The glory days of imageboards are over. They were once the most popular sites on the Internet, with hundreds of thousands of users spending a lot of time. The most famous are two of them - "Dvach" and "Forchan".
What are imageboards
Imageboards are a very broad category of Internet resources, which include the Dvach and Fochan portals. The name comes from the English word imageboard, which translates as "image board". This is a type of web forum in which photos and other graphic files can be attached to messages.
Imageboards appeared in Japan, and English-language forums adopted Japanese style and culture. The technology is based on the Textboard concept, which differs only in that you cannot attach graphic files to it.
The atmosphere on the imageboards is relaxed and informal, thanks to the anonymous posting of messages. Sometimes this feature leads to aggressive and negative comments. Users can leave comments and messages without registering and creating accounts. Moreover, some sections are intended exclusively for anonymous comments and messages. If desired, the user can subscribe or use the same photo to stand out among the anonymous users. But this is optional and is often frowned upon by other users.
Usually a file is attached to each message, sometimes several files. More often only images are allowed, less often music can be attached. All saved files are stored on the imageboard server.
There is no archiving by default. Each section can contain no more than a certain number of threads. When a new thread (discussion) is created, the oldest one is deleted. If archiving is nevertheless necessary, it is performed by third-party services, in which case the old threads are transferred to a separate directory.
Imageboards differ from other forums in several parameters:
- No archiving by default;
- Anonymity;
- Ability to attach files.
What is "Dvach"
The most famous, popular and illustrative imageboards are "Dvach" and "Fochan". Both sites have a large number of sections and are built on a similar principle. Discussions are posted in threads united by topic. Users discussing the topic are anonymous.
"Dvach" is a domestic imageboard, the idea of which is borrowed from a Japanese site with a similar name. The functionality and visual design are also similar. There are similar sites in almost all countries of the world where they actively use the Internet.
There are 40 sections on Dvacha. Among them:
- Cars
- Anime
- Design
- Work
- TV series
- Space.
And much more. Only two of the sections are controversial, few topics are devoted to politics and public issues. Most of the sections are general and dedicated to entertainment, such as anime.
A feature of the site is an online graphic editor. It was used by post authors to create their own images.
On this resource, each section has a specific topic, which allows you to structure a large amount of information and discussions. These sections are called boards. Each board can only have a limited number of threads (discussions). This is due to memory savings and lack of archiving. The oldest, unpopular threads were removed in favor of the new ones. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on the site, and anonymity allows you to write witty messages with complete frankness.
What is "Forchan"
If "Dvach" is one of the most famous Russian-language boards, then "Forchan" was very popular in foreign countries. It was this site that gave rise to a huge number of popular memes, which then spread throughout the Internet.
This English-language resource appeared a long time ago and has gathered a large number of users. The basic principles of its work are the same as for other imageboards: anonymity, no archiving, the ability to attach an image.
Fortchan was opened on October 1, 2003 by Christopher Poole. Japanese imageboards were also taken as a basis. First of all, sections were created for the publication of images, discussion of manga and anime. The site quickly gained popularity, new discussions appeared on various topics:
- Videogames
- Music
- Literature
- Politics
- Fitness
- Sport.
In 2007, for a short time, the imageboard turned into a regular forum where you need to register in order to leave messages. The users of the resource did not like this very much, who openly expressed their indignation. It turned out that everything happened due to a hacker attack, the consequences of which were eliminated.
Another unpleasant incident occurred in 2009, when a user decided to make a joke and posted on the site information that a shootout would take place in one of the American schools. The police occupied this school, but the alarm turned out to be false.
Communication style on imageboards
A special atmosphere reigns on the image boards, which is largely determined by the anonymity of users. This gives freedom and, in some cases, impunity. There is moderation on such forums, but users are punished only for the most egregious violations that violate the law of the country. This is the propaganda of violence, Nazism, insults. At the same time, even dangerous messages are often ignored by moderators.
They do not follow the topic of discussion here, so it is sometimes difficult to look for useful information: it is lost behind hundreds of flood messages. Anonymity allows you to uncover dangerous, usually hidden topics.
There is also a special phenomenon of the general stream of consciousness. When a lot of messages come not from specific people, but from anonymous users, they are perceived as a common line of information. At the same time, the desire of a particular user to identify himself causes condemnation and seems to be a betrayal in relation to general principles.
Imageboard sections
Imageboards are divided into sections by topic. In theory, this makes it easier to choose a thread of interest and not interfere with users discussing other topics. In practice, threads often overlap and, for example, kittens are discussed in the topic of cinema.
Therefore, the most popular topics are the forums "Brad", "Shoutbox", etc., which are intended for communication on any topic. Special rules of communication ethics apply here. You can even find pornography or other questionable content in these sections. On the other hand, popular memes in the future and viral content often appear here, which are distributed all over the Internet.
Some image boards have boards for international communication, which is most often conducted in English. Here memes can gain worldwide popularity, and national cultures are intertwined with each other and with Internet culture. On any board, you can create a topic "for your friends" and conduct a conversation in your native language.
Jokes with flags and national attributes are especially popular in international discussions. For example, on the German website, the image of the Polish flag is popular upside down, England is portrayed as a British gentleman - in a top hat and monocle.
Communication on imageboards attracts with informality and breadth of topics. Nevertheless, now the popularity of such resources has fallen sharply, and many young Internet users have not even heard of Dvacha, Forchan and other similar sites.
