I've encountered them at times here and there. They are a very diverse group. Some of them are racist to the extreme, some are multiculturalists. Some are fags, some hate fags. Some are libs, some are more conservative than Barry Goldwater. Some are political, some are apolitical, some are anarchists, some don't give a fuck about anything.

Their prime motivation is fun. In the end, they do it all for the Lulz, and because they can. If it feels phony to you, that's because for the most part it is. One or two members may feel strongly about a subject. They propose an operation, and everybody else joins in. Most of them could care less about the issue. They're just in it to use and sharpen their hacking skills and have some fun doing it.

That's pretty much what Anonymous is about. They get a kick out of fucking people around, and the bigger the asshole the bigger the challenge the bigger the lulz. Trolls is what they are more than anything else.