What Can Anonymous & Hacker Collectives Teach Us About Internet Activism?

In 2008, Anonymous posted a video declaring war against Scientology. Some people flocked to join the hacker collective while corporations started re-evaluating their security protocols. This week on Untextbooked, producer Caroline Somers dives into the history of the hacker collective and asks what can we learn about internet activism. 

Gabriella Coleman is the author of “Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous”. She is a full professor in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University. She is the founder and editor of Hack_Curio, a video portal into the cultures of hacking. In 2022, she hosted the BBC4 radio and podcast series, The Hackers. 

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Show Notes:

(00:00) - Anonymous’s First Video 

(1:42) - Introduction to Anthropologist Gabriella Coleman

(3:18) - The Origins of Anonymous

(4:25) - How did Anonymous Organize Hacks?

(7:39) - Why did People Get Involved with Anonymous?

(9:11) - Pseudonymous Names & Illegal Activity

(12:02) - Trolling Culture & Chat Logs

(14:56) - Anonymous Hacks & Leaks

(19:35) - Phineas Fisher and Guayacama

(21:59) - Reflections & Takeaways