The Anonymous Collective: Exploring the Roles of Hackers, Hoaxers, Whistleblowers, and Spies

Amazon Customer: Nice book I recommend.

United Kingdom on Mar 06, 2023

J. Reffin: Gabriella Coleman is by a considerable margin the world's best-informed anthropologist about the curious underworld and culture of Anonymous. This book reflects that intimacy with her subject matter. It is required reading by anyone who wants to gain a proper understanding of Anonymous (or at least the parts of it with which she interacted between 2010 and 2013).

It's interesting - almost painful - to watch Coleman's descent (ascent?) from cool, detached social scientist to moralfag of the highest (lowest?) order. Through her time spent researching Anonymous she rediscovers her youthful passion for political activism, becomes a committed participant in the Occupy movement and gradually loses her perspective on the culture she is studying.

She defends this. "While it might seem unusual for a researcher to become so entangled with his or her object of study, it has long been par for the course in anthropology". Does this impair her vision? I encourage you to read it and decide. It's well worth the journey. As an aside, her previous book "Coding Freedom" is a solid 5-stars and an excellent anthropological work on the open-source coding community.

United Kingdom on Apr 22, 2016

Amazon Customer: I just read it for the lulz! ;)

Seriously, that book is incredibly useful for someone who wants to really understand what is anonymous, beyond what corporate medias try to tell you.

A must for erverybody who likes to know what's really hiding under their bed

Canada on Feb 23, 2016

Daniel: Un buen libro para entender lo sucedido en las catacumbas de internet en los últimos años y de cómo está conectado el mundo "cibernético" con el mundo AFK.

Spain on Feb 03, 2016

Matthew: I'm only about 10% into the book and it seems to be doing a great in depth / behind the scenes analysis of Anonymous.

But, I can only stand to read small sections at a time before having a Pulp Fiction moment of 'Say lulz one more time'.

United States on Jan 02, 2016

Elteto: A truly excellent book by an intelligent, researched author. My only small issue is that at times, the writer tries too hard to prove oneself and loses objectivity, and occasionally even alters the story or conversation by directing chat room participants not to discuss illegal activities. That is not reporting the story, that is creating it. Still, the book is informative and educational, and a great overview of the Anonymous subject.

United States on Sep 24, 2015

Peter Blok: Writing a book about Anonymous seems a contradictio in terminis. Coleman's serious and profound study proofs that anthropology is one of the few disciplines that is able to bridge this paradox. The book shows a number of other interesting paradoxes. In many ways Anonymous operates like any 'normal' corporation: there are leaders and followers, there is information sharing, there are values and there is search for consensus, they use their own language. Another one is that groups like Anonymous are not transparent and do not follow the rules of liberal democracy but they disclose information about institutions of the liberal democracy that do not behave according their own rules. A must read for anyone who is interested in democracy, privacy, internet and whistleblowing.

United States on May 04, 2015

Robert H. Williams: Wishing I had the skills I used to have in programming and in my ongoing Political Protests of Prattling Politicians Pitching Pigeon Poop this book tells the story how the "Lutz" became for me still putting the Government of Shadow Cabal of Oppression took even the world of Anonymous itself by surprise. Well written and easy to follow along even for non-geeks who would enjoy this and have a better appreciation of Anonymous and come to understand that the GOVERNMENT ITSELF may behind many "hacks" so do NOT blame the folks in Anonymous who simply at times do it to show how STUPID Corpowhorations are with YOUR data.

United States on Feb 06, 2015

J.G. Sandom: In my view, this is the best book on Anonymous out there. Gabriella Coleman provides an unvarnished view of the Anon movement, from its early genesis and first hacks under Project Chanology to expose the cult of Scientology, through its genesis as a political force during the Arab Spring and so-called Moralfaggotry, to LulzSec and AntiSec.

Today, a federal judge sentenced journalist Barrett Brown to 5 years and a fine of $890K JUST FOR LINKING to Anonymous-hacked material from Stratfor Global Intelligence; he didn't actually hack anyone! Jeremy Hammond (sup_g), who did the actual hack, was sentenced to the maximum allowed under his plea agreement and is currently serving a ten-year sentence at a medium-security federal prison in Manchester, Kentucky.

Coleman weaves all of this together like a tightly packed thriller, keeping the reader on the edge of his seat. The book's only flaw -- and it's a very minor one -- is that she tends to be somewhat enamored of her subject, and one wonders just how objective she's being in covering some of the movement's activities. But, as an Anonymous fan myself, this is a quibble. At least she has some passion for her subject compared...

United States on Jan 22, 2015

Lee Rainey: Should be mandatory reading.

Canada on Jan 16, 2015