It’s likely that there will never be a site like 4chan again. But everything now—from X and YouTube to global politics—seems to carry its toxic legacy.
Archived version: https://archive.is/20250422233152/https://www.wired.com/story/4chan-is-dead-its-toxic-legacy-is-everywhere/
I don’t know. I remember the guy who posted on /b/ after he strangled some poor woman to death, with pics. Pretty sure he was arrested and jailed straight away, but l’ll never forget how surprised he was. “She fought so hard!” was chilling to read.
4chan was a pretty horrific place at times, but the benefit of it was that all the weirdos were there, and everyone could see it. I shudder to think how deep the depravity will go when it’s hidden on a private Discord or something.
There are literal terrorist cells on Facebook…