In a way yes. It's been for more than a few years though. Many mainstream TV series or movies portray hackers as shady, know-it-all characters that have dark mo

In a way yes. It's been for more than a few years though. Many mainstream TV series or movies portray hackers as shady, know-it-all characters that have dark motives. This is just a larger scale depiction of the same stereotype, which is not unjustifiable after the recent attacks. Hacking the PS network and XBOX live, Sony about a movie and celebrities for their naked photos is reasonable to create negative public response. Anonymous were not perceived as a threat by the public because they would never try such cheap publicity attracting stunts.