ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Anonymous as a quintessential social movement of digital modernity. This notoriously elusive movement takes on radically different guises, constantly mutating, and traversing national borders and ideological divides – with constant and intrinsic tensions between its commitment to leaderless self-organization and the inevitable emergence of power concentrations within its ranks. The chapter argues that while Anonymous epitomizes the democratic promise of digital modernity, it also reveals its vulnerabilities, particularly in how decentralized movements can transform into reactionary forces and be co-opted by centralized, unaccountable entities.
