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http://savageminds.org/2010/12
/15/aesthetic-face-of-anonymou/
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Savage Minds
Notes and Queries in Anthropology A Group Blog
The Aesthetic Face(s o! Anony"ousby Kerimon December 15th,
2010
[This is a guest post by Gabriella Coleman. Gabriella is an
assistant professor in the Dept of
Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU. er !or" e#amines the
politics of digital media.$
http://savageminds.org/2010/12/15/aesthetic-face-of-anonymou/http://savageminds.org/2010/12/15/aesthetic-face-of-anonymou/http://savageminds.org/feed/http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=42193http://twitter.com/savagemindshttp://savageminds.org/http://savageminds.org/author/kerim/http://savageminds.org/author/kerim/http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Gabriella_Colemanhttp://savageminds.org/2010/12/15/aesthetic-face-of-anonymou/http://savageminds.org/2010/12/15/aesthetic-face-of-anonymou/http://savageminds.org/feed/http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=42193http://twitter.com/savagemindshttp://savageminds.org/http://savageminds.org/author/kerim/http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty_bios/view/Gabriella_Coleman
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UPDATE: See Gabriella! "ollow#$% %iece:Anonymo$! &!' The
G$ar(ian'
A! an anthro%olo)i!t o" the (i)ital * ten( not to treat (i)ital
me(ia a! e+ce%tional, e+ce%t when it
come! to the "ew e+ce%tion! that !eem to r$b $% a)ain!t o$r
tra(itional cate)orie! an(
metho(olo)ical tool!' Anonymo$!, the online entity that ha!
recently er$%te( "$ll "orce en)a)in)
in wa&e a"ter wa&e o" %rote!t "ollowin) the i-ilea-!
(rama, !eem! to be one !$ch e+ce%tion'
.or tho!e that -now nothin) abo$t Anonymo$! it i! a challen)e to
characteri/e in the co$r!e o"
a "ew !entence!' $t lar)ely beca$!e o" the recent (i!trib$te(
(enial o" !er&ice attac-!,
o$rnali!t! ha&e been on a !%ree to (e!cribe Anonymo$!, !o
"ar, lar)ely tele!co%in) on theDDoS an( a! one o$rnali!t %$t it,the
(ar-ene(3 chat room! many an anon are to be "o$n(' *n
the %roce!!, a n$mber o" them ha&e correctly characteri/e(
the !ocial (ynamic! that $n"ol( on
the!e chatroom! b$t they ha&e al!o at time! "allen %rey to
%roblematic (e!cri%tion! an( it i! no
!$r%ri!e that * ha&e hi)hli)hte( (ar-ene( chatroom!3 to -ic-
o"" the criti4$e o" the co&era)e o"
Anonymo$! that relie! on o$t(ate( an( inacc$rate !tereoty%e! o"
com%$ter $!er!' * will %ro&i(e
an alternati&e &iew "oc$!e( on the ae!thetic "ace! o"
Anonymo$!'
hile it i! %artly acc$rate to (e!cribe !ome irc %ro)ram! a!
(ar-3 in !o "ar a! !ome o" the
%o%$lar client! li-e ir!!i, ha&e a blac- bac-)ro$n(, many (o
not' ere (ar-ene( "$nction!
rhetorically to con$re ima)e! o" %im%ly ba!ement (weller! who
are rai!in) ha&oc on *R6, an$n(er)ro$n( b$n-er 7thin- (ar-,
(am%, an( mol(y8 where )reat ne"ario$!ne!! i! concocte(,
http://savageminds.org/2010/12/16/anonymous-vs-the-guardian/http://savageminds.org/2010/12/16/anonymous-vs-the-guardian/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/11/wikileaks-backlash-cyber-warwherehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/11/wikileaks-backlash-cyber-warwherehttp://irssi.org/http://savageminds.org/2010/12/16/anonymous-vs-the-guardian/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/11/wikileaks-backlash-cyber-warwherehttp://irssi.org/
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which in "act the T9 !how 6S* once %ortraye( in e+actly the !ame
term!7tho$)h inacc$rate, it i!
4$ite h$moro$!8'
Another G$ar(ian %iece, ma-e! !ome )oo( %oint! b$t al!o ma-e! a
4$e!tionable !tatement
that anonymo$! i! a loo!e collecti&e mainly o" teena)er!'3
Thi! may tr$e it mi)ht be
rea!onable to !$))e!t thi! a! it i! li-ely that many teena)er!
are in&ol&e( b$t there i! no way to
!tate a! "act, a! it i! 4$ite har( to characteri/e thin)! li-e
the a)e, )en(er, an( bac-)ro$n( o"
%artici%ant! on *R6, e!%ecially when there are tho$!an(! o"
"ol-! lo))e( on, !ome o" them al!o
bein) o$rnali!t!, re!earcher!, bot!, an( let! not "or)et the .*,
which are the !$bect o" !ome
o" the be!t h$mor on the chat channel!'
$t * (o thin- it i! !a"e to !ay that at lea!t on *R6, Anonymo$!
i! com%o!e( o" )ee-y ty%e!
!ince they ten( to -now how to )et on *R6 wherea! non#)ee-y
ty%e!, ha&e a bit o" tro$ble (oin)
!o 7"or tho!e that want to try, it i! ea!y8' $t )ee-! come in
all a)e!, not $!t tween! an(
teena)er!' .rom my e+%erience wor-in) with another "ace o"
Anonymo$!, there were a han("$l
o" teena)er!, altho$)h the com%o!ition o" Anonymo$! * wa!
interactin) with 7which i! not All o"Anonymo$!8 ten(e( to !%an 20
to ;0 year ol(!, with !ome ol(er "ol-! al!o intimately
in&ol&e(
an( more women than * !ee in !ome )ee- circle! an( * wa! only
able to ma-e thi!
characteri/ation once they mo&e( to the !treet!'
$t (oe! !ho$l( * $!e my e+%erience wor-in) with Anonymo$! &!
The 6h$rch o" Scientolo)y to
ma-e claim! abo$t thi! iteration o" Anonymo$!=U anthro%lo)y o"
me(ia' or at lea!t wa!nt *@ when Re( ran the
!how'
Re%ort thi! comment
2'
Michael$)per"alin
@y Go(J hat an o%%ort$nity' ?oa( a U#a$l trailer with can! o"
!%ray %aint in 9a an( !ell
them o$t o" the bac- o" the trailer in all the !l$m area! an(
colle)e!'
Paint war! will er$%tJ
Art, an creati&e en(ea&or o" any -in( which !%ea-! "rom
one h$man to another'3
Anthro%oi(
