>from what I can tell this is from 4chan and gaming I do not think so. Gaming and 4chan have been around a while, but this development is, as you say, relative

>from what I can tell this is from 4chan and gaming I do not think so. Gaming and 4chan have been around a while, but this development is, as you say, relatively recent. I think there is some force that is new that promotes this curve. One explanation is the widespread adoption and acceptance of the internet. Not so long ago, much fewer people had easy access to the web. Those that did often treated it with disdain, being mostly uninterested in it. At some point, people realized that the internet enabled them to freely speak their mind and associate with whomever they like to an unprecedented degree. Whereas before, people were limited by not wanting to distance themselves from friends and family, the internet enables them to lead a double life, with one part being a normal family man, the other being an internet pundit, freely spreading whichever vitriol they choose. For these same reasons, I don't think this facet of internet culture will be so easily put away. To do so requires breaking some of the principles that make the internet what it is, primarily the ability to post whatever you want, even illegal content (copyright, cp). There is also the ability to join comunities from anywhere in the world, not just those local to you, that have some extension in real life. These functions are part of what people dreamed about when they fostered the internet and the web. I think removing someone's advertising harms them to a point, but for many, it is a labor of love. They talk about the things they do because they truly enjoy those topics, and want to deseminate their views on it. If you cut off a revenue stream, they will continue posting, but perhaps scaled back due to needing a real job. Further, if their audience truly and unabashedly enjoys the content, they might be willing to fund the content maker through other channels, such as patreon or a similar websites. Cut off one revenue stream and two more pop up. I don't know what the solution is. Cutting off advertising won't be enough. Destroying the internet as we know it might be needed, but I worry that this is going too far.