AGE: born 2003 PERSONALITY: The “chans” (2chan, 4chan, 8chan, and now 8kun) grew out of a subculture of extremely “online” people, with a focus on Japanese pop culture and its Western fans. Despite benign beginnings, the platform developed extreme corners that allowed deeply troubling/violent/illegal material to remain without moderation.  WHO’S MAKING MIXED TAPES : 4Chan is primarily made up of internet and fringe trolls. The language used on the platform can be racist, sexist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. Some message boards simply discuss video games, TV, and all things My Little Pony. But other boards foster alt-right political discussions, and become breeding grounds of Q-anon conspiracies. Campaigns against brands that are associated with progressive values are sometimes planned on fringe media platforms like 4Chan before they are spread to more mainstream platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 4-chan users can be politically motivated, but others are just in it for the lulz.