- Dec 30, 2012
- 4,809
“You… have now got… our attention” opens one of the (in)famous YouTube videos by the hacker collective, Anonymous.
If Anonymous – and other hackers – have gripped the attention of the media and public, Gabriella Coleman is on a parallel trajectory in the academic world. She’s trying to direct the attention of the academic community toward what turns out to be a fascinating cultural realm, while also trying to help combat some of the excessive media sensationalism that all-too-often misinforms public dialogue around this emerging cultural phenomenon.
“…by refusing to play the game of self-promotion, Anonymous ensures mystery; this alone is a radical political act, given a social order based on ubiquitous monitoring and the celebration of runaway individualism and selfishness.”
Trained as an anthropologist, Coleman currently holds the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at McGill University in Montreal. Her first book, Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetic of Hacking, explores connections between the free and open source software movement, political ethics among hackers, and liberal thought. Her latest book, http://www.versobooks.com/books/1749-hacker-hoaxer-whistleblower-spy, zeroes in on one of the world’s most recognized, and often misunderstood, hacker entities. Entity, collective, culture – any discussion of Anonymous must take as its point of departure the name that refers to a diverse collection of individuals, groups and activities; the monolithic image media often presents of it is one of the first stereotypes that needs to be dispelled, as Coleman’s book explains.
An interesting read!!
Article
If Anonymous – and other hackers – have gripped the attention of the media and public, Gabriella Coleman is on a parallel trajectory in the academic world. She’s trying to direct the attention of the academic community toward what turns out to be a fascinating cultural realm, while also trying to help combat some of the excessive media sensationalism that all-too-often misinforms public dialogue around this emerging cultural phenomenon.
“…by refusing to play the game of self-promotion, Anonymous ensures mystery; this alone is a radical political act, given a social order based on ubiquitous monitoring and the celebration of runaway individualism and selfishness.”
Trained as an anthropologist, Coleman currently holds the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at McGill University in Montreal. Her first book, Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetic of Hacking, explores connections between the free and open source software movement, political ethics among hackers, and liberal thought. Her latest book, http://www.versobooks.com/books/1749-hacker-hoaxer-whistleblower-spy, zeroes in on one of the world’s most recognized, and often misunderstood, hacker entities. Entity, collective, culture – any discussion of Anonymous must take as its point of departure the name that refers to a diverse collection of individuals, groups and activities; the monolithic image media often presents of it is one of the first stereotypes that needs to be dispelled, as Coleman’s book explains.
An interesting read!!
Article
