Anonymous, who are they?

Introduction video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFlJN9-fN_Q

They are referred to as Hackers on steroids, the final boss of the internet and even internet vigilantes. who exactly and what exactly are Anonymous?
In this glorious blogpost you shall find out.

The Rundown

Anonymous is not a person, nor is it a group, movement or cause: Anonymous is a collective of people with too much time on their hands, a commune of human thought and useless imagery. A gathering of sheep and fools, trolls and normal everyday netizens.

An anonymous collective, left to its own devices, quickly builds its own society out of rage and hate. Anonymous can be anyone from well-meaning college kids with highly idiosyncratic senses of humour trying to save people from Scientology, to devious nihilist hackers, to clever nerds, to thirteen year old boys who speak entirely in in-jokes on an endless quest for porn

Where did they come from?
The term 'Anonymous' comes from the fact that users of an Imageboard 4chan generally post Anonymously. There is no site registration, but users who wish to be indentified can post using a tripcode (A name they choose, that can only be used by them)

Over time, some anonymous users started to jokingly refer to Anonymous as a person and thus was how 'Anonymous' was born. it seems to be a banner title for everyone and anyone.

While 4chan has many boards, the random board '/b/', is by far the most contraversal and notorious. /b/ is virtually a free-for-all, post whatever the hell you want and get away with it section of the internet. The content can range from the absolutely hilarious and obscene to the highly illegal and downright horrifying. Hundreds and thousands of users access it daily and the information is constant (popular threads might last for a couple of hours - while everything else is purged within minutes.)

It's like total free speech...on steriods.

Whenever Anonymous gets some media attention chances are that whatever happened was conceived and organised in the /b/ section of 4chan.

Heck /b/ is even called 'The internet'

How they operate

Whenever the Anonymous get behind a big event (see below) the majority of people involved are just doing to for amusement, or for 'the lulz'

They are a neutral party and do not have an agenda. Since the whole nature of Anonymous is a hiveminded collective, they are VERY fickle and generally unorganised.

Anonymous themselves aren't internet hackers or political vigilantes. It's better to think of Anonymous is a medium of ideas, the essence of people - sort of like an organism that is constantly changing states and multiplying.

Those people who do the crazy things reported on the news, tend to be using the 'Anonymous' banner as a way to conceal their indentity.

Trolling and Memes

Trolling is what the Anonymous do best. In short, it is basically intentionally wasting the time of others. It can as harmless as getting another person angry (e.g. mis-qouting someone, ad hominem attacks, name calling or intentionally picking a fight) or as serious as potentially ruining someone's life. It's easier to think of trolling as 'pushing someone's button'

Informative video on Trolling

Other examples

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFLqS1Hu1nY&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDDg50FBWys&feature=related

A Meme (Rhymes with cream) is an internet in-joke. 4chan/Anonymous is the king creator of this type of content.

Chances are you've heard of lolcats Longcat, have read a demotivational poster or been rickrolled before.

Stuff that made the news - media coverage
Operation titstorm
Finding the lady who put the cat in a bin
FOX News Video

Quotes: 'Despite all the verbal masturbation anonymous produce, they are really not scary or evil. Anonymous is a Panopticon in reverse. A group where everyone is invisible and appears to speak from the center. Anonymous collectively contains every belief, creed, cultural status, sexuality, fetish, hobby, job, likes, dislikes, (insert any quality), etc. They have collectively experienced every act of violence and kindness. They know every language, probably even the dead ones. They know everything that can be known, and can perpetrate any act a person can. However, because they dwell in a reverse-panopticon, the individual anonymous who "yell" the loudest, most often, or most provocatively will be heard and remembered the most. This is why the anonymous seems so cruel and disgusting. But for every grotesque abomination that posts anonymously, there are probably 100 more who are decent human beings that are just too lazy to post, or are indifferent to the topic at hand.'
- anonymous

'So Anonymous are on the case? Then I will sleep peaceably in my bed knowing rough men stand ready to do violence on my behalf.'
- George Orwell

As individuals, they can be intelligent, rational, emotional and empathetic. As a mass, a group, they can be devoid of humanity and mercy. It all depends what day of the week you catch them on, and if it's summer over in America.