Live data from Hacker News

4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

readwriteweb.com

61–70 of 157 posts

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#61

Identity is prismatic, but the faces of that prism aren't disjointed. They're all part of the same whole and for this reason I'm not sure his metaphor works with his point about how we present ourselves differently in different contexts. I've always used my real name on everything I do since I got in trouble in high school for being part of a group prank under a pseudonym. My father told me that unless I want what I…

And if you've ever explored 4chan for even a minute you'll see why this is important, the anonymity there turns those people into, well, freaks.

Pseudonyms have been used all over the web from the very beginning. 4chan has problems because there is less accountability than other sites (like this one), not because they allow people to be anonymous.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#63

Identity is prismatic, but the faces of that prism aren't disjointed. They're all part of the same whole and for this reason I'm not sure his metaphor works with his point about how we present ourselves differently in different contexts. I've always used my real name on everything I do since I got in trouble in high school for being part of a group prank under a pseudonym. My father told me that unless I want what I…

unless I want what I do to be associated with my real name, I just probably shouldn't do it

This sounds an awful lot like "if you aren't doing anything wrong then you don't have anything to hide" to me.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#64
The most insightful discussion of online identity I've heard to date.

Facebook has painted themselves into a corner, and Google isn't creative enough with their approach. Twitter is better, but only because they don't have the same policies and don't try to get in the way.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#65

Identity is prismatic, but the faces of that prism aren't disjointed. They're all part of the same whole and for this reason I'm not sure his metaphor works with his point about how we present ourselves differently in different contexts. I've always used my real name on everything I do since I got in trouble in high school for being part of a group prank under a pseudonym. My father told me that unless I want what I…

unless I want what I do to be associated with my real name, I just probably shouldn't do it This sounds an awful lot like "if you aren't doing anything wrong then you don't have anything to hide" to me.

"Wrong" is too black and white to go by, the way I put it is more like saying that you sculpt your identity based on the choices you make.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#66
post #6

As someone who used to post a lot on forums, I agree that being able to have multiple pseudonyms is great. On the other hand, I also appreciate the value of enforcing real names in online discussions. If you've ever read the comments on news articles on Facebook (MSNBC/Breaking News/etc.), it's amazing the hateful, racist, bigoted shit people will post under their REAL NAMES. I can only imagine how bad it would be if…

You may want to visit Mr. Poole's first website, 4chan, which requires anonymous posting on some areas but allows a limited identity in others (through tripcodes). The effect of anonymous posting on content quality is immediately apparent.

Try reading /k/ or /o/. Tripcodes don't really make a huge difference, it just means the flamewars are more personal.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#67
post #61

Identity is prismatic, but the faces of that prism aren't disjointed. They're all part of the same whole and for this reason I'm not sure his metaphor works with his point about how we present ourselves differently in different contexts. I've always used my real name on everything I do since I got in trouble in high school for being part of a group prank under a pseudonym. My father told me that unless I want what I…

And if you've ever explored 4chan for even a minute you'll see why this is important, the anonymity there turns those people into, well, freaks. Pseudonyms have been used all over the web from the very beginning. 4chan has problems because there is less accountability than other sites (like this one), not because they allow people to be anonymous.

That's a good point. It really is a free-for-all.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#68
post #9

They may be doing it wrong from a psychology perspective, but seem to be doing fine from a business perspective.

In 2007 I was part of a committee looking at the OOXML proposal for ISO acceptance. I had to listen to Google and IBM release twisted media releases about what was going on. I learnt during those few months that those two companies are in everything for the money. After that process was finished I consider Google a blight on this planet that I'd like to see gone.

One point that stuck with me was talking about the trade effects on the pacific island nations. Nations without proper access to anything thanks to isolation. I remember listening to FOSS make the case the case that those islands should be using Linux and not windows.

I remember making the conjecture these people where basic users, without access to proper education, and needed a monolithic MS style set up to keep them afloat, also people often without internet access, or reliable power (or even drinking water ATM). The response back was a blunt "oh well bad luck for them, thats not our problem".

That was the first time I became aware FOSS being used as an economic weapon, and in such a way that could cause entire populations of people to suffer.

And why? it sure as hell wasn't about making the world a better place, they made that perfectly clear. No it was about making money for themselves by hurting other people.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#69
post #2

We present ourselves differently in different contexts, and that's key to our creativity and self-expression. "It's not 'who you share with,' it's 'who you share as,'" Poole told us. "Identity is prismatic." moot just kinda blew my mind. And it makes total sense. I'd go so far as to say it's almost painfully obvious once it's pointed out to you. I hope someone's got it on video and posts it somewhere.

Absolutely spot on. I struggled with the notion of putting myself out there on the internet as since the days of BBS's I've always interacted with other "internet folk" through an alias and very much under a different persona. Even running successful websites I ran them under a female alias not just because I could, but because it was a great marketing trick.

But today, the web has become so ubiquitous with the real world that I know I now have to play the game. It has taken me a long time to realize this, and I still don't feel comfortable with it.

Re: 4chan's Chris Poole: Facebook & Google Are Doing It Wrong

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may want to visit Mr. Poole's first website, 4chan, which requires anonymous posting on some areas but allows a limited identity in others (through tripcodes). The effect of anonymous posting on content quality is immediately apparent.

I will play the devils advocate here... I've browsed 4chan every now and then during the last year I will totally disagree with you. If anything, the post quality is deceiving, not immediately apparent. I couldn't understand at first, but then it became obvious. 99% of the posts are striped from any real content, they are irrelevant single words, offenses, f*ked up puctures, funny pictures, etc. But then, in 1% of th…

you might be conflating 4chan with /b/. there's a lot of 4chan that isn't /b/. further, i think it's possible to argue that the huge amount of useless fluff on /b/ is not a bad thing - the whole point of it is to be a sink for that stuff.
Post reply on HN