Octopuses

The protagonist's description of the behavior of octopuses symbolizes the coordinated behavior of users of the portal when publicly shaming someone who is guilty of some perceived transgression. She compares this group attack on the guilty party to "a species that released puffs of poison, or black ink in a cloud on the ocean floor," and goes on to remark, "Have you read how octopuses are marching out of the sea and onto dry land, in slick and obedient armies?" (9). She is suggesting that the portal users are also "obedient armies" acting as a group when defending their principles online against the publicly shamed transgressor.

V-Day Photo

The World War II V-Day photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square is a symbol of the ways in which contextual information can change how something is perceived, an experience that is particularly common on the...