Anarchy has beenpresent throughout fashion and art history, shaping and formingvisual styles that are popularised time and time again. 20thcentury Britain was home to many subcultures such as punk – withthe iconic deconstructed, destroyed style mirroring the anarchicattitudes of youths of the time. Now living in an age of technology,the internet and social media how is the power-play betweenauthoritative figures and the general public translated into modernday?

Anonymous is an onlinefollowing originating from 4chan, internet forum boards which allowusers to post content and respond through comment threads. In recentyears it has also been a medium in which hackers and whistle-blowerscan leak private information or files for public accessibility,anonymously. The online group has attracted attention and exposurefrom many mainstream news stations and media outlets, exposingscandals that run parallel to some of the biggest news stories of thepast decade.

One of the mostnotorious and pressing social matters in public discussion at presenttime follows the chain of police shootings against people of colourin the USA. Protests have been held in states around America seekingjustice for the lost lives of black people and the social injusticeof the treatment of people of colour worldwide. Much of the awarenessfor this is being raised online, through social media and forums andmostly being neglected by professional mainstream journalists. As ofNovember 2015, Anonymous has been responsible for exposing andleaking information that implicates 350 police officials as havinginvolvement with the KKK, an extremist racial hate group. The KKKaren't the only extremists that have fallen victim to Anonymous, in2011 they targeted the Westboro Baptist Church an infamous Christianfollowing who are known for homophobia, racism and picketing thefunerals of dead soldiers. According to The Telegraph in 2003,Anonymous attacked the English Defense League following theirattempted oppression of muslims in the UK, with the followingstatement making the press, “We will not allow your injustices,your lies, and your stupidity to further radicalize our youth intofearing and despising their fellow man."

The online vigilantismof Anonymous doesn't just stop at recent police brutality incidents.They have a history of targeting people in positions of power such asgovernment officials or electoral candidates. “The 99 percent”has been a term coined to describe the inequality of the distributionof power and wealth in countries around the world. With the gapbetween the rich and the poor widening and the ability to 'rise fromthe ashes' of a low income background becoming harder to achieve,sights have been set on the “1%”. According to the Guardian, therichest 1% of Britain own as much as the poorest 55% and statisticsfrom Equality Trust rank the UK as the 5th most inequalcountry in terms of income. The highly acclaimed and award-winning TVshow, Mr Robot based around fictional hacker group 'fsociety' mirrorsthe vigilantism of Anonymous, targetting big corporations and corruptleaders. The show has gained massive popularity and has enriched theiconography of the 'masked vigilante' with it's play on the GuyFawkes mask, using a sinister looking Mr Monopoly mask to veil theidentities of hackers. The show confronts issues of wealthinequality, debt and the corruption of conglomerates in NorthernAmerica and worldwide.

The influence thatAnonymous has had on our society is palpable regardless of whether ornot your personal opinion collides with the intentions and actions ofthese vigilantes. The name is now synonymous with public exhibitionof the truth behind corruption of both wealth, power and extremisthate. With capitalism growing and technology becoming more advancedis Anonymous the 21st century version of anarchy withinsubculture?