This particular documentary exposes viewers to the history of the Anonymous hacking-movement, which during the last decade began to affect the socio-cultural discourse in the West to an ever-increased extent. According to the documentary, the movement’s origins can be traced back to the founding of the online image-board 4chan, which became very popular with ‘computer nerds’ from MIT during the early 2000s.
As time went on, however, these individuals (as well, as their mind-likes from around the world) were becoming ever more politically motivated – something that predetermined the eventual emergence of Anonymous, as the international community of people committed to the cause of using the Internet to promote free speech (hacktivism). The documentary provides detailed information, as to what were the process’s sub-sequential phases, while presenting the audience with the excerpts from the interviews with the most prominent members of Anonymous and promoting (subtly) the idea that the movement’s objectives are thoroughly legitimate.
In fact, it refers to hackers as nothing short of some modern-day heroes, deeply committed to the cause of the society’s betterment. The movement’s involvement in the harassment of Hal Turner (neo-Nazi radio host) and Tom Cruise (the affiliate of the Church of Scientology), as well as the fact that one of its members Julian Assange was the founder of the WikiLeaks website, are referred to as the best proof, in this respect. In my opinion, this is the main reason why “How Hackers Changed the World” should be recommended for watching – in the aftermath of having been exposed to it; people should be able to expand their intellectual horizons, with respect to what can be considered the societal significance of ‘hacktivism’.