Will it make a difference. I hope so. Occupy didn't change Washington but judging by the tactics they employed, it shook them up. I believe what you are seeing is a group that doesn't want a leader to rally behind. But an ideal. A muddy, growing, altruistic ideal. I believe the people are poised to accept the responsibility to lead themselves.
A protest is a photo op. Victory doesn't come from immediate results, no sitting around can deliver that. The right picture can stir people and take down a thousand words of disinformation. In this case, "most Americans want to be spied on, for safety"