A for Anonymous V for Viral: Analyzing Online Activism Through Carnivalesque and Politics of Spectacle

Abstract

This article examines the texts and practices of online activist group ‘Anonymous’ from the perspective of, ‘carnivalesque,’ ‘détournement,’ and ‘spectacle’ in order to explore the overlaps between the tactics of online resistance and the mass media’s strategic containment. Hackers and trolls are pranksters who know the cultural and linguistic values and connotations they work with. Their practices rely on mischief, provocation, and other forms of pranks that generate spectacle both online and offline. Provocation necessitates a keen observation on dominant and popular values in one society. Carnival, as a concept, manifests new formations of togetherness in any given community. With the element of play, community building, and spectacle Anonymous is a countercultural movement in aligned with Theodore Rozsak’s conception of the term. Anonymous as a group which started as a collective for online antagonism is a perfect example through which one can observe how countercultural practices reflect and subvert hegemonic discourses. In this article, I argue that through the appropriation of mass media cultural practices, Anonymous’ activism reinforces the already-dominant language and symbols in the cultural hegemony of late capitalism. However, by embracing the playful and participatory aspects of carnivalesque, this form of activism holds the potential to transform its ‘users’ from passive voyeurs of mischief to active political subjects.