>What do you think of the fleeting nature of imageboards?
I prefer the things I do leave a lasting mark.

>What do you think of the fleeting nature of imageboards?
"A house and its master are like the dew that gathers on the morning glory. Which will be the first to pass? Sometimes the dew falls away while the flowers stay. But they will surely wilt in the morning sun. Sometimes the flower shrivels while the dew holds on. But it will not outlive the day."

>What do you think of the fleeting nature of imageboards?

things are beautiful because they don't last.

>>28525
I kind of understand what you're feeling. Not so long ago I got in a few internet arguments, forgetting (intentionally - i.e what you said, loneliness - or not) that it's pretty much useless due to the cognitive biases inherent to all of us, and the polarization of society, 'us VS them' type of thinking and the need to feel like you being right is more important than having a genuine interaction with someone, a conversation that doesn't only involve shitflinging. That and desensitization to everything empathy-related (but i'm in the same case). Now I don't do arguments anymore, at all. Partly because I realize most boards I end up using are either A) filled with normalfags B) filled with dumb retards dressing as oldfags driving away anyone who shows interest in joining C) dead D) a culture i don't have any knowledge in or the will to conform to it. Conformity destroys individuality, and as such any authenticity remaining, likely in my perspective the reason so many posts resemble each other and with little to no diverging opinions (and why would there with how they're received). I shouldn't be explaining that but i'm not trying to sound smart. Though, what fucks me even more is that 10, 15 years ago nothing was this way. Everything was ruined, that includes human relations. Subversion or not, I feel like there is no genuine interaction online anymore. People who SHOULD talk don't anymore because they know those who SHOULDN'T talk are the majority (I don't consider myself to be either of them) and would just ridicule them for saying stuff they don't agree or feel good with. That and many of the old net people likely killed themselves or got a family of some sort (though it would surprise me). There's not even any way to find like-minded people (which is why i hardly talk to anyone, and i'm not exaggerating one bit). Zoomers have social medias and can connect easily by systematically being retarded normies, while millenials or anything in between those two have boards, but they too were ruined (i'm excluding a part of millenials which adapts to whatever group setting there is saying that however, i.e s0yfags if they're not just zoomers, and also am excluding IRC), and inherently make it impossible to have real connections, because of 1. anonymity without usernames 2. autism in its most radical form these days, 'internet friends are not your friends' applies even more in imageboards. I vaguely remember an imageboard post saying that boards congregated the most insane, autistic and antisocial retards there were, and as such if you try to connect with any of them, well, you can't expect it to turn into something good, it's probably true, or maybe it's a generalization. Either way, a little unrelated - or maybe not so much since the last question is about the 'fleeting' part of boards -, but I think ironically gatekeeping is needed for a board and any community, but at the same time the worst thing for growth, most old boards in my opinion are slowly decaying like some corpse lying in the basement. It makes me kind of... sad that in another, 10, 15 years, there will be no remnants of this old culture, of boards, either 100% dead or filled with normalfags (like 4chin). Maybe it's better that way, I don't know. Youth being (mostly) dumb fucks though, they still are youth, and represent 100% of what types of people there's going to be after all of that (quite a bad sign). Not to mention boards aren't free, and hosting domains is the same, I doubt money will still be spent for a place that is completely dead. I'm being pessimistic but honestly i'm not going to paint the picture brightly if for me it looks like dogshit.
>hikki
Same.
>I feel like something is happening.
As for you feeling something is happening, unless it's a consistent physical pain or pressure, I'd hope this is just a physiological response you have to anxiety and that you're not genuinely dying (i hope you're not). Even if I don't know you personally I think you matter, you especially, for making that post.
>I'm trying to enjoy my time instead of wallowing in self pity
I feel the same, - normally I don't post at all even less to complain about my problems (this is an exception) -, do note what i'm going to say isn't me being an edgelord or else, but i don't see any future for me or society at all, so even if i know i'm wasting my time and could try to fix my future by working on my 'skills' or whatever shit people tell us we need to work on to have a 'good' life, ultimately i just play stuff, watch stuff even if it's just a time-waster. I couldn't care less that I would end up homeless or dead, I likely may or may not choose my own date for that at some point, depends if robowaifus are even going to be a thing with how shitty they're handled, even in one particular board. Sorry for the long read.

>>28530
>Sorry for the long read.
Just use paragraphs next time.

