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I used to really enjoy /b/ - sure, there was always a lot of shit on there, but it was also the centre of absolutely unrestrained creativity. From memes so funn

by hluska 11y ago

I used to really enjoy /b/ - sure, there was always a lot of shit on there, but it was also the centre of absolutely unrestrained creativity. From memes so funny that they still crack me up, to sorting algorithms so novel that they changed the way I thought about solving problems. As I see it, two things happened: - I aged. I was in my mid-twenties when 4chan launched. Now, I'm in my late thirties. You won't understand how much the years 25 - 40 will change you until you've been through those years. - The community's standards changed. Back in the day, unrestrained creativity was rewarded. The last time I was on /b/, unrestrained cruelty was rewarded. I can't picture Gamergate happening in ~ 2008... --- The second point is likely a function of the first.

Karunamon 11y ago
I've also been on /b/ since the early days, but I can't agree with your assessment. "Old /b/" was the place where posting pictures of animals being tortured (if the words "zippo cat" or "crush cat" mean anything to you - and yes, both of those things are exactly what they sound like) was a common occurrence. Cruelty was never seen as a negative as long as the community found the results sufficiently funny, shocking, or funny because they were shocking (via other people's reactions). To coin a phrase: /b/ was never good. If GamerGate were a thing that couldn't happen back in the early days, it's only because rallying behind a cause (regardless of what you think of its validity) that's "serious" rather than one that generates laughs would have never happened - it's got nothing to do with the acerbic nature of the community. Chanology was the first real break from that.
- Vaskivo 11y ago
  I think these kinds of events became "bigger" and more noticeable because of the evolution of the web. First people just pointed and laugh. Then, as more not-so-private information became available, people were able to figure out where the target lived, worked, name and family. Things escalated to prank calls, ordering pizza to their homes or simply showing up at their door to point and laugh. But then came the social media boom. Facebook, Twitter, and every detail of a person's life was there for the pickings. Gathering information about a "target" got really, really easy. And it became easier to mock/attack too. You have an embarassing video, I'll put it in youtube and show it with all your frinds. I'll bombard your twitter with jokes, hate and all-around trolling. You could simply shut-down a person's online social life (which importance has been growing in the last years). What once was hard-work, now is easy. And with that, anyone can be an accomplished troll. I don't know about Gamergate, but if the Fappening had happened 5 years earlier, it probably wouldn't be as big as it got (media wise)
  - degenerate 11y ago
    You're right. Ease of access to information lowers the effort required, and thus more people get involved.

by hluska 11y ago

Karunamon 11y ago

I've also been on /b/ since the early days, but I can't agree with your assessment. "Old /b/" was the place where posting pictures of animals being tortured (if the words "zippo cat" or "crush cat" mean anything to you - and yes, both of those things are exactly what they sound like) was a common occurrence. Cruelty was never seen as a negative as long as the community found the results sufficiently funny, shocking, or funny because they were shocking (via other people's reactions). To coin a phrase: /b/ was never good. If GamerGate were a thing that couldn't happen back in the early days, it's only because rallying behind a cause (regardless of what you think of its validity) that's "serious" rather than one that generates laughs would have never happened - it's got nothing to do with the acerbic nature of the community. Chanology was the first real break from that.

Vaskivo 11y ago
I think these kinds of events became "bigger" and more noticeable because of the evolution of the web. First people just pointed and laugh. Then, as more not-so-private information became available, people were able to figure out where the target lived, worked, name and family. Things escalated to prank calls, ordering pizza to their homes or simply showing up at their door to point and laugh. But then came the social media boom. Facebook, Twitter, and every detail of a person's life was there for the pickings. Gathering information about a "target" got really, really easy. And it became easier to mock/attack too. You have an embarassing video, I'll put it in youtube and show it with all your frinds. I'll bombard your twitter with jokes, hate and all-around trolling. You could simply shut-down a person's online social life (which importance has been growing in the last years). What once was hard-work, now is easy. And with that, anyone can be an accomplished troll. I don't know about Gamergate, but if the Fappening had happened 5 years earlier, it probably wouldn't be as big as it got (media wise)
- degenerate 11y ago
  You're right. Ease of access to information lowers the effort required, and thus more people get involved.