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4chan: Beyond one billion

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Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#11

Post by jeffool »

The thing that strikes me is how... Ubiquitous as it is, and at the same time, unknown to so many more. "Browsing 4chan" truly is the "reading Rolling Stone magazine" of its day. And somehow, it retains that while being huge.

I say this as someone fired for visiting it[1], and finding it impossible to get a job in the news industry a year later. Now, the news industry is hardly considered cutting edge, but people hear "now, the site has pornography, but-" and that's it. (Especially in this employer's market!)

Conversely, I applied to two tech companies over the past year, and being forthcoming as I am, I share this with them. Both were mystified at my being fired for visiting 4chan. ("What? Where do you LIVE?")

[1] I found out about the site from news coverage years ago (the NFL thing; "Don't mess with football!".) As Anonymous rose, it became interesting from a news standpoint. And yes, I casually just visited as well. I understand many consider this fire-able, and don't argue. That's kind of my point though, that divide.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#12

Post by zumth »

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #9
Sodaware wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure it all comes from advertising.

Much of it Adult, too, since it is, well, 4chan.

4chan is not only /b/ and porn, there are surprisingly good SFW boards too. Well, maybe "SFW" is pushing it a bit, since the tone is still 4-chaney, but then look around the technology, cooking, or traditionnal games boards: you'll be surprised.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#13

Post by unkoman »

risratorn wrote: post #4

Moot really deserves praise for sticking around for 8 years and keeping the site running. I can imagine a lot of people giving up after a couple of years.

I don't know what I'd do without it. It's been a fun ride since the very beginning (although I can do without the summer invasions).

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#14

Post by TazeTSchnitzel »

zumth wrote: post #12
TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of it Adult, too, since it is, well, 4chan.

4chan is not only /b/ and porn, there are surprisingly good SFW boards too. Well, maybe "SFW" is pushing it a bit, since the tone is still 4-chaney, but then look around the technology, cooking, or traditionnal games boards: you'll be surprised.

Oh, I'm well aware of that. /b/ is (arguably) the worst part of 4chan. 4chan has much more than porn, but it also has a lot of porn.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#15

Post by Paul_S »

I would be surprised if there wasn't an overlap between HN and 4chan (same as with SA). Being run in diametrically opposed way it fills its role rather well, I think. There is no reputation system, no limits, no censorship, etc.. This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be. I think people often don't appreciate this. It's not just people being dicks on the Internet, it's people saying what they think with no regard to social acceptance or basic politeness. And since there are no credentials, your posts are just that - some text and images conveying ideas. The only authority comes from the content.

Here's to another billion.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#16

Post by dhimes »

Paul_S wrote: post #15

I would be surprised if there wasn't an overlap between HN and 4chan (same as with SA). Being run in diametrically opposed way it fills its role rather well, I think. There is no reputation system, no limits, no censorship, etc.. This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be. I think people often don't appreciate this. It's not j…

I read somewhere that sociologists are fascinated by 4chan.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#17

Post by jgrahamc »

Paul_S wrote: post #15

I would be surprised if there wasn't an overlap between HN and 4chan (same as with SA). Being run in diametrically opposed way it fills its role rather well, I think. There is no reputation system, no limits, no censorship, etc.. This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be. I think people often don't appreciate this. It's not j…

"This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be."

I'm not sure that that really makes sense. I can be very charming or utterly vile. Are you implying that I'm only truly me when I'm vile (for example)? Aren't we all pretending all the time?

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#19

Post by smackay »

Paul_S wrote: post #15

I would be surprised if there wasn't an overlap between HN and 4chan (same as with SA). Being run in diametrically opposed way it fills its role rather well, I think. There is no reputation system, no limits, no censorship, etc.. This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be. I think people often don't appreciate this. It's not j…

"but all of them are true expressions of people as they are"

I don't think you can say that. Humans are fundamentally social creatures with behaviours that are also context driven. So to characterize the dialog on 4chan as free expression is simply inaccurate. This is just a facet of behaviour in the same way that people behave in mobs or in war-time - to cite some more extreme examples.

Think of 4chan as a healthy antidote to excessive political-correctness and other wanton busybodyness.

Re: 4chan: Beyond one billion

#20

Post by Paul_S »

jgrahamc wrote: post #17
Paul_S wrote: post #15

I would be surprised if there wasn't an overlap between HN and 4chan (same as with SA). Being run in diametrically opposed way it fills its role rather well, I think. There is no reputation system, no limits, no censorship, etc.. This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be. I think people often don't appreciate this. It's not j…

"This means it produces many utterly vile posts - but all of them are true expressions of people as they are, not as they pretend to be." I'm not sure that that really makes sense. I can be very charming or utterly vile. Are you implying that I'm only truly me when I'm vile (for example)? Aren't we all pretending all the time?

Not all posts there are vile or inane (but many are and I don't think you dispute that). I'm just saying you get to see the full gamut (like you say people have many aspects to them), rather than just the polite, self-censored (for good reason) conversation we get on HN (this isn't a complaint about HN, I'd hate it if it was any other way). So you do get the usual hate speech, but you also get inside stories because people feel free to say things there that would probably get shut down even on a reddit AMA.
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