After the unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin was gunned down earlier this year in Florida, a racist smear campaign unfolded in the politics section of 4Chan, including strategically ordered emails and Facebook messages purportedly hacked from the teen’s email and social networking accounts meant to “prove” the black teen’s killing was justified. The white supremacist movement’s anonymity, once hidden behind white capes, now hides behind the virtual cloak of online groups. … That’s led to this discussion that’s completely raw, completely unfiltered.”īut does this also mean there ought to be no societal conscience and no regard for ramifications in the real world? Where do we draw the line, if one is to be drawn at all? There’s no archive, there are no barriers, there’s no registration. Its zero data retention feature quickly transformed the website into a viral incubator, birthing the likes of Lolcats, Rickrolling, and chocolate rain, as well as turning it into a breeding ground for counterculturists, hacktivists, and bored cubicle workers looking to vent about their boss.īut how far is too far? 4Chan founder Christopher Poole said, “What’s unique about is that it’s anonymous, and it has no memory. Concieved and created by a 15-year-old in his New York City bedroom in 2003, this imageboard was initially intended for discussion and sharing of manga/anime. Lurking behind the Internet cloak of invisibility, anonymous websites tend to bring out the best (and worst) in humanity.

Recent developments on websites like 4Chan have pushed anthropologists like Epp to explore them. Currently underway, his project, Racism and Sexism in a Virtual World will use participant observation, surveys, and interviews to determine whether anonymity perpetuates bigotry.įocused on Facebook, Reddit, and 4Chan as three sites with differing levels of anonymity – not anonymous, pseudo-anonymous, and completely anonymous – Epp seeks to interview users of the websites and pick their brains on the topic. The Guardian once described the 4Chan community as “lunatic, juvenile… brilliant, ridiculous and alarming.” Can we add to that racist and sexist?Īnthropologist Luke Epp seeks to answer this question.

Sites like reddit and 4chan