen in real time on sites like Reddit is tripping me out.  While I think my BS filter is more sophisticated than most, on the morning it was released I sent the Shell party video to a colleague to ask if he was there not realizing it was a spoof.  Turns out he happened to know there was no such party.&lt;p&gt;I feel like the internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place, and subtly so.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>rickmb</author><text>If you are shocked by the &quot;blatant manipulation of the mob&quot;, the advertising you see all around you every day, everywhere must put you in a permanent state of catatonia.&lt;p&gt;How come the combination of internet and activism is suddenly &quot;dangerous&quot;, and not the pervasive and misleading propaganda we&apos;ve been subjected to for generations?&lt;p&gt;Shell can no longer drown out the opposition with millions of dollars and &lt;i&gt;now&lt;/i&gt; it&apos;s a problem?</text></comment>
<story><title>Shell social media oil spill a &apos;coordinated online assassination&apos;</title><url>http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/shell-social-media-oil-spill-a-coordinated-online-assassination-20120719-22bpe.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>hcurtiss</author><text>What&apos;s shocking to me is the blatant manipulation of the mob.  Maybe this has gone on forever, but seeing it happen in real time on sites like Reddit is tripping me out.  While I think my BS filter is more sophisticated than most, on the morning it was released I sent the Shell party video to a colleague to ask if he was there not realizing it was a spoof.  Turns out he happened to know there was no such party.&lt;p&gt;I feel like the internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place, and subtly so.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>k3n</author><text>I&apos;d pity them save for the fact that big oil has been &apos;blatantly manipulating the mob&apos; for decades now, at the detriment to our environment.&lt;p&gt;The dangers of the mob are very real though, as many people&apos;s lives have been ruined (or nearly ruined) through some misinformation that goes viral.</text></comment>