> This is the most magical aspect of 4chan, which is why I don't care for archives.
The written word allows us to lend ideas (memes, concepts, what have you) a sense of permanence that they never would have had otherwise. But at the same time, it prevents them from evolving in a way they otherwise might have, if their exact origins were not so easily recorded & referenced.
I don't think it's a coincidence that 4chan, which lacks this permanence, is the origin of so many of the top memes of the past decade (and by 'meme', I don't just mean things like LOLcats).
(Gleick argues this same point in the first few chapters of The Information, for those who are interested).
EDIT: Just realized who I was replying to - if I may ask, are you concerned at all that an official API might detract from 4chan (by making said content more traceable)?
>The written word allows us to lend ideas (memes, concepts, what have you) a sense of permanence that they never would have had otherwise.
I agree, and that's why it was horrible for 4chan. In the beginning, there were new memes, concepts, and what have you every other day, and old stuff was forgotten (or rather used to show you'd been there for a while.) Now, it's just a constant recycling of the first few years of the site.
IMHO it was caused by archives and meme dictionaries. No need to lurk moar anymoar. Also, very little reason to laugh.
The written word allows us to lend ideas (memes, concepts, what have you) a sense of permanence that they never would have had otherwise. But at the same time, it prevents them from evolving in a way they otherwise might have, if their exact origins were not so easily recorded & referenced.
I don't think it's a coincidence that 4chan, which lacks this permanence, is the origin of so many of the top memes of the past decade (and by 'meme', I don't just mean things like LOLcats).
(Gleick argues this same point in the first few chapters of The Information, for those who are interested).
EDIT: Just realized who I was replying to - if I may ask, are you concerned at all that an official API might detract from 4chan (by making said content more traceable)?