Anonymous Research Opportunity

Hi. I'm very newly Anonymous. I'm also employed at a major university in the midwest region of the US in the field of political science...I'm looking for the opportunity to do some research on Anonymous as an online protest/activist movement. For now, the research would consist of asking Anons general questions (non-identifying, of course) about their political beliefs, participation, motivations, and the movement as a whole. I'm particularly looking for If anybody is interested in or has participated in any WikiLeaks-related activity. Let me know if you would be interested!

Thanks
Anonymous

Not another one of these threads....

Face it we're interesting. Except for Herro. And sometimes Ann.

Can we have a button on WWP labelled "info for people doing research"?

Does that include pissing on the wikileaks server and laughing at the editor for being a rapist attention whore?

I can't list out all the threads I've read, websites visited, or videos watched, but I can say I've been watching Anonymous for about a year now and I've seen enough to know that what's posted online can only offer so much info. That's why I'm trying to talk to the actual people who make up the activity. My research design is about 3/4 finished and filled with info from all of the above, but surveying the real people would take it a huge step forward. I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin.

Haha...I know Anonymous is interesting....that's why I've been writing on the topic for months now.

If it relates back to political beliefs or Anonymous participation, yeah.

Why not post your questions & members that are willing to answer will.
But expect a bunch of smart ass answers.

Hey it's what we do best.

With the general governmental hostility to that subject, it's not a very good idea for anyone to go spreading details of their participation around.

Good call...I'll do that. And smart ass answers are of course welcome!

It's a good point. I've modified my survey.

Here are my questions. The questions numbered below are guided to help me answer the Research Question, so refer to that if any of the questions seem unclear. The more questions you answer and the more specifically you do so, the more helpful it will be for my research, but I know sometimes people need to be vague. Also, if you would rather contact me personally to answer these questions, you can do that at dpthetf@ilstu.edu. Thanks a ton!

Anonymous seems an ongoing—though spontaneously generated—mobilization of varying numbers of people from diverse locations and with diverse identities; other than obvious technological skills, their only common ordering principles seems to be (1) strong beliefs regarding censorship and freedom of information, and (2) dispositions toward direct action and activism.

Research Question: What factors and conditions have facilitated Anonymous’ influence as an actor in key events on the global stage?
Questions for Anonymous:
(1) What specific political beliefs, orientations, or affiliations do you hold that influence your beliefs about censorship, information freedom, and/or direct action and activism? That is, politically or socially, what—if anything—do you consider yourself?
(2) If a list was somehow compiled of the names and identities of 100 Anons, and there was a high-profile lawsuit filed to keep those names hidden from the public, what would your reaction to the lawsuit be? Would you (1) support the lawsuit or (2) fight the lawsuit?
(3) Is your participation in Anonymous increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
(4) In terms of your technological skill-level (computer literacy, internet savvy, software and programming capabilities), do you consider yourself (1) a little skilled (2) somewhat skilled, or (3) very skilled?
(5) How frequent is your anonymous, online interaction with other members of Anonymous? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
(6) Do you know any other Anons personally? That is, are there social ties that go beyond purely anonymous online interaction?
(7) Do you participate in any social or political activities or movements other than Anonymous? If yes, what are those?
(8) Would you characterize your online Anonymous activity as (1) mostly passive, (2) mostly active, or (3) other?
(9) Have you ever felt as though your identity was being sought out by an unknown individual due to your participation in Anonymous?
(10) What is your full name and address?

You've been lurking here for months, yet you would even consider asking this question?

I can't answer this because one of the 2 or 3 people who have our IPs is a sieve. Sieve- PM me if you want to bitch slap me again.

I think the question proves his lurking credentials. That a mod missed the obvious sarcasm is...well....

So, I'm looking these questions over and thinking that if you asked 100 anons, you get 100 completely different answers to every question. This made me wonder about the validity of your approach. Having seen Miranda's remark about your glaring faux pas, I was delighted to lol my ass off at this:
(9) Have you ever felt as though your identity was being sought out by an unknown individual due to your participation in Anonymous?

My advice is to make up the answers. The list of questions reads like an interrogation more than an academic effort. Good luck.

(1) Royalist, Restoration of a Catholic monarch on the throne of England.
(2) I would post the list on my blog
(3) it varies. some days up, some down.
(4) I am skilled in flint knapping and plotting
(5) Thrice annually.
(6) Yes. I know them through facebook and IRC.
(7) Plotting to overthrow Parliament
(8) (3) passive-aggressive
(9) Hmm. Now that I think of it.... there's this researcher guy who is seeking out my identity on the forums.
(10) Guido Fawkes. 20 Dean's Yard, City of London SW1, United Kingdom. Underground.

