Gabriella Coleman set out to study the rise of this global phenomenon just as some of its members were turning to political protest and dangerous disruption before Anonymous shot to fame as a key player in the battles over WikiLeaks, the Arab Spring, and Occupy Wall Street.

She ended up becoming so closely connected to Anonymous her story became about her own inside–outside status as Anon confidante, interpreter, and erstwhile mouthpiece.

Coleman sums up what Anonymous is in her book:

"Anonymous is no different from us. It simply consists of humans sitting at their glowing screens and typing, as humanoids are wont to do at this precise moment in the long arc of the human condition."

She joined Sean on the show today.