Check out these two recent articles exploring the influence of 4chan’s “shitposting” on internet culture and politics.
In a Wired article, Ryan Broderick examines the pervasive influence of 4chan-like sites on the mainstream internet. My main memory of the site is my friends using its random posts to view shocking, often sexually explicit and racist content, which I felt was affecting their views. His refresher on 4chan’s functionality was helpful:
4chan users were anonymous, threads weren’t permanent and would time out or “404” after a period of inactivity, and there were dozens of sub-boards you could post to. That unique combination of ephemerality, anonymity, and organized chaos proved to be a potent mix, immediately creating a race-to-the-bottom gutter culture unlike anything else on the web. The dark end point of the techno-utopianism that built the internet. On 4chan you were no one, and nothing you did mattered unless it was so shocking, so repulsive, so hateful that someone else noticed and decided to screenshot it before it disappeared into the digital ether.
Charlie Warzel’s article in The Atlantic discusses the current US administration’s and the official White House X account’s use of cruel shitposting content as a political tool:
[T]he White House account manages to perfectly capture the sociopathic, fascistic tone of ironic detachment and glee of the internet’s darkest corners and most malignant trolls. The official X account of the White House isn’t just full of low-rent 4chan musings, it’s an alarming signal of an administration that’s fluent in internet extremism and seemingly dedicated to pursuing its casual cruelty as a chief political export.
The US administration’s dehumanization of migrants exemplifies how shitposting’s strategy of maximizing reactions while minimizing effort can undermine serious conversations.
As of today, March 5, 2025, Microsoft has shut down Skype. I honestly thought Teams had already replaced it years ago. Still, reading the news made me nostalgic about how I, my friends, family, and colleagues once used Skype.
I’m disgusted by the White House’s official account posting an ASMR video on deportations.
To better understand, let’s revisit sociologist Zygmunt Bauman’s perspective on the Holocaust. His argument was that the Holocaust’s origins were in modernity itself, not only in the unique histories of Germany and the Jewish people.
Similarly, we should examine how contemporary techniques are being used. This case shows how social media’s tools are used to dehumanize and morally neutralize through ASMR, memes, and irony.
Via kottke.org.
A Tedium article by Ernie Smith reveals a potential connection between a technical Linux kernel coding issue and the influence of the creator economy on open-source development.
In this way, there may be a clash between established maintainers who have stable job situations, versus younger developers who focus on “monetizing” their roles as software developers.
Interesting article from MIT Technology Review on how the Chinese government is setting up artificial marine habitats to combat the collapse of natural fisheries.
Ars Technica has compiled a list of products and services that exemplify the worst examples of “enshittification”. The term, coined by Cory Doctorow, describes the common pattern of online products and services that start user-friendly but deteriorate due to the pursuit of profit.
Responding to the devastating accident at Muan International Airport, Dr. Nial Moores (National Director, Birds Korea) points out the recurring problem of Korean airports being built near wetlands that are important habitats for birds.
It is appalling that even more regional airports are planned to be built in such ecologically important wetlands. Given the high cost and safety risks, can this crash lead us to reconsider their need?
See also this article from The Korea Times.
Nadia Plesner’s captivating “Colony Collapse Disorder” (2020) series features oil paintings on beehive frames, incorporating imagery of vintage canned food. I see the artwork as representing the precarious relationship between food systems struggling under climate change (in this case, the role of pollinators) and the emergency connotations of canned goods.
It looks like the U.S. will enter a new age of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing now that the TSMC’s Arizona facility will start producing chips. The geopolitical implications for Taiwan, as highlighted by an analyst in this IEEE Spectrum article, could be substantial:
[TechInsights semiconductor analyst Dan Hutcheson] says having TSMC fabs outside Taiwan is good for the company’s customers and good for Taiwan. The island’s “ silicon shield” against China has done its work—TSMC’s dominance in advanced chip manufacturing gives the United States and other countries a reason to support Taiwan. But going forward, Hutcheson says the shield could turn into a target. If the United States and its allies are increasingly dependent on chips made only in Taiwan, then China can cause major damage to the U.S. economy by targeting Taiwan. Hutcheson says TSMC’s geographical diversification will make its home country less of a target. The company has also opened a fab in Japan and is building one in Germany.
I wonder if we can draw a parallel with the U.S. becoming a net exporter of petroleum, reducing reliance on Middle Eastern oil. Similarly, as the U.S. invests in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, what might this shift mean for geopolitics?
I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts this year, but it’s often hard to recall what stood out. So, I went back to my favorite app, AntennaPod, and picked some highlights worth sharing: