Gabriella Coleman in conversation with Carlos del Castillo

Open interview with Gabriella Coleman and the Spanish journalist Carlos del Castillo

“Anonymous vs the anonymous far right, two sides of the same coin? Or bifurcated paths?”

Anonymous, the anonymous far right, QAnon: all three movements or trends cannot be explained without reference to the anonymous image boards like 4chan, 8chan, and others from which they partly came. How are we to make sense of the differences (and similarities) between such different political manifestations? In this talk I will focus on digital extreme right and cull out their differences and similarities to the hacktivists Anonymous as a means to maps some contemporary trends in digital politics and reflect on how scholars, journalists, and advocates should approach and think about anonymous image boards as vital sites for political organization.