[FRIAM] Modeling 4chan: roles, topics, beliefs, strawman, anonymity, etc.

[∄ uǝʃƃ]

Yeah, it's a reasonable criticism.  But, like the video I originally posted, it's too simplistic to paint the alt-right people (including Trump supporters) as trolls, jokers, anarchists, or lazy people living in their parents' basements.  I posit there's a complex social systems problem to be solved (or at least worked on), particularly one suited to agent-based modeling.

To be honest, what originally sparked my interest about 10 years ago, came from my confusion around the term "hipster".  I don't know where other people settled out in how they define it.  But I believe it's fundamentally about irony.  One of the key points mentioned in the video is the tendency for some dorks to test out some concept or phrase and dynamically customize their response according to how that concept/phrase is received.  I've seen this first hand on Twitch.  Some person will make a rape joke.  If the other people in the channel condemn them for it, or the moderator bans them, the person will go one of two ways: 1) complain about the snowflakes in the channel or 2) apologize with "It was just a joke.  I'm sorry."

On the surface, one might wonder how someone might ever think that would work.  My claim is along the same lines as why Trump seems to have so many personal sycophants, yet in public is an obvious buffoon.  The interpersonal skills that work one-on-one or in small groups in meat space do NOT work in large groups or in virtual forums.  Also mentioned in the video is the concept of maturing out of Stanislavski Opinions.  Younger people, as they *learn* how to play well with others, may tend to "try on" opinions (or roles) to see how they fit ... kinda like wearing a hipster hat or jeans to a party.  As they age, continue exploring the space of possible hats/roles, they converge into a diachronic narrative of their 'self', their identity.

Further, at middle age, both women and men can face mid-life crises, empty nests, etc. where the identity upon which they've converged dissipates and they're left wondering: WTF?

Seen this way, 4chan (and the like) might be a kind of annealing cauldron.  Some plausible mechanisms for that cauldron are mentioned in the subject line.

On 1/29/19 7:10 AM, Gillian Densmore wrote:
> Re: Wich Subject  being a bit over thunk
> It was starting to look like 4Chan, Anyonymous and Anyonimity was. So me being me in a sassy just thought it'd be worth saying something mostly to rib that tendancy. But also to say uh you guys while smart look to be over thinking this one a lot.
> It's neet to see 4Chan as a rough template for thing though.

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