I think these kinds of events became "bigger" and more noticeable because of the evolution of the web. First people just pointed and laugh. Then, as more not-

I think these kinds of events became "bigger" and more noticeable because of the evolution of the web. First people just pointed and laugh. Then, as more not-so-private information became available, people were able to figure out where the target lived, worked, name and family. Things escalated to prank calls, ordering pizza to their homes or simply showing up at their door to point and laugh. But then came the social media boom. Facebook, Twitter, and every detail of a person's life was there for the pickings. Gathering information about a "target" got really, really easy. And it became easier to mock/attack too. You have an embarassing video, I'll put it in youtube and show it with all your frinds. I'll bombard your twitter with jokes, hate and all-around trolling. You could simply shut-down a person's online social life (which importance has been growing in the last years). What once was hard-work, now is easy. And with that, anyone can be an accomplished troll. I don't know about Gamergate, but if the Fappening had happened 5 years earlier, it probably wouldn't be as big as it got (media wise)