>>28525
>What do you think of the fleeting nature of imageboards?
Unfortunately, what happens is that there's not much to say, at least to me. Even if I see a post that has some quality to it, I do not reply, because I see no value in my reply. For the ones who write things, they should expect zero replies. Think like you're talking to the void of space. Maybe one day the stars will reply.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dxCrmF8PqU

>>28532
This.

I don't really have much to say but I'll read and enjoy many-a-post. So don't feel like it's not worth posting. Likely someone has read it. And if it's of high quality, then it might of appreciated it.

Godspeed anon.

I thought of coming back to this thread one day because of the subject and today seems like a good day. I'm noticing obvious errors in it but that's fine... Don't have much to say other than ¨thanks¨ I've been periodically watching over it and the posts here are reassuring to read (all of them). Not much has changed, everything is fine. I'm avoiding dumb internet arguments and trying to do something productive long term but who cares
I only thought it was a good day to come back and finally speak my mind because today is the birthday of the character I used for the OP, they decided the unusual date in December. Happy birthday Sakiko.

I have some resentment towards imageboards because they promise social interaction and in the end it's just yet another way of being alone. I tend to get the most vacuity of imageboards because I'm unable to small talk and it seems like the stuff I like is not of any real value to anyone. Even here at Tohno, which I consider a crème de la crème as far as ibs go, I get virtually no responses about posts I consider to matter and I put effort into. For example manga reviews or obscure VN reviews. The Venus in Paradise cards stuff. At one point you realize; 'welp holy shit, this is just another way to be alone after all' and I quit posting here and other places and go back to writing it down for myself in a google doc or in a private blog I keep up for my own amusement.

Now, I don't resent people for not responding or wanting to but not having anything to say. That would be silly. I read well thought out posts from other people here and elsewhere and I don't respond either, so I get it. It's just so fucking ridiculous, we're throwing words at each other but there's simply no connection. It's a streaming of disconnected thoughts, parallel, but ultimately their only relationship is in their inability to make a conversation. Periodically I get this "What is the point of this?" feeling and spending several months, sometimes years away from ibs. It feels that being really alone at least grants me a better perspective than pretending to not be alone by gently brushing against other people's thoughts in here and other places. I know other people are reading, like >>28735 said he is, but this strikes me as being in a zoo in a way, to know that people are watching you but ultimately there's nothing they can do for you. They watch the bear sitting down in a little fake prairie, looking at the sky, lost in thoughts not knowing if his life is better or worse for being in a zoo and that's it. That little zoo situation is as far as we can go together. So not much, after all. Then some bears prefer to give their back to the public and stare at the wall instead. Little Bodhidharma bears.

And then, when I do get a rare response, I don't even remember it. I recall being responded to, but as the months go by I realize nothing of that response made any real impact. I don't remember having any deep interactions with people in ibs at all and I've been posting in them for almost 2 decades now. But I guess that's the nature of online interactions like OP's question suggests, it's the 'tears in the rain' experience of social mingling. Fleeting and of little consequence. I suspect a lot of people enjoy writing posts more for the cathartic process one gets from having to organize one's thoughts in a coherent narrative than from the responses themselves.

Actually I do remember a response from here when I wrote down about a beautiful dream I had about an idyllic 1992 morning involving watching a Doraemon episode and an anon said it made him feel less lonely and another anon said it was the most beautiful thing he ever read in an ib. That was 2 years ago and I still remember those. But they're so small and there's not much to hold and learn from those, endearing as they are.

>>28532
I feel like there's a lot to be said, but it's very rare indeed it's something to be said to each other instead of ourselves. One huge and rather sad communal journal, it's what this place feels like.

And now comes the fun part, selecting a picture to go along with this post! Ah yes, you can never go wrong with something like this. And now comes the part where I almost close the tab without hitting reply.

>>28883
alright this one made it

>>28883
>this strikes me as being in a zoo in a way, to know that people are watching you but ultimately there's nothing they can do for you.
I don't think meatspace relationships are too different. Yes, some people really are close to each other, but the vast majority of relationships are transient and ultimately no more fruitful. Then again, I don't have much point of reference considering the occasional acquaintanceship, is the only non-familial connection I've had for most of my life. On the other hand though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ3Qqn27Mnc

>when I do get a rare response, I don't even remember it. I recall being responded to, but as the months go by I realize nothing of that response made any real impact
When I get responses to something technology or programming related, it does have an impact on the way I think. Even knowing that somebody enjoyed reading what I had to say makes me happy. Animals don't choose to be in a zoo, and they don't know they're putting on a performance. We're all here of our own will, a crucial difference I think. Having this place to interact is better than nothing to me, and in some ways is better than anything you can find irl.

