ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that direct democratic and virtual democratic movements like Occupy Wall Street or Anonymous may be called “postmodern” in the ambiguous sense that they reject certain traits of modernity while radicalizing others. They bring a renewed majoritarian impulse to politics, while remain – or rather, become increasingly – individualistic in nature. Counting these individuals is also more like a metaphorical, postmodern gesture. The prevalence of vague arithmetical catchphrases like “We are the 99%”, or more ominous slogans like “We are legion” suggest that the temptation of belonging to the majority is too strong to resist despite all philosophical doubts about the very existence of such an entity.
