4chan History
4chan is hands-down one of the interesting and influential websites ever created. It functions as the America of popular culture on the internet, the ultimate source for most internet memes, and a beacon of anonymity in a world that is becoming more socially invasive.
The site influenced a new generation of major internet figures and coders, continues to birth to memes that are now common staples on most major websites and even common speech, and cultivated a flock of loosely organized people led only by a common goal, known as Anonymous.
This book has the goal of detailing the complete history of 4chan in the format of a conventional college-level history book, with a touch of humor common to that site.
We've got a lot of information already, but we need hard facts and primary sources from people who actually experienced the era discussed. If you have anything to add, no matter how small, get in here and do it.
The 4chan History Timeline is a great source of information, though it thins out near the end of 2007. Cole Stryker's Epic Win For Anonymous is also awesome, though it comes from an carpetbagger's point of view.
4chan's history is to be divided into concurrent periods, like that of Japanese history. Each era was dominated by different immigrant groups from other websites, who imported the memes of their culture into the melting pot.
- Prehistory (1996-2003) - The background of the world that 4chan was started in, and was influenced by.
- Genesis (Sept 2003 - Mar 2004) - 4chan is founded, bringing the magic of anonymous imageboards to the English language. It instantly finds supporters in Something Awful's ADTRW board, and slowly surpasses it's predecessor.
- Mootxico Era (Apr 2004 - Sept 2005) - 4chan distills the best from 2channel, Something Awful, and the rest of the internet and forgets the uninteresting to create a powerful meme-based culture that stands out from the crowd.
- Civil War Era (Oct 2005 - Nov 2006) - 4chan's growing popularity comes with massive social change, caused by problematic subcultures, a new raid mentality, and romanticism for an idyllic depiction of /b/. These tensions culminate in /b/day, a mass revolt by /b/tards incited by moot's enforcement of rules on /b/.
- Golden Age (Dec 2006 - Dec 2007) - Users seeking refuge in other sites after /b/day take 4chan's memes and unique attitude with them, kicking off 4chan's Golden Age. These memes are quickly integrated into mainstream internet culture, inspiring interest in the website that started it all. Reception is mixed; 4chan becomes the focal site of the internet, but at the cost of having it's memes monetized and mangled by outsiders and carpetbaggers. Population sharply increases, and so does the amount of great content from the era.
- Chanology Era (Jan 2008 - Jan 2009) - When Scientologists take down a ridiculous training video posted to Youtube, 4chan fights back in full force as Anonymous in Project Chanology. The sheer strength of the attack inaugurates a new era of organized internet protest.
- Boxxy Era (Jan 2009 - ) - By this time, Anonymous has largely reassimilated into 4chan, falling dormant until the next crisis. A new queen of /b/ arises, causing a second civil war that nearly brings 4chan to it's knees. The rise of Reddit fosters an uneasy, but symbiotic cultural relationship between the two similar, yet different sites.
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Payback Era (2010-2011) - Anonymous gets right back in action in Operation Payback when Aiplex Software was found to have DDoSed torrent sites under orders of the MPAA. While they succeed in destroying the company, the Wikileaks scandal greatly lengthens the operation, and the Arab Spring forces perpetual mobilization. Anonymous has become a force to be reckoned with, but it's former home 4chan, suspicious of their new face, motives, and organization, has long since disowned them.
- At this point, Anonymous's history permanently divests itself of 4chan history, and it is treated as an independent community. It continues on Anonymous History.
- Modern Era (2011 -) History is still happening, and it's up to you to archive it for future generations to come. As stuff happens, put it on this page.
Full Article: Contributors
If you've contributed and feel like getting some credit, put your name down on this page to immortalize your work, and perhaps give us a way to contact you if you want to.
- 4chan History Timeline - Passed down from generation to generation, archived and lost on countless wikis, this is the famous timeline of 4chan's evolution through the years. The last one was maintained by a Redditor on the second Wikichan, but it was lost with the site's downfall and saved out of chance.
- 4chan - Jonathan's Reference Pages
- Everything Shii Knows