I know there are a lot of imageboards and textboards out there and I was wondering if it is possible to get away from the "*chan" culture. There are too many "*chans", and most of them have the same jokes, content, "macros/memes", etc.
I think there is a lot of potential associated to imageboard system and anonimity that can be used in the west, but do you think that it can be separated from all the "chan" mess and takeoff as another option in the west? Can we start over? What do you think?
I think this is a bad idea.
Maybe this isn't the right thread to post this in, but it kind of addresses >>18-24
Lately I've been wondering if anonymity is all it's cracked up to be. I was a staunch believer before, but I feel like I might be growing out of it.
Fully anonymous posting is basically perfect altruism, because you don't get anything in return, not even "reputation." Perhaps that aspect drives out the most intelligent and qualified people, because they could be doing something mutually beneficial instead.
Contrast that with pseudonyms, you get most (but not all) of the benefits, but with the major bonus that you can benefit from your work as well. (FWIW, I've never used a tripcode.)
So perhaps the solution to "chan culture" is to get rid of the anonymity. But people would probably call that a cure worse than the disease.
>>26
I'm actually writing a paper on that now.
So far I've determined one thing: pseudonyms are the worst of both worlds. Ideally, a board should present two choices, post fully anonymously, or accept a globally recognized identity. Facebook Connect or OpenID or whatever, something that is consistent from one site to the next.
Tripcodes almost work, but the barrier of entry is just too much for a lot of people -- it's sort of a password but sort of not, it's a weird entry form, the junk letters after the name are confusing and meaningless, etc. To contrast, put in a little blue 'f' or Yahoo or Google icon, and practically anyone will recognize and understand it.
The problem with the pseudonym is that it affords the drawbacks of anonymity, particularly impersonation and trolling, without the primary advantage of promoting content over persona. Also, the pseudonym does not allow for the sense of true community that proper names provide, which makes talking to someone feel very alien in comparison to in-person contact. This sense of detachment is the driving force behind the vicious hatred and trolling that is so pervasive on internet communities.
>>27
My experience with this is based on a particular online community that uses pseudonyms. In that community, it is normal (expected, even) to meet strangers (who you might not even know very well online) offline with basically complete trust. That community is old (older than 4chan), huge (not as big as 4chan, but what is?), and thriving (nobody is accusing it of declining quality).
There are probably many other communities that are similar.
(The site itself is grotesque technically, running on phpBB and full of giant avatars and miles of signatures on every post. But that has nothing to do with pseudonyms or the site's success.)
I wonder if the reasoning behind anonymity is a little bit like the reasoning behind modern art. "The old way had problems, so we are going to tear down the entire system in order to make it impossible for those problems to occur." For anonymity, you can summarize it as "you can't trust anyone or anything on the internet, therefore you shouldn't try."
To be clear, most of the disadvantages of pseudonyms are real. Most of the arguments against them are valid. But perhaps the importance of those arguments is overblown, and the tradeoffs are worthwhile, at least in some cases.
For what it's worth, it's pretty amusing to meet someone in real life, and continue using their pseudonym from the internet. It's not entirely dissimilar to the Anonymous rallies and meetups, although the level of interaction is probably quite different (greater, in the case of pseudonyms).
>>28
Anonymous discussion has roots far earlier than those PHPBB forums or even the computer. The normative use of a separate pseudonym for every discussion group one participates in, on the other hand, I'm pretty sure is fairly new.
>>30
I wasn't trying to say it's the oldest thing ever, because I don't see how it matters.
It's been around long enough that if the community was going to implode, it probably already would have.
Bumping this because it got lost when some tardbot came by to spam Timberlands.
The best way to get away from the chan culture is to inspire a sense of community. best way is to encourage names. Melding the real and virtual worlds is a good way too. irc, voice and video chats, gaming groups, even real life meetups are all great ways to foster a tight knit community that makes users feel at home.
see: http://operatorchan.org http://operator.wikia.com/wiki/Tripfags
Mysterious conversation has origins far previously than those PHPBB boards or even the computer. The normative use of a individual pseudonym for every conversation team one takes part in, however, I'm fairly sure is quite new.