Anonymity in cultural discourse: Film and reading recommendations

Does anonymity on the Internet primarily mean protection or is it a door opener for criminal activities? Because this question arises particularly in the digital age, in particular in literature and film.

What would you do if you were completely anonymous? Would you act differently than usual or go about your everyday life and “normal” behavior?

When it comes to being anonymous online, people usually fall into two camps. One side rejects anonymity saying it can support criminal activities, bullying, and unethical actions. On the other side, people argue that anonymity offers important protection that prevents us from falling victim to data theft and violations of our privacy.

Contrastingly offline (IRL), we are anonymous in various areas of daily life because it is an important part of maintaining a democratic society and protecting individuals: we vote anonymously, we take part in surveys and employee reviews anonymously, and we take protection in anonymity for sensitive issues.

So why shouldn’t this anonymity and privacy protection also apply on the Internet? Here, too, we want to be completely private and prevent our data from being used without our consent. However, our personal data is used by Big Tech every single day  for example when people search online without a private search engine like Startpage. 

All in all, the idea of being anonymous online has established itself as a popular topic in literature and films. A frequent question writers and filmmakers ask: What is possible when one’s own identity remains undetected?

Check out our list of recommended books and films that deal with the topic of anonymity. What questions do they spark for you?

Books

The Hive by Barry Lyga, Morgan Baden, Jennifer Beals, Tom Jacobson

Have you ever regretted posting a photo or sharing a controversial joke online? What if it was perfectly legal for an online mob to track you down punish you for it? In this YA novel, sixteen-year-old Cassie McKinney is faced with the very real threat of being exposed for a tasteless joke she thought would go unnoticed.

The Circle by Dave Eggers

You may have seen the movie adaptation starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, but we encourage you to give The Circle a read. One of the central themes in the novel is the right to privacy vs the societal obligation to be transparent. It brings forth the question: how do you balance privacy and transparency?

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, Steven Pinker

Do you lie? According to this non-fiction New York Times Bestseller, you do. But it’s okay because Big Tech knows you better than you know yourself. If you weren’t already concerned about the amount of personal data you’re handing over to Big Tech, you might be after reading this book.

Going Off The Grid: The How-To Book Of Simple Living And Happiness by Gary Collins

If you want practical advice on how to be anonymous, this is the book for you. The book covers the offline aspects from energy alternatives to internet access. You may not need to put every tip into action, but it’s nice to know that you could if you wanted to. Right?

Movies

Who am I – No system is safe

This German thriller plays with the themes of invisibility, insecurity, and the protection of one’s own identity. In order to protect anonymity, a group of hackers dares to turn the public system upside down. What begins as a socially critical action increasingly turns into a competition for recognition in the cyber community and ends with a major hacker attack that brings with it many problems.

Citizenfour

In this documentary, director Laura Poitras takes her audience on a journey to see how secret information about the illegal wiretapping practices of the NSA was leaked to her by the anonymous “Citizenfour” and she then gets to know the stranger behind the pseudonym: the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Youtube video: Citizenfour Official Trailer #1 (2014) – Edward Snowden Documentary

Banksy – Exit through the gift shop

The French filmmaker Thierry Guetta gets to know the most famous anonymous street artist Banksy and plans to shoot a report about his art. During the shoot, however, the tide turned and Banksy portrayed Guetta in his own development as a street artist, Mr. Brainwash. The result: a “mockumentary” full of twists and a confusion of identities.

As entertaining as the material is that anonymity also provides for cultural documents: Our privacy should be of some value to us, as it is increasingly restricted, especially in the digital world. That’s why Startpage offers “Anonymous View” to help you maintain your search and browsing history private. In addition, you can use our “Go Private” Instagram filter to draw attention to the importance of privacy and anonymity on the Internet in an entertaining way.

How did you like the list of movies and books? Have you read or seen any of the recommendations? Let us know on our social media channels or send an email to: [email protected]