In(Visible) Ghosts in the Machine and the Powers that Bind: The Relational Securitization of ‘Anonymous’

«Anonymous» has become associated with highly mediatized computer break-ins and subsequent releases of sensitive information. Among the burgeoning forms of global protest and political activism (e.g. Wikileaks, whistle blowing, Occupy Movement), Anonymous is a unique product of the continuous securitization of a networked digitalization, that encompasses ever more aspects of human life. Shrouded in deliberate mystery in a time obsessed with control and surveillance, it purports to have no leaders, no hierarchical structure, and no geographical epicentre. Despite (and because) of this, it has been framed as threat to national security and has increasingly been targeted by law enforcements around the world. In contrast to many constructivist approaches that have implicitly or explicitly conceptualized Othering (and securitization) as unidirectional process between (active) sender and (passive) receiver, this paper conceptualizes the emergence of social antagonists from a mutually contingent communication process. Advancing a systems-theoretical perspective, such an approach gives the «threat» a voice of its own. The concept proposed in this paper focuses on communicated «designations», which are generative of the visibility of political entities and agency in the first place. Using this framework, we can better understand the movement’s path from a bunch of anonymous individuals to the collectivity «Anonymous», posing a threat to certain bases of the state’s ontological existence. Such a relational approach allows insights into conflict dynamics that more conventional approaches miss.