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So how come more general anonymous forums work? Because while parts of 4chan and other similar sites are topic based, the likes of /b/ are just a general free f

by CM30 10y ago

So how come more general anonymous forums work? Because while parts of 4chan and other similar sites are topic based, the likes of /b/ are just a general free for all. Why do people continue posting there if it's anonymous and generalised? Why are the general discussion sections of anonymous imageboards the most popular part of said sites?

stagbeetle 10y ago
> Why are the general discussion sections of anonymous imageboards the most popular part of said sites? It appeals to a wider audience than any specific board and provides novelty.
flyingfences 10y ago
I think that anonymity works for discussion of topics, which I consider separate from the notion of social networks. Social networks are made to be social - their entire purpose is, at its root, the discussion of people. They're all about what I did, what you're doing, what "he's* planning to do. Take the names off of that and it's pointless. I wouldn't consider 4chan, most of reddit, etc. to be social networks. They're not for discussion of people; they're for discussion of topics. I think that anonymity helps in those cases because it completely removes people from the discussion. All of the identity politics, the virtue signalling, the reputation whoring, and a good bit of the circlejerking disappears. When you anonymize the participants, all that's left is a discussion of the actual topic at hand. I think that's why such anonymous discussion boards work so well and continue to draw users. Also, I wouldn't say that /b/ is "generalized" - it's random, but not generalized. The board as a whole does not have a set topic (besides "whatever doesn't fit in other boards"), but each of the threads does have a topic. People come to the board to find interesting threads, not because they find the board itself, as a whole, interesting.
grillvogel 10y ago
4chan consistently features some of the worst posts you'll ever see, as well as the most brilliant things you'll ever read or see on the internet. no other site can replicate this, and for many, those diamonds are worth putting up with the garbage
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Like actual diamonds, I'd rather wait for their to erupt to the surface, than mine through all of that dirt.
  - grillvogel 10y ago
    the quality is pretty diluted by that point
    - M_Grey 10y ago
      Diamonds are mercifully unchanged by their journey through a kimberlite tube. It's true, you still have to break them out of the rock, but it's better than swimming through mantle!
      - grillvogel 10y ago
        they aren't literally diamonds that was just a metaphor. delicate memes don't always survive the journey to the surface
        M_Grey 10y ago
        I know what you meant, I was extending the metaphor. I would rather crack rocks for diamonds on the surface, than swim through shit below. I realize that's a preference issue, not a "right way / wrong way" issue for the record.

by CM30 10y ago

stagbeetle 10y ago

> Why are the general discussion sections of anonymous imageboards the most popular part of said sites? It appeals to a wider audience than any specific board and provides novelty.

flyingfences 10y ago

I think that anonymity works for discussion of topics, which I consider separate from the notion of social networks. Social networks are made to be social - their entire purpose is, at its root, the discussion of people. They're all about what I did, what you're doing, what "he's* planning to do. Take the names off of that and it's pointless. I wouldn't consider 4chan, most of reddit, etc. to be social networks. They're not for discussion of people; they're for discussion of topics. I think that anonymity helps in those cases because it completely removes people from the discussion. All of the identity politics, the virtue signalling, the reputation whoring, and a good bit of the circlejerking disappears. When you anonymize the participants, all that's left is a discussion of the actual topic at hand. I think that's why such anonymous discussion boards work so well and continue to draw users. Also, I wouldn't say that /b/ is "generalized" - it's random, but not generalized. The board as a whole does not have a set topic (besides "whatever doesn't fit in other boards"), but each of the threads does have a topic. People come to the board to find interesting threads, not because they find the board itself, as a whole, interesting.

grillvogel 10y ago

4chan consistently features some of the worst posts you'll ever see, as well as the most brilliant things you'll ever read or see on the internet. no other site can replicate this, and for many, those diamonds are worth putting up with the garbage

M_Grey 10y ago
Like actual diamonds, I'd rather wait for their to erupt to the surface, than mine through all of that dirt.
- grillvogel 10y ago
  the quality is pretty diluted by that point
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    Diamonds are mercifully unchanged by their journey through a kimberlite tube. It's true, you still have to break them out of the rock, but it's better than swimming through mantle!
    - grillvogel 10y ago
      they aren't literally diamonds that was just a metaphor. delicate memes don't always survive the journey to the surface
      - M_Grey 10y ago
        I know what you meant, I was extending the metaphor. I would rather crack rocks for diamonds on the surface, than swim through shit below. I realize that's a preference issue, not a "right way / wrong way" issue for the record.