Suject is the cover story of TIME this week.  It's a lengthy but in-depth discussion on the phenomenon of internet violence, and on how said violence in the form of vebal weapons exert powers to make the viewers under their sway through barrages of harassing, bullying, threating and scaremongering; at last they successfully "kidnap" their audience and achieve dirty politic goals.  (I read it from the magazine, so I don't know how to put a link here.  Please try to find it online, and it's worth your while.)

It's not unusual to find similar cases in Taiwan.  Look at PTT, a forum fraught with streams of vitriol and invective, without any limitation or restriction, against anybody they don't like.  Anyone who says something that contradicts the "mainstream", his or her account will be forced to conceal, or even deleted.  Don't forget how those "netizen army" worked for Ke P during last mayor election of Taipei and the so-called "Sunflower Movement".  The mob won the game, but all poor islanders lost their future, eventually.