4chan is certainly an imageboard, but that name is a bit of a catchall and isn't quite doing it justice: When I think of an imageboard I think of Danbooru.
I would sum it up as a real time ephemeral anonymous chat and image forum, even despite generals and archives doing away with that unique charm.
Jukemania said:It's one of the worst sites ever made, because it's full of toxicity and people being mean to one another!
The toxicity is a problem on some boards more than others. Too much of it can create a bit of a death spiral of demoralization; a pit of demons even. These need to be reigned in by just outright nuking entire generals that promote it the worst or even boards.
As for people being mean, get a thicker skin. Even on anonymous imageboards people are rarely mean for no reason at all. Reflect on how and what you posted.
RainyEvenings said:It's better than anilist.. Lol and you can frame it on the wall of X
I see 4chan posts of all years reposted almost daily. I don't think I have ever seen an Anilist post in the wild; because almost all discussion there is vapid and airy; it's just not real.
BigBoyAdvance said:4chan would be a great place if 12 year olds weren't allowed to post there.
Give people a mask and they'll tell you what they really think.
This is one of that website's greatest strengths: Unapologetic realism and honesty; criticism without regards for status games or vanity. It would be truly valuable were the commentary not often through the lens of deeply unwell people lacking life experience who force themselves as a vocal majority; that being in my opinion the most crippling tradeoff.
I compare this with reddit where they have plenty of experts from all walks of life but, should that expert be actually wrong on a certain point and you try and correct them, it's their account and all its weight of popularity against your own. On reddit posts are not treated blindly equal as they would be on 4chan by the design of the board software. This in addition to the known problem of AI bots poisoning discussion and perceptions; this too is a problem for 4chan as made famous by Seychelles spammer a few years back, but it's a more concerning problem for Reddit than 4chan.
DesuMaiden said:4chan is an FBI honeypot anyways. LoL you didn't already realize that?
As opposed to what exactly? Discussing things on a private Minecraft Server via written books hidden through chests on the map? All large websites bend the knee or they get shut down; simple as.
Ciuvaz said:But it's the only place left, on the internet, where you can insult someone and not get banned.
You can be banned or more likely warned, sometimes for stuff that would fly on X even lately. Depends on the board and board culture.