Asenbaum, H. 2018. Cyborg Activism: Exploring the reconfigurations of democratic subjectivity in Anonymous. New Media & Society. 20 (4), pp. 1543-1563. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817699994
| Title | Cyborg Activism: Exploring the reconfigurations of democratic subjectivity in Anonymous |
|---|---|
| Authors | Asenbaum, H. |
| Abstract | This article develops the concept of cyborg activism as novel configuration of democratic subjectivity in the Information Age by exploring the online collectivity Anonymous as a prototype. By fusing elements of human/machine and organic/digital the cyborg disrupts modern logics of binary thinking. Cyborg activism emerges as the reconfiguration of equality/hierarchy, reason/emotion, and nihilism/idealism. Anonymous demonstrates how through the use of contingent and ephemeral digital personae hierarchies in cyborg activism prove more volatile than in face-to-face settings. Emotions appear as an essential part of a politics of passion, which enables pursuing laughter and joy, expressing anger, and experiencing empowerment as part of a reasoned, strategic politics. Anonymous’ political content reconfigures nihilist sentiments, frustration, and political disenchantment on the one hand with idealist world views on the other. This enables the cohabitation and partial integration of a great diversity of political claims rooted in various ideologies. |
| Keywords | activism, social movements, digital democracy, online participation, anonymity |
| Journal | New Media & Society |
| Journal citation | 20 (4), pp. 1543-1563 |
| ISSN | 1461-4448 |
| Year | 2018 |
| Publisher | Sage |
| Accepted author manuscript | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817699994 |
| Publication dates | |
| Published in print | Apr 2018 |
| Published online | 28 Mar 2017 |
| Published | 28 Mar 2017 |