Final answer:
Hacktivism is primarily motivated by the desire for social change, as hacktivists use their skills to draw attention to and protest political or social issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary motivating factor behind hacktivism is the desire for social change. Hacktivists often hack as a means of protesting or drawing attention to political or social issues, aligning their actions with their personal or collective ideologies. Unlike traditional hackers, who might be driven by the desire to make money, or other motivations such as serving an authority figure or spreading fear, hacktivists use their skills to advance causes they believe in.
They might seek to expose corruption, support human rights, or bring attention to environmental issues. The tactics they employ can range from website defacement to launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks aimed at disrupting services or gaining media attention for their cause.