Barrett Brown is an American journalist and activist who became a symbol of the hacktivist group Anonymous and founded Project PM. The meme typically stems from his eccentric and high-energy livestreams or images from his dramatic legal battles and arrests. It captures the chaotic and often paranoid intersection of digital journalism, government surveillance, and internet culture. While initially popular in tech-heavy and political circles on 4chan and Reddit, the Barrett Brown template is now used more broadly to represent intense reactions to authority, whistleblowing, or the unpredictable nature of the dark web. It serves as a visual shorthand for the friction between individual activists and state power.