1 What mailing lists are you on?
2 How consistant are you?
3- 4-5 How dangerous are you?
6 Should you be followed?
7 Running dogs?
8 see 3,4,5
9 Tin foil hat?

I hold freedom of speech in incredibly high regard. Libel laws, for example, would be something I regard with disdain. The problem with trying to answer your question is that there really aren’t any political groupings that are representative of my ‘extremist’ free speech views. The closest attempt would be the Pirate Party, but even that falls short.

As for what influences my beliefs, I do not think there is any specific ‘group’ that does that. It is through experiencing the negatives associated with restricted speech that I hold my ideas on free speech. There really isn’t something I can associate those ideas with, and the internet is probably the closest thing I can think of.

It would depend on the circumstances. If the anons in question were raping children, and uncovering those anons would help bring them to justice, then I would oppose the lawsuit. Without an overriding reason to compromise personal privacy I would be supportive of the lawsuit. It would depend on the circumstances.

I have lived, ate, drunk and shit chanology since January 2008. It has not decreased.

Plenty of people ask me for technical advice, I do admin for a website devoted to cultism and I do some computer repair in my free time. Does that count as very skilled?

Hourly.

No. I don’t think an after-protest meal or IRL meetings on various projects count as ‘social ties’. I do not meet other anons unless there is a protest or project involved.

There is a case of an ex-scifag that I do meet for non-chanology reasons. We became good friends when they were still a scifag, and we have remained good friends after they left.

Yes. Other than free speech and cultism related projects I’m not saying.

Not a day goes by where I don’t get some online work done.

Yes, but the individual was known to me (they were an obvious scifag).

Sarcasm, in an academic study? If so, it's weirdly unprofessional. And that is... well....

I really don't care if it was meant humorously. There are new people around who might not know any better than to answer it. Not good.

Dear OP,

if you have trouble understanding why responding to this survey puts respondents at risk,
how collection and analysis of this data potentially erodes privacy (in non-trivial ways)
and how publication and subsequent re-interpretation of that work (and the original raw response data itself)
opens up greater and more troublesome cans of worms for the group you intend to study,
perhaps consider that the self-sustaining and perpetuating nature of Anonymous forums play out in ways that,
we believe, improve each participant in a very personal and enduring manner. Not only did you study human rights and democracy
in the open classroom of The Internet, you also lived those values and social processes from day to day, community to community, viewing them from the inside out.

I'll grant that you sympathize, perhaps even empathize with Anons, and WL. If you identify with them too, that's great!
But take care- you're not constructing your identity in the same way that other anons might.

You don't share all their fears and concerns, and not all your colleagues are so scrupulous as yourself.

You mean "pubic"?
as in, freshly shorn?

It would be interesting to write that Anonymous turned out to be truly anonymous ,and that a survey effort turned out to be a fruitless project. Therefore, the pages you had expected to present, from a survey of "them", yielded nothing notable.

I'd suggest researching the history of Anonymous and Project Chanology. Include the Wikiwars, the memes, the silly Habbo raid, Gregg's video has to be mentioned, as does the Tom Cruise video, and the ensuing fight for freedom on the internet. The raids, Sea Arrrg, Party Hard, then expanding into the fight against front groups, and mention a culture of everyday people printing leaflets and making signs at home, and educating the public.

We started out largely as a bunch of computer nerds spending a lot of time online. This is why it worked -- we had connected. Someone asked me a month ago, how is it possible that I was online for 12 hours? I said: you're kidding me. How do you think I became involved as Anonymous? I feel that it was an opportunity of activism available to those of us in places on the net that were free, funny, and edgy enough to be pushing ones own envelope at times. That's what made these places alluring. Freedom and fun. One of the main common threads in interest was that no one messes with my internet. That includes keeping the Cruise video up, or anything, for that matter. Mention Gawker when bringing up the video.

Those of us still putting in hours daily, are the ones who didn't need to protest just for the lulz, but because we had to. Crap, I'm writing your paper.

Dear Anons,

I appreciate all of your comments so far and I want to give it a little more time before replying in full, but, Miranda makes a good point about new Anons:

****PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER QUESTION (10)...Just asked it for some lulz****

(1) What specific political beliefs, orientations, or affiliations do you hold that influence your beliefs about censorship, information freedom, and/or direct action and activism? That is, politically or socially, what—if anything—do you consider yourself?
Answer: I hold to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That is what I base my beliefs on censorship,information freedom,etc. For more information on the document visit http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml

(2) If a list was somehow compiled of the names and identities of 100 Anons, and there was a high-profile lawsuit filed to keep those names hidden from the public, what would your reaction to the lawsuit be? Would you (1) support the lawsuit or (2) fight the lawsuit?
Answer: Freedom of information goes both ways. If the anons were somehow on a list and for the public to see then it is the right for public knowledge. I say be careful the first time around and you wont get on the list.

