The run on GameStop stock is fueled by some of the same populist rage that has spurred people to political action on social networks.
None of this could have happened 30 years ago, in pre-internet times. A group of small investors on a subreddit called r/WallStreetBets banded together to buy stock in gaming retailer GameStop. They hoped that together they could elevate the stock price so that short sellers, including hedge funds and institutional investors, would ultimately lose money.