We then explored raiding behaviour on other social media platforms. But its effect beyond 4chan itself was actually quite limited and less prevalent than was reported at the time. Our study showed that Operation Google had a substantial impact on /pol/ and is still somewhat in effect. Users began replacing hate words with the names of large tech companies, for example using “Google” and “Skype” to replace racist words for black and Jewish people. In summer 2016, /pol/ users launched “ Operation Google” in response to the search engine’s introduction of anti-trolling technology to push sites with offensive language further down its page listings. But rather than aiming to interrupt the service at a network level, they attempt to disrupt a site’s community by actively harassing users or taking over the conversation. Raids are somewhat similar to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks used by hackers to bring down websites. Most notably it turned the minor comic book character “ Pepe the Frog” into a meme and symbol for the alt-right.Īnother important aspect of /pol/ is its reputation for coordinating and organising so-called raids on other social media platforms. The other interesting characteristic is the substantial amount of original content and online culture it generates. Two of 4chan’s most important aspects are anonymity (users don’t have a public profile) and ephemerality (inactive threads are routinely deleted). That’s why my colleagues and I decided to study /pol/ – analysing 8m posts posted since J– in an attempt to measure some of the impact it’s having on the rest of the internet.Ĥchan is an imageboard site, built around a typical bulletin-board model where users post images related to each board’s specific theme and other users can reply with comments or more images. While 4chan is increasingly reported on by mainstream media, we know little about how it actually operates and how instrumental it is in spreading hate on other social platforms. But it is also a place where users organise campaigns of abuse and trolling on other websites. It was a central part of the online support for Donald Trump in the US election. But just as the memes and jokes that originate on forums such as 4chan spread to the wider internet, the hatred expressed there doesn’t stay put either.Ĥchan’s Politically Incorrect or “/pol/” board, in particular, has become a home for the so-called alt-right brand of white nationalism. There are websites where people gather to share illegal images, buy illicit drugs and air offensive opinions that wouldn’t be tolerated on most mainstream sites.
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