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The International Journal of Trolling and Online Participation 1(2)

Editorial for the Special Issue on Anonymous

Jonathan Bishop1

This special issue on Anonymous brings together and important collection of papers on the topic. To date, much information on the Anonymous movement has been retrievable only through secondary sources, like Wikipedia and newsprint. Whilst in some cases the authors have needed to refer to these, this special issue is one of the first authoritative accounts of works on Anonymous, focussing mainly on original empirical investigation into original sources such as Encyclopedia Dramatica and the synthesising of established literature.

The two papers by Lars Konzak form an important part of understanding the Anonymous movement and their activities to date. The first paper in this special issue by Lars Konzak, ‘An Hero and the Trolls’, involves the exploration of case of Mitchell Henderson, and subsequent events such as An Hero Day. The paper presents a wider discussion of what it means to be a hero and whether or not Anonymous should be considered villains, heroes, tricksters or vigilantes. Furthermore, by attempting to understand what Anonymous actually are and how they operate, it provides insight into their distinctive Internet culture. Lars Konzak’s second paper in this special issue, ‘The Guy Fawkes Mask as Visual Communication of the Internet Group Anonymous’ makes a further important contribution. The paper explains how the Guy Fawkes Mask became synonymous with Anonymous, taking the reader back to a 17th Century Catholic renegade, a 1980s graphic novel, a millennial movie based on the graphic novel, social media visual communication practicing internet memes on 4chan and YouTube, and physical demonstrations in public space. Lars Konzak shows how the Guy Fawkes Mask changed meaning during this process, and how this symbol works as a meaningful signifier in a digital age.

1 Centre for Research into Online Communities and E-Learning Systems, jonathan@jonathanbishop.com

The International Journal of Trolling and Online Participation 1(2)

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The paper by myself comparing Robin Hood with Anonymous will I hope be a significant paper on many fronts. The paper presents my thesis on the origins of Robin Hood – that he derived from anti-Catholic sentiment and the need for free speech over powerful figures in the establishment. I compare Robin Hood with Anonymous, who notably are also anti-Church, but in their case the Church of Scientology.

The final paper in this special issue, by Shefali Virkar, is entitled ‘The Impact of the Internet on Transnational Civil Society Networks: The Anonymous Movement Unmasked.’ The paper asks the question of whether the Internet can truly augment the effects of those activists, hacktivists, and cyberprotestors seeking to alter the landscape of international relations and political advocacy. The article explores the various intersecting circumstances that help advance Anonymous’ contemporary geopolitical power. This paper is highly relevant because it goes beyond the way Anonymous is looked at simply as hacktivists, and explores the deeper issues around public policy and information and communications technology more generally.