>>28883
>which I consider a crème de la crème as far as ibs go, I get virtually no responses about posts I consider to matter and I put effort into
I remember those posts! It's just that with niche interests it's unlikely there's someone else who's deeply interested enouogh to have a meaningful conversation. And conversely people here have enough restraint to avoid cluttering the page with trite comments. So it leads to a situation where people definitely read and appreciate the post, but don't have anything to add. But I definitely enjoy reading any medium/long-form post where its clear the author has put a lot of effort and passion into it. It's almost a form of art in that sense, in that they're a pleasure to read even if I don't really understand the subject material, in the same way watching shows like Pon no Michi I enjoy seeing the passion the author/directors have for the material manifest in the characters' own enthusiam, even if I don't personally know anything about mahjong.

> google doc or in a private blog I keep up for my own amusement.
I think it's definitely good to post it, both so others can read it and maybe find new things they'd be interested in, and also so it's indexed somewhere and potentially someone in the future can read back on the posts.

>there's simply no connection. It's a streaming of disconnected thoughts
Anonymous imageboards never promised anything more. In fact that's precisely what I like about them over places like reddit. Imageboards are like a campside fireside chat, where people are free to come and go but the campfire keeps burning, warming whoever decides to stop by. Imageboards never promised any deep or long-lasting connection; in fact ephemerality is built into it (well, not so much on a slow board like TC, but at least in principle). It really embraces the theme of "mono no aware". (And in fact I think traditinoal imageboards do this even better than forced attempts at recreating this ephemerality, like /tea/).

>but this strikes me as being in a zoo in a way, to know that people are watching you but ultimately there's nothing they can do for you
Isn't that the reality of life as a whole? The only difference is that with relations in the "real world" it's a huge faux paus to even bring this up. People put on facades, and go through the motions of interpersonal communication. The number of people who are genuinely close to each other are few and far between, but even then exactly what do they spend their times doing? It's all ultimately the same idle chatter and time wasting, whiling away time until they die. The only difference is that "real world" relationships seem to be perceived by the brain as "more genuine" (well according to most normal people), perhaps because they are a product of a shared physical experience which makes things more vivid.

>>28883
If you are who I think you are then you're actually one of my favorite users here. I appreciate your posts and value your contributions. Please keep posting, even if just occasionally.
But anonymous message boards just aren't a good place to sate your loneliness if that's what you hope to get out of posting. While you might be able to befriend or form a connection with an individual anon once both parties remove the mask of anonymity (even if it's just in exchange for a different mask that gives a persistent identity), Anonymous will never be your friend.

>>28885
>We're all here of our own will
Not really. I've been desiring to quit imageboards for good for a year or so, but have never been able to find a substitute. End every time I return I get deeper in this vain crybaby posting thing. Half of posts itt read like have been written by me personally, honestly. This is a relatable thread. And guess what? I do not have anything to add.

>I find sad is how many posts, especially long ones, never get a reply. I might read them and think about them but they won't know. ¨If a tree falls in a forest...¨ you know the rest. it's sad! That's why I made this thread instead of replying to an existing one. Messages getting ignored feel worse if you can tell others ignored it on purpose, sometimes you realize you made a bad post after clicking submit...
I don't think that because a post doesn't get replies, it means that it's a bad post or that no one saw it. Maybe someone did see it, but they had nothing meaningful or in depth enough to add to the discussion. Perhaps they were stuck in a lurking rut.
I do think that many of these long posts have an impact despite never getting replies. There have many times where I have read a post, and it has stuck with me for years. Many posts I save to look back on.

>What do you think of the fleeting nature of imageboards?
I like it. It allows me to anonymize myself. I find that no matter what I write, I will always regret it. If I primarily post on imageboards, then every post I write will be whisked away into the wind, which is appealing. Many times, people write things that they regret on social media, and then for some reason or another become unable to access their account. Then, they're left with a permanent trace of the person they no longer are. Even if they didn't use their real name, the trace they leave can be corroborated to build up some sense of identity regardless of what usernames they choose.

