| Revision as of 00:18, 25 November 2014 view sourceAnachronist (talk | contribs)Edit filter managers, Autopatrolled, IP block exemptions, Administrators67,258 editsm Amatulic moved page Infinitechan to 8chan: WP:RM consensus← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:09, 25 November 2014 view source Ranze (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users12,222 edits mkay since block was over (and not ended early) going to return to make this correct. The 'common name' should be put in quotes since this is what the media has taken to calling it, and not the actual titleNext edit → | ||
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| | logo = | | logo = | ||
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| caption = The ∞chan logo of "8chan" | ||
| | url = {{url|8chan.co}} | | url = {{url|8chan.co}} | ||
| | slogan = '''''Welcome to ∞chan, the infinitely expanding imageboard.''''' | | slogan = '''''Welcome to ∞chan, the infinitely expanding imageboard.''''' | ||
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| '''8chan''' ( |
"'''8chan'''" (originally called '''Infinitechan''', stylized as '''∞chan''') is an ] ] website organized by a virtually limitless number of user-created ]. Each one is governed independently from each other by the site's users, who generally post anonymously, with the most recent posts appearing above the rest. Registration is not required, nor is it possible (except for staff).<ref name="faq">{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Fredrick|url=https://8chan.co/faq.html|title=FAQ|publisher=Infinitechan|website=8chan.co|accessdate=November 23, 2014}}</ref> An official ] variant is available by the name '''8ch'''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brennan|first=Fredrik|title=∞chan|url=http://8ch.net|website=8ch.net|publisher=8c|accessdate=November 24, 2014|language=Japanese}}</ref> | ||
| The site has received both praise and criticism from various parties for its stance on open ] with minimal restrictions. It allows any topic to be discussed, and all content to be posted, regardless of whether it may be controversial. The only provision is that all content posted must not violate United States law. | The site has received both praise and criticism from various parties for its stance on open ] with minimal restrictions. It allows any topic to be discussed, and all content to be posted, regardless of whether it may be controversial. The only provision is that all content posted must not violate United States law. | ||
Revision as of 05:09, 25 November 2014
For other uses, see 8chan (disambiguation).
| File:InfiniteChan∞chanLogo.svgThe ∞chan logo of "8chan" | |
| Type of site | Imageboard |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Japanese (users can create language specific boards) |
| Owner | Fredrick Brennan |
| URL | 8chan |
| Commercial | No |
| Registration | None available |
"8chan" (originally called Infinitechan, stylized as ∞chan) is an English-language imageboard website organized by a virtually limitless number of user-created boards. Each one is governed independently from each other by the site's users, who generally post anonymously, with the most recent posts appearing above the rest. Registration is not required, nor is it possible (except for staff). An official Japanese-language variant is available by the name 8ch.
The site has received both praise and criticism from various parties for its stance on open free speech with minimal restrictions. It allows any topic to be discussed, and all content to be posted, regardless of whether it may be controversial. The only provision is that all content posted must not violate United States law.
One of the site's boards has played an active role during the Gamergate controversy after the topic was banned on the unaffiliated website 4chan, resulting in a migration of users. As of November 2014, the site has received an average of 35,000 unique visitors per day and 400,000 posts per week.
Background
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8chan was created on October 22, 2013 by computer programmer Fredrick Brennan while living in Brooklyn, New York. Brennan had recently relocated from Atlantic City after receiving an offer to work as the lead programmer at a company that makes Web-marketing projects for small businesses. The website was created after Brennan perceived a loss of free speech on the Internet. Brennan, who considers the imageboard 4chan to have grown into authoritarianism, describes 8chan as a "free-speech-friendly" alternative. Its FAQ states only one rule that is to be globally enforced: "Do not post, request, or link to any content illegal in the United States of America. Do not create boards with the sole purpose of posting or spreading such content."
In the opinion of Brennan, while he finds some of the content posted by users to be "reprehensible," he feels personally obligated to uphold the site's integrity by tolerating discussion he doesn't necessarily support regardless of his moral stance. He argues that this premise is what makes 8chan unique, adding: "Once you get past all of the terrible content posted by teenagers to feel cool, you get to very interesting discussions and opinions that could simply not happen on Reddit or Facebook."
In September 2014, the website gained prominence in the GamerGate controversy after 4chan banned discussion of GamerGate. GamerGate supporters have been cited as using its "/gg/ - GamerGate" board among other sites to organize their operations, and 8chan has been called "the unofficial headquarters for the online #GamerGate movement."
Brennan agreed to partner 8chan with the Japanese message board 2channel and subsequently relocated to the Phillipines in October 2014.
Media response
There are allegations that a portion of the 8chan userbase had harassed and attacked notable women online within the realm of video game culture. These attacks reportedly forced some to flee their homes.
Numerous boards have been created to discuss controversial topics, among those pedophilia, though the sharing of explicit child pornography that violates United States law is against site rules. The site’s biggest boards are not pedophile-centric. Instead, many of 8chan’s most active boards are political. When asked on whether free speech had the consequence of such boards, Brennan responded, "Unfortunately, yes, I don’t support the content on the boards you mentioned, but it is simply the cost of free speech and being the only active site to not impose more 'laws' than those that were passed in Washington, D.C."
References
- "8chan.co Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- ^ Brennan, Fredrick. "FAQ". 8chan.co. Infinitechan. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
- Brennan, Fredrik. "∞chan". 8ch.net (in Japanese). 8c. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- ^ Howell O'Neill, Patrick (November 17, 2014). "8chan, the central hive of Gamergate, is also an active pedophile network". The Daily Dot.
- "A day in the life of a man with brittle bone disease". Al Jazeera.
- ^ Chen, Adrian (October 27, 2014). "Gamergate Supporters Partied at a Strip Club This Weekend". New York (magazine).
- Audureau, William (October 15, 2014). "4chan, wizardchan, 8chan... s'y retrouver dans la jungle des forums anonymes les plus populaires du Web" (in French). France: Le Monde.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - Stuart, Keith (October 17, 2014). "Brianna Wu and the human cost of Gamergate: 'every woman I know in the industry is scared'". The Guardian.
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