I don’t think David Auerbach’s overgeneralization of anonymous web users into one culture has any sound argument. Many people choose to remain anonymous for many reasons, and with that said, many also visit 4chan for many reasons. I feel like this article has picked out very specific instances that are not representative of the overall community that exists. It is probably a minority that goes onto 4chan and go out and boast about what they do in /b/ in some with some sort of “radical” comment elsewhere, and that is what has grabbed everyone’s attention; it is the same as someone flipping through a magazine, newspaper, or book until something extreme grabs their attention. As with probably much of society, I do agree that there are things that go on in the communities of 4chan that are inappropriate, however who am I to stop them from coming to a place where a community for them exists, just as I and many other come to the site to participate in a larger than life community that could only exist in this digital realm.
Questions I still have are: Is there a difference hiding behind the “anonymous” tag on 4chan, and having a user ID that has no link to who you are as a person? If the moniker of “anonymous” really does play some part, is it a psychological aspect at play?