Breaking rules 1 & 2 - Anonymous, /b/, Chanology, and Internet culture by Mark (the resident /b/tard)

Throughout the years many cultures among people have sprouted as a result of the environment around them and personal taste. With the rise of the Internet into the mainstream, a new culture has sprouted, the culture of the internet. In this day and age where many people converse with each other through internet forums (more commonly known as "message boards"), instant messaging clients such as MSN or IRC, and chatrooms, a very diverse culture has grown and evolved throughout the years. Within internet culture, anything goes and there are no limits to what can be poked fun at, no matter how serious or controversial the topic is. The practice of of poking fun at serious topics, controversies, etc. or people for fun is known as lulz, or getting a laugh at someone else’s expense. According to a Fox News report, “lulz” is a “corruption of lol, which stands for laugh out loud.” This culture is most prevelant on such websites as Encyclopedia Dramatica, a wiki that catalogues much of what goes on within the culture of the internet. Another notable site in which internet culture is quite prevelant is 4chan, an imageboard in which people can make posts under the pseudonym of "Anonymous" without having to register and set up an account. The most frequented board on the site is known as “/b/”, or “Random.” Of all the boards on 4chan, it is /b/ more than any other board that reflects the diverse and sometimes absurd culture that is exclusive to the internet. It is from 4chan’s /b/ board, as well as several related sites using the imageboards, that the collective of internet users known as Anonymous came into existence. Anonymous (often abbreviated as “Anon”) is a collective of users from the various imageboard sites who communicate with each other through the imageboards, as well as IRC and websites like MySpace or Youtube. The first mention of “Anonymous” in mainstream media came in the form of a severely skewed “investigation” on the users of 4chan and various related sites by a local Fox News affiliate (FOX11). In addition to further enforcing accusations against Fox News of bias and truth spinning, the “Fox News Investigation” also gave the “group” several nicknames such as “Internet Hate Machine” and “Hackers on Steroids.” Soon after, Anonymous adopted these monikers as a joke and these nicknames soon became synonymous with Anonymous. In 2008, a video from the Church of Scientology featuring Tom Cruise was leaked onto youtube and later deleted at the request of the church. As a result, A member of Anonymous, under the username of “Church0fScientology” posted a video on Youtube that declared the intentions of Anonymous to “go to war” with the church of Scientology. In this, Project Chanology was born. Soon afterward, many protests and demonstrations were held against the church at various locations throughout 2008. With internet culture finding its way out of the virtual realm and into the real world with such instances as Project Chanology, it is accurate to say that this is a culture that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.