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I also enjoyed the article but the entire thesis is incorrect, though. Anonymous has had far more of a cultural impact on society and technology than Cult of th

I also enjoyed the article but the entire thesis is incorrect, though. Anonymous has had far more of a cultural impact on society and technology than Cult of the Dead Cow, lopht etc did.

aortega 10y ago
True. Don't forget that the whole "Matrix" and "V for Vendetta" movies that came around the same time as Anonymous attacks. They got culturally embedded as hacker symbols.
- bdcravens 10y ago
  Last Matrix movie came out in 2003. First real Anonymous attacks occurred in 2008.
- nickpsecurity 10y ago
  Matrix was late 90's. Same people turned a 1980's graphic novel into V for Vendetta movie. They did become hacker symbols but Anonymous rode on their fame rather than other way around. Just as they rode on, but didn't contribute to, the anonymity, privacy, and Internet tech that came before The Matrix. People owe 60's-90's computer nerds and hackers way more than Anonymous. :)
teamhappy 10y ago
I suppose that depends on the definition of "cultural impact." L0pht talked to the US senate (and Mudge went on to join DARPA), CCC members consulted the german government, etc. Anonymous was on the front page of a whole lot of newspapers though. --- edit --- Doom is a good example: It both made it into popular culture (sold lots of copies, the Doom movie, etc.), but also hat cultural impact in the sense that it pushed 3D graphics. L0pht, the CCC, etc. had cultural impact in the same sense but never really made it into popular culture. Anonymous on the other hand did make it into popular culture but had no cultural impact (that I can think of right now).
- vidarh 10y ago
  > (that I can think of right now). It probably changed peoples reaction to Guy Fawkes masks, but that's about it.
- yolesaber 10y ago
  What about the widespread awareness of encryption and the necessity of secure cryptographic communications? In many laypeople's minds Anonymous and the "deep web" or "darknet" are synonymous, they all occupy the same zone in the cultural consciousness. Popular culture is culture.
  - teamhappy 10y ago
    > What about the widespread awareness of encryption and the necessity of secure cryptographic communications? I think Wikileaks and Snowden should get some credit for this as well. Also, I think the silk road guy should get most of the credit for "darknet" being a thing. > Popular culture is culture. Yup. But it doesn't necessarily affect other popular culture (which is how I defined "cultural impact").
mbrutsch 10y ago
Only if one assumes these groups do not overlap. Anonymous is anonymous for good reasons.
stevetrewick 10y ago
Depends whose culture. Culture in the large or just hacker (in the given sense of 'underground scene') culture ? It could be argued that Anonymous vs (e.g.) CDC is apples to oranges. Honestly I'm not sure, after reading it half a dozen times, not finding any unfamiliar words or concepts and reading the refs I still have absolutely no idea what the word salad between the intro and the end actually means. On the other hand I very definitely can think of a bunch of pragmatic reasons (outwith the lack of extant unisonant collectivist hive minds) that people aren't currently busy openly forming underground, anarchist, borderline criminal (more in bravado than fact, but still) networks.
sedachv 10y ago
It also misses the obvious cause of the move from groups to Anonymous: snitching. Adrian Lamo, Sabu, 5hm00p, etc.
- yolesaber 10y ago
  There's snitching in Anonymous too but yet it doesn't cease to be because Anonymous is tacit membership. It's much more distributed and akin to the spirit of the internet than closed exclusive groups

I also enjoyed the article but the entire thesis is incorrect, though. Anonymous has had far more of a cultural impact on society and technology than Cult of the Dead Cow, lopht etc did.

aortega 10y ago

True. Don't forget that the whole "Matrix" and "V for Vendetta" movies that came around the same time as Anonymous attacks. They got culturally embedded as hacker symbols.

bdcravens 10y ago
Last Matrix movie came out in 2003. First real Anonymous attacks occurred in 2008.
nickpsecurity 10y ago
Matrix was late 90's. Same people turned a 1980's graphic novel into V for Vendetta movie. They did become hacker symbols but Anonymous rode on their fame rather than other way around. Just as they rode on, but didn't contribute to, the anonymity, privacy, and Internet tech that came before The Matrix. People owe 60's-90's computer nerds and hackers way more than Anonymous. :)

teamhappy 10y ago

I suppose that depends on the definition of "cultural impact." L0pht talked to the US senate (and Mudge went on to join DARPA), CCC members consulted the german government, etc. Anonymous was on the front page of a whole lot of newspapers though. --- edit --- Doom is a good example: It both made it into popular culture (sold lots of copies, the Doom movie, etc.), but also hat cultural impact in the sense that it pushed 3D graphics. L0pht, the CCC, etc. had cultural impact in the same sense but never really made it into popular culture. Anonymous on the other hand did make it into popular culture but had no cultural impact (that I can think of right now).

vidarh 10y ago
> (that I can think of right now). It probably changed peoples reaction to Guy Fawkes masks, but that's about it.
yolesaber 10y ago
What about the widespread awareness of encryption and the necessity of secure cryptographic communications? In many laypeople's minds Anonymous and the "deep web" or "darknet" are synonymous, they all occupy the same zone in the cultural consciousness. Popular culture is culture.
- teamhappy 10y ago
  > What about the widespread awareness of encryption and the necessity of secure cryptographic communications? I think Wikileaks and Snowden should get some credit for this as well. Also, I think the silk road guy should get most of the credit for "darknet" being a thing. > Popular culture is culture. Yup. But it doesn't necessarily affect other popular culture (which is how I defined "cultural impact").

mbrutsch 10y ago

Only if one assumes these groups do not overlap. Anonymous is anonymous for good reasons.

stevetrewick 10y ago

Depends whose culture. Culture in the large or just hacker (in the given sense of 'underground scene') culture ? It could be argued that Anonymous vs (e.g.) CDC is apples to oranges. Honestly I'm not sure, after reading it half a dozen times, not finding any unfamiliar words or concepts and reading the refs I still have absolutely no idea what the word salad between the intro and the end actually means. On the other hand I very definitely can think of a bunch of pragmatic reasons (outwith the lack of extant unisonant collectivist hive minds) that people aren't currently busy openly forming underground, anarchist, borderline criminal (more in bravado than fact, but still) networks.

sedachv 10y ago

It also misses the obvious cause of the move from groups to Anonymous: snitching. Adrian Lamo, Sabu, 5hm00p, etc.

yolesaber 10y ago
There's snitching in Anonymous too but yet it doesn't cease to be because Anonymous is tacit membership. It's much more distributed and akin to the spirit of the internet than closed exclusive groups