Anonymous: Who Are They and What Do They Want?

This goes against my own personal set of rules but I am bored and have had more than a few Miller Chill's so here goes. You may have recently heard about "The Internet Hate Machine" known as Anonymous. FOX News recently aired a story about Anonymous that was presented in the same vein as "Hookers who beat their adopted children with sacks of unwanted kittens while smoking crack and pooping on church lawns". In case you missed this informative report, it told in detail how Anonymous is a group of "hackers on steroids" who get a thrill out of hacking MySpace accounts, ruining children's games, and similar tomfoolery. A recent attack involved altering a young mans MySpace page so it was full of homosexual pornography which led to his girlfriend dumping him. There were some threats to this family and they bought a dog. The dog is a topic of much amusement among Anonymous currently. There is much more in the video. I guarantee this story has really gotten under the skin of many people in the US but they really don't know very much about Anonymous. Let me fill you in!

Who is Anonymous?

Anonymous is predominately male and between 13 and 40 years old. There is a decent female population but really, how do we know they are actually female? Anonymous is not some group of stupid people who post dumb cat pictures and fake web links that lead to something horrible. Sure every population has their idiots but they are usually made fun of and leave or gain insight and stick around. If you have a teenager, you might ask them about a couple of sites in particular or search their web history to see if they are visiting these sights. But do you really want to know?

Where Does Anonymous Come From?

Well, Anonymous comes from all over the world. It's amazing how people from foreign countries can connect with one another when sharing certain material that many might consider offensive. It really breaks down the barriers between different countries when they can all look and laugh at some Photoshopped image of Chris Benoit diving into a coffin just hours after his tragic death. Canadians are frowned upon and typically persecuted immediately.

What does Anonymous do exactly?

This is a very tricky question. You see, there are many different types of Anonymous and they vary from site to site. For the sake of this article, we will use a site that has a "random" area. If you enter this particular area of the site that is exactly what you should expect. Random Images. There are so many people uploading images that it is almost impossible to see the same thing twice unless it garners extra attention for some reason. These images are pretty much guaranteed to be offensive to someone. Racism is a popular theme as anytime you see an African American, someone will post a picture of a bucket of chicken or Photoshop it into the original. Hitler is a recurring theme. Not because anyone wants to eliminate Jews but because it is guaranteed to be offensive. I highly doubt anyone who is Anonymous is actually racist.

That's what Anonymous does. Offends. There is no escape. Nothing is sacred. Everything from The Holocaust, Jesus, Terry Schaivo, to the current fallen bridge incident, you will find it there. Probably together. I know if I go to one of these sites, I will see Chris Benoit giving that bridge a flying headbutt from the top ropes. If there was ever anything you loved in this world, mention it on one of these sites and watch as it is instantly corrupted into something you could never imagine. Ruining your childhood is a very popular theme. Someone will mention their favorite movie or cartoon as a child and be horrified as someone converts it into some kind of fecal bestiality porn.

Anonymous is about people banding together to accomplish something special and almost always very offensive. One of my personal favorites was recently, Anonymous voted a very unattractive girl to #1 on a web beauty contest. I lost interest and didn't follow up so don't know how that one ended. Another recent event involved a girl showing her breasts on Stickam. This is a common pastime for Anonymous. This one was special because her high school administrative staff was sent screenshots and video of this particular student engaging in this behavior. Imagine the horror that girl is probably still experiencing.

Nothing is safe. Any website that lets you create a virtual self and mingle with others has already been infiltrated and raided by Anonymous. Servers have been crashed and get crashed often. MySpace is a great and easy site to really mess with peoples lives so it gets hit frequently as well.

Occasionally, people like to post their problems on some of these sites. The typical response is "Kill Yourself" followed by "On Camera". Anonymous does not care about others. Anonymous wants lulz. Lulz can be from many different things. Posting horrible types of pornography on Christian dating sites, making impenetrable walls of virtual people in online games, getting any type of nudity from girls on webcams, it doesn't matter. It's for the lulz.

Why???

This is what everyone wants to know. Why would people engage in such cruel and hateful acts and find it hilarious? That is a very difficult question. The only answer I can give is "Why Not?". Maybe 10 years ago people viewed the Internet as this amazing resource full of information. Anonymous views it as a festering cesspool that needs a good shaking up once in a while. Does this mean every person who is Anonymous is some kind of psychopath? I don't think so. Many people have a darker side and what better way to release your inner prick than a site that encourages you to do so. Have a bad day at work? Post the phone number to your bosses house and see what happens. Girlfriend break up with you? Put up some pictures and/or personal information. Some forum ban you for breaking their so called "terms of service"? Watch that puppy get annihilated.

Many of these sites look down on newcomers and if you don't know the tricks of the trade, you will become a target yourself. I do NOT recommend visiting any sites where Anonymous resides as you are probably good people reading this and I'd hate to think of what you might see. The best way to avoid Anonymous is to not look for them. Leave them alone and the odds of your paths crossing are slim. Antagonize them and your memories of the Internet will be destroyed. Forever. Frequently. There have been rumors of bomb threats and death threats that were linked to Anonymous but as in any group, there are always a few people like that. They are quickly dealt with. Underage people are banned if it's discovered they are under 18 but this can be difficult to find out.

Anonymous isn't all bad. Many of the funniest little pictures or videos you email to your family and friends every day originated with Anonymous. There is a desperate need for all things funny and Anonymous is guaranteed to find it. If they can't find it, they will make it.

So, now you know a little bit about Anonymous. Are they hackers? Some of them. Are they malicious? Most of them. Should you be scared of them? Not unless you are truly asking for it. If you like to proclaim yourself the best ice dancer in a chipmunk costume in the world, you are probably in trouble. The main focus of the news is how evil and horrible Anonymous is. In reality, you probably already know someone who is part of Anonymous or you may be yourself. Anonymous lives without rules, without compassion and without mercy. Anonymous does not forgive, Anonymous does not forget.