11–20 of 126 posts
Sam's essay went too quickly towards condemning anonymity, but it started by attacking a different kind of anonymity--that of small groups. Secret might have problems not simply because the messages are anonymous, but because they are anonymous between people who know each other and can act on that information. In 4chan participants likely will never meet--in Secret they already have.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
I was gonna go look for some lovey dovey thread to cite as evidence, but instead I found a thread full of guys trying to build a physical version of their imaginary chinese-cartoon girlfriends. https://archive.foolz.us/a/thread/101944946/
I literally can't imagine this happening anywhere other than on 4chan.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
Do keep in mind that 4chan is not /b/. There's a _huge_ discrepancy between people's interpretation of what 4chan is like, and what it really is. This is probably why the community has been able to stay so strong over the years. On the off-chance you visit one of the more aggressive boards and someone tries to say mean things to you, you can always reply in a friendly, careless fashion and make them feel really bad a…
I say this with hesitation but I believe that Snapchat, with all of its idiotic flaws is an indication of how the future of social networking platforms will be. It demonstrates that you can have a service where your friends are known but the content is seemingly temporary, allowing for some semblance of control. I don't think that Snapchat is the future, but it does make me think that the ideas around it are what wil…
Interesting thoughts about anonymity not being important to most people, and the future of social networking, though. I'd never thought about it that way before, but it seems compelling.
The conversation is “raw” to say the least—almost everyone checks their filter at the door. The resulting dialogue is about as honest as it gets. In lieu of traditional barriers to membership, the community uses cryptic and crude language to regulate who can and cannot participate. On the surface this may seem offensive, but it’s often meant to do little more than keep newcomers on their toes and encourage they lurk…
with 4chan you have to get over the social impact of actually browsing 4chan. Just go look at the 4chan subreddit, it's filled to the brink with people who want to consume 4chan content but are too scared to actually visit the site.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
The notion that anonymity breeds meanness suggests that the meanness is created. I think moot's assertion that anonymity facilitates honesty suggests that what is exposed is the meanness that was within people all along.
Setting aside 4chan, which I don't know well, look at newspaper comments. People positively compete to be giant assholes. They practice being mean. I think there's a big difference between people having the potential for meanness within them and indulging that in a way that magnifies and sharpens it.
There are definitely contexts where people will talk honestly about the assholish thoughts and feelings we all have. E.g., I might tell a friend, "Man, I know that Bob means well, but I really can't stand him some times." That's honesty.
But for me to go and tell Bob, "Leave me alone you half-wit inbred nose-picker," that goes beyond honest to mean because I'm acting with clear disregard for hurting other people. And if I create a context where it's ok for people to be mean like that, I think it really is creating more meanness.
On the one hand, I was an early BBS user, and there was a fair bit of benefit in anonymity or pseudonymity there. On the other, when somebody says that he strongly disagrees with the notion that anonymity breeds meanness and his positive example is 4chan , I'm gobsmacked. We must have such different standards for what qualifies as meanness that I'm not sure we're the same species.
His point seems to be that it breeds HONESTY rather than meanness, I don't think he was saying it breeds the opposite of meanness, just that meanness is a side-effect of the honesty and the honesty is the real effect.
The meanest things are those with a grain of truth in them, a mirror for someone's imperfections.
Thus, it follows that a community which enables blatant and rough honesty will be perceived as "meaner".