Dalla fiaba al mito: argomentazione e ethos collettivo nei comunicati di Anonymous

This article focuses on the ethos of the cyberlibertarian movement Anonymous. Since 2008, Anonymous have made many so-called distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on a range of government, police and copyright organisation websites, thus achieving the fame of "hacktivist". Despite the concealed identity of its members (the hidden face with the mask of Guy Fawkes is by now well known), the movement aims at displaying an homogeneous and positive self-image, publishing messages, videos and press-releases on the web, and developing a sort of «brand identity». For that reason, it is possible to attribute a «collective ethos» to the group. The paper investigates the language of Anonymous aiming at showing the rhetorical strategies used by the Anons in their messages. In some of them (e.g. the «message to Scientology», here considered), the enunciator plays the role of a “rescuer”, which relies on and draws his effectiveness from the «Fairy Tales» cognitive model. Legitimization and persuasion are achieved through a language with a style that reminds of legal and prophetic formulas. As the movement begins to pursue more overtly political and moral objectives, attacking any form of censorship and surveillance, a mythical vision based on libertarian values emerges. In this new context, ideally linked to the hacker origins of the movement, Anonymous presents itself as an «idea».