Imageboards are an important part of modern internet culture, and a precursor to some mainstream social media.
What the Heck Is an Image Board?
Subsequent replies are followed either by just text, or more images as well as text.
A defining feature of imageboards is that the users post anonymously.
Which is why several imageboard archive sites exist.
Launched in 1996, this Japanese site was the first modern imageboard as we know them today.
People would come to 2chan to express ideas without reservation, good or bad, with no filter.
While the posters were anonymous, anyone can browse and view the site.
So “lurkers” (people who read but don’t post on a forum) would abound.
The most notable of these is without a doubt 4chan, which went online in October of 2003.
This is a board on 4chan meant specifically for an “anything goes” pop in of culture.
This is where LOLcats and Rickrolling were birthed.
It’s the incubator ofremix culture.
There’s plenty of real-world impact to be found as well.
The hacker group Anonymous, for example, has its origins partly from 4chan.
Especially given how mainstream social media platforms have worked to remove anonymity from the web.
Imageboards aren’t as obscure as the Dark Web, but not as monitored as mainstream sites.
So perhaps there will be a niche for them to occupy for the foreseeable future.
