The mode is happily adopted by The People's government, which increasingly takes upon itself micromanagement of The People's lives, down to the level of their amino acids. Democratization through media is a savage process. Early idealists extrapolated from meetings in the village square, so teledemocracy meant arguments were presented and decisions evolved, presumably in a respectful silence. The new technologies seem to dictate that the pyramid structure of communications will continue to flatten out, that the metalogue of information, ideas, and images won't just come from a handful of media executives and advertisers. Cool, but as more and more people get a voice, a voice needs a special stridency to be heard above the din.
Mob action is the sleaziest and the easiest for stirring people up.
On the street, people tolerate diversity because they have to - you'll get from here to there if you don't get in anybody's face. But the new media environment is always urging you to mock up an instant opinion about The Other and register that judgment, however harsh or insulting, with no concern about consequences. You can be part of the biggest mob in history. Atavistic fun, guys. She's a charter member of the cypherpunks and a very nice person.