(3) Is your participation in Anonymous increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
Answer: staying the same.

(4) In terms of your technological skill-level (computer literacy, internet savvy, software and programming capabilities), do you consider yourself (1) a little skilled (2) somewhat skilled, or (3) very skilled?
Answer:somewhat skilled

(5) How frequent is your anonymous, online interaction with other members of Anonymous? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
Answer:I lurk mostly. Inform others who wish to know on any pertaining information reguarding anonymous or what is happening in the world.

(6) Do you know any other Anons personally? That is, are there social ties that go beyond purely anonymous online interaction?
no

(7) Do you participate in any social or political activities or movements other than Anonymous? If yes, what are those?
no

(8) Would you characterize your online Anonymous activity as (1) mostly passive, (2) mostly active, or (3) other?
mostly passive. Lurking much though.

(9) Have you ever felt as though your identity was being sought out by an unknown individual due to your participation in Anonymous?
Not really. If they did they are wasting their time.

(10) What is your full name and address?
XD

"Better a smartass than a dumbass." - Ed the Sock.

1) Liberal, free-speech advocate, pessimist
2) Ignore it?
3) currently shifting from scientology focus to freedom of information
4) I would say "somewhat"
5) Daily
6) Yes
7) Community events
8) this makes no sense, what's wrong with you?
9) It's not paranoia when there's OSAOSAOSA

Hi OP,

I'm an anonymous researcher conducting a sociological study of anonymous academics that conduct sociological studies of Anonymous.

Please answer the following questions and I will donate $1 to the university of your choosing:

1) What is your name?
2) What is your quest?
3) What is your favorite color?

^^^You forgot, "Peace, Love, Groovy, what's your sign, spare change?"

FIVE IS RIGHT OUT!

Make sure you understand what is troll before embarking because trolls we are and trolls we have.

Here are my questions. The questions numbered below are guided to help me answer the Research Question, so refer to that if any of the questions seem unclear. The more questions you answer and the more specifically you do so, the more helpful it will be for my research, but I know sometimes people need to be vague. Also, if you would rather contact me personally to answer these questions, you can do that at dpthetf@ilstu.edu. Thanks a ton!

Anonymous seems an ongoing—though spontaneously generated—mobilization of varying numbers of people from diverse locations and with diverse identities; other than obvious technological skills, their only common ordering principles seems to be (1) strong beliefs regarding censorship and freedom of information, and (2) dispositions toward direct action and activism.

Research Question: What factors and conditions have facilitated Anonymous’ influence as an actor in key events on the global stage? The spread of the internet and development of flashmobs.

Questions for Anonymous:
(1) What specific political beliefs, orientations, or affiliations do you hold that influence your beliefs about censorship, information freedom, and/or direct action and activism? That is, politically or socially, what—if anything—do you consider yourself?
Nothing. I don't belong to any group with a preordained "belief system."


(2) If a list was somehow compiled of the names and identities of 100 Anons, and there was a high-profile lawsuit filed to keep those names hidden from the public, what would your reaction to the lawsuit be? Would you (1) support the lawsuit or (2) fight the lawsuit?
Depends on the nature of the lawsuit, doesn't it?


(3) Is your participation in Anonymous increasing, decreasing, or staying the same?
Staying the same.


(4) In terms of your technological skill-level (computer literacy, internet savvy, software and programming capabilities), do you consider yourself (1) a little skilled (2) somewhat skilled, or (3) very skilled?
Somewhat skilled.


(5) How frequent is your anonymous, online interaction with other members of Anonymous? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
Daily.


(6) Do you know any other Anons personally? That is, are there social ties that go beyond purely anonymous online interaction?
Yes.


(7) Do you participate in any social or political activities or movements other than Anonymous? If yes, what are those?
No.


(8) Would you characterize your online Anonymous activity as (1) mostly passive, (2) mostly active, or (3) other?
Mostly active.


(9) Have you ever felt as though your identity was being sought out by an unknown individual due to your participation in Anonymous?
Yes. Even though I am "known" as OG, some Scientologists didn't get the memo.


(10) What is your full name and address?
LOLRLY?
Donna Mudkips
1414 Mockingbird Lane
Moralton, Statesota

very entertaining XD

links please

also: Your avatar choice could be interpreted by some as your personal bias on the wl subject. Was that your intention?

Oh hi Donna!

-Herro

I like the troll question at the end

I would suggest that you go to a protest, meet some anons personally, and then ask those people if they'd help by answering questions. That way you would probably get more useful answers.

You do realise that you have to post that anonymously for it to work....?