Documentary Review | The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem

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Humanity has always had a penchant for chaos and nowhere is that more evident than on the internet. Netflix’s The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem reminds us just how off the rails things have gotten. Imagine an unsupervised kindergarten class where the kids discovered fire. Yes, it is that kind of trip.

The documentary traces the origins of the infamous imageboard website 4Chan. It examines the many controversies that have erupted over the years as a result of its existence.

4Chan started as a platform meant for Internet hijinks and lighthearted banter. But over time, it morphed into a factory for trolling, hate, and conspiracy theories. And let’s be real, none of this should be surprising. When you give humanity free rein without any consequences, chaos follows.

From Bulletin Boards to Bedlam

Things were simpler on the internet before the rise of social media. Back then, it was just a bunch of nerds posting on bulletin boards, trading information like an oversized study group. But, as is often the case with humanity, things started to go south. Fast.

Before 4Chan, there was 2Channel, a Japanese textboard that became the spiritual predecessor to 4Chan. Its main appeal? Complete anonymity for its users. In 2003, Christopher Poole—aka ‘Moot’—took the concept, gave it a nice western spin, and birthed 4Chan.

Christopher ‘Moot’ Poole

At first, 4Chan was all innocent fun. It was a place where the disaffected and socially awkward could engage in some light banter. But give people the ability to imagine anything or float any theory, they will make the place a circus. 4Chan was no exception.

What began as harmless internet shenanigans began to spiral out of control. Users started voicing thoughts that should’ve stayed locked in their heads. The platform soon reflected the worst instincts of its anonymous members. Think Hollow Man.

4Chan, once a chaotic but creative platform degenerated into a breeding ground for trolling, misinformation, and venomous rhetoric. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, brace yourself – it did.

Occupy the Internet (and Wall Street, While You’re at It)

The Antisocial Network highlights how 4Chan found itself caught up in real-world events. The Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011 saw 4Chan users rallying against the establishment.

Armed with keyboards and rage, they found a virtual outlet to shout about how much they despised “the system.” No surprise, really. It’s always the angriest people who shout the loudest, and 4Chan gave them a megaphone.

From cyberbullying to full-blown hacking, 4Chan began to foster a culture of lawlessness. In 2014, the FBI stepped in, dismantling a group of anonymous hackers tied to the site. But this was merely a symptom of a much larger disease. There was an erosion of any sense of accountability or morality among those who remained.

4Chan was no longer a digital playground. It had become a factory for extremism.

Take GamerGate, for example – a grotesque chapter that showcased just how far the site had fallen. What started as a debate about ethics in video game journalism devolved into a vicious attack on female gamers. It exposed the misogyny festering within 4Chan’s ranks.

When Christopher Poole finally banned the GamerGate community, the fire of resentment only burned hotter. Those ousted didn’t disappear. They simply migrated to other platforms. Many found refuge on 8Chan – a clown of 4Chan but with even fewer boundaries.

Welcome to the Trump Show

The Antisocial Network makes no bones about the fact that the rise of Trump and the rise of 4Chan are “coincidental.” Hatred was trending, and politicians knew how to ride that wave.

One interviewee in the documentary quips, “What drives user base numbers and revenue is anger.” And let’s be honest- that’s the internet in a nutshell. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter saw that angry mobs equal clicks and clicks equal money. So, in a way, the internet’s worst corners found their way into the mainstream, all in the name of profit.

While the documentary doesn’t offer conclusive evidence linking 4Chan to Trump’s ascent, the implication is clear. These platforms didn’t just enable chaos. They profited from it.

And then there’s QAnon, perhaps the most bizarre and troubling product of this environment. In October 2017, an anonymous post on 4Chan planted the seeds for a wild theory. A supposed Trump administration official was leaking top-secret information about a covert war against satanic pedophiles. Unsurprisingly, the theory went viral.

Millions of people (myself included for about five minutes) bought into the story. I mean, who doesn’t love an old-fashioned battle between good and evil? It had all the drama of a bad comic book but with far more dangerous real-world consequences.

The January 6 Capitol riot was the culmination of years of misinformation and conspiracy theories.

The Decline of 4Chan and the Enduring Legacy of Misinformation

By 2016, Christopher ‘Moot’ Poole had had enough. He quit 4Chan, leaving behind a digital wasteland that had long since strayed from its original purpose. His parting words were:

“Go out and live your life. Don’t be on the internet too much.” It was a bittersweet epilogue to a story that had spiraled out of his control.

But Poole’s exit didn’t stop the tide of misinformation. No, because as soon as you shut down one hate-filled community, another pops up. Even after Trump’s election, the fires of 4Chan and its offspring continued to burn.

The documentary doesn’t exactly hide its disdain for the former president. It does its best to connect the rise of Trump to 4Chan’s influence. Sometimes, this connection feels like a bit of a stretch. Sure, there’s overlap. But reducing an entire political movement to a bunch of trolls seems a little too neat.

It’s more likely that Trump just knew how to play to the discontent that 4Chan had been nurturing for years.

Final Thoughts: A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole

The Antisocial Network provides a thought-provoking, if not an entirely balanced, examination of the internet’s dark side. It shows how media platforms meant for free expression are prone to extremism and misinformation. Yet, it also struggles under the weight of its own ambition.

The production, while solid in its approach, often feels rushed. This is particularly true in its treatment of the years from 2016 to 2020. The documentary would have benefited from a deeper dive into this period, possibly expanding into a multi-part series. The graphics look like they came straight out of 2003, which, while on-brand for 4Chan, detracts from the overall aesthetics.

Finally, The Antisocial Network is a cautionary tale. It is not just about the internet. It is about what happens when humanity’s basest instincts are given free rein.

The documentary leaves us with a sobering reminder: spend too much time on the screen, and you lose sight of reality. For those disillusioned with society, the internet becomes an echo chamber of grievance and delusion. Fact and fiction blur. The line between harmless fun and dangerous ideology disappears.

The internet isn’t the monster. We are. And we’ve built it in our image.

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