Contact: The Genealogy of Anonymous as a Symbol for Globally Distributed Political Action Pedro Jacobetty IN3-UOC (Internet Interdisciplinary Institute of the Open University of Catalonia) BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Despite having conquered a place as a political actor, Anonymous has its roots in an obscure hub of a particular internet subculture: 4chan’s /b/ (random) sub-forum. The aim of the following presentation is to trace the genealogy of a symbol and its usages, rendering visible the different stages of the processes through which Anonymous came to signify particular modes of distributed political action on a global scale. METHODS NETWORK ANALYSIS: The used network visualization techniques allow for structural and qualitative interpretations of the graphs. The nodes are arranged according to network distance between nodes, that is, the number of edges in the shortest path connecting them. WIKIPEDIA: the network graph can operate as an indicator of an interrelated conceptual structure surrounding a given topic. WIKIPEDIA: the network graph can operate as an indicator of an interrelated conceptual structure surrounding a given topic. FACEBOOK: interconnected Anonymous branded Facebook pages as illustration of the phenomenon’s dispersion. The data gathering process retrieved over 500 pages, illustrating the massive presence of Anonymous within a single social network site. FACEBOOK: interconnected Anonymous branded Facebook pages as illustration of the phenomenon’s dispersion. The data gathering process retrieved over 500 pages, illustrating the massive presence of Anonymous within a single social network site. WIKIPEDIA FACEBOOK Dark Blue: English speaking section Red: Spanish speaking section Purple: Heterogeneous (North Africa, Middle East and Europe) section Yellow: Portuguese speaking section Green: Asian section Light Blue: German speaking section Dark Green: Project Chanology Orange: Operation Payback Light Green: Operation Avenge Assange Dark Blue: Arab Spring and Occupy RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS By analyzing the network of linked pages in Wikipedia’s entry for Anonymous it is possible to trace the stages of the development of Anonymous as a symbol for global political dissent. The resulting graph follows the chronologic order of events, expressed in the contiguity of the different network sections, after Anonymous gained visibility with Project Chanology. This sheds light on the transformations and appropriations of the symbol: Stage 1: mobilization of participants in anonymous boards against Scientology (Project Chanology). Stage 2: online direct action as a reaction against attacks on file sharing sites (Operation Payback) and on Wikileaks (Operation Avenge Assange). Stage 3: support to different forms of political resistance throughout the globe, in both authoritarian and democratic regimes. The graphical representation of the Facebook network illustrates how distributed global structures are locally anchored in the operation of autonomous cells. Each network section was categorized according to the most represented regions and idioms. The results show that, despite its global scope, linguistic, cultural, social, and geographical proximity are important factors for the networks of connections that sustain Anonymous.