>>28883
>It's just so fucking ridiculous, we're throwing words at each other but there's simply no connection.
Are you sure that there is absolutely no connection? In a sense, I feel like the nature of imageboards allow individuals to experience a certain sort of connection. You are anonymous, but I am also anonymous. We've yieled ourselves to a collective consciousness in which ideas stew, change, shifting with each contribution. We also find ourselves influenced by the ideas, and our ideas influence others. This especially takes place if you are on imageboards frequently. We become similar to those whom we are around most, and in a sense, I think that that is some form of connection. There is also a sense of solidarity that one may have on imageboards that one may not be able to have in real life because you are surrounded by like-minded individuals and individuals who have similar life experiences. People are more likely to be honest because anonymity breaks down those barriers, allowing their true selves to shine through fully. In real life, as an adult, it is hard to break through those barriers with people because they have been wronged many times in the past.

>And then, when I do get a rare response, I don't even remember it. I recall being responded to, but as the months go by I realize nothing of that response made any real impact. I don't remember having any deep interactions with people in ibs at all and I've been posting in them for almost 2 decades now.
Interestingly, I've found that real life connections are no guarantee of deep connection. Your descriptions of fleeting imageboard interactions remind me of my real life interactions. The latter is also impacted by how people are locked into their own cliques, unable to venture out. Breaking into one if you never had opportunities during your youth is challenging.

perhaps the whole nature of life is fleeting and we are just rambling.

OP here again to give an update after a year because I've seen anons here saying they like reading those, but before that, I want to expand on this point
>I'm esl as you can tell and I'll never be good at English...
I wrote this while I was distraught and couldn't sleep late at night. This whole post is embarrassing to read, It's easier for me to post something short and simple because I know I'm likely to be ignored/dismissed or even ridiculed if I make a mistake. It's sad but understandable why people wouldn't want to engage with an ESL (not to mention the cultural barrier). My English level changes depending on the weather but at least I try (I wish I had saved the password to it). There wasn't much content in my native language on the internet when I was younger so I had to ¨learn¨ English to have fun in it. The problem is that I was too cowardly to put myself out there and make international internet friends or be part of a real, non-anonymous community online (including forums). Knowing I wouldn't be accepted for who I am made me stick with anonymity for better or worse; I definitely learned a lot from the tough love anons gave me over the years. I'd like to get a proper international English certificate eventually, the one I have is good enough for me to work as a teacher/tutor here but I'm a fraud, obviously. It's the only skill I have that prevents people from underestimating me after they learn that I'm a neet.

I did manage to land 2 different part time j*bs working on the weekends in the middle of the year but now I'm back to neeting until next year; I'm planning to go all out by gaining more qualifications and saving/investing money while living a frugal lifestyle wageslaving... My hiki days are over, getting a job felt like waking up from a long dream, I had forgotten what the city looked like and a lot of small things and buildings changed, it felt unreal at first. Even now, as a neet, I'm forcing myself to stay active. Don't want to go into detail or blame my parents for everything like an angsty teenager but I realized they've been sabotaging me and making me dependent on them for years. I had to do something to move forward because my time is running out.
Blogposting makes me feel full of myself so this is the last update I'll write. I don't want to use this thread as my personal blog. Honestly, the poetic post above is a better way to end it but I wanted to say something since I've been thinking and ruminating about this thread all year. [I'm going to edit/QC this later][*Not sure if I did my best with this post, I'm well aware that my sentence structure is repetitive. There's nothing else to do but keep trying next time; That's how you get better at writing.]

>>28527
I had an ¨Aha¨ moment when I read the Hojoki for the first time around August and was able to recognize this line, hehe.

>>28883
I don't have much to say that others haven't already. Just wanted to let you know that I read this on the very same day you posted it and it put some of my feelings into words. Thanks.

P.S. Sakiko's anime (BanG Dream! Ave Mujica) will start airing on January 2nd. It's the second season of BanG Dream: It's MYGO!!!!!, which was voted as 2023's AOTY by 5ch (https://files.catbox.moe/btbq5u.jpeg). I've been looking forward to it all year, so I want to recommend it.

Post edited on 22nd Dec 2024, 1:25am

>>28883
Ibs absolutely are a sorry excuse for real social interaction or for enlightened meditation. But for me at least they have provided a lot of value, if I'm intensly browsing ibs it likely means that I'm in a very difficult part of my life.
For me simply being seen helps a lot, being seen without consequence. I can say things here and elsewhere on other boards I'd never be able to say to family or my few friends, or in any setting where I have an alias attached that I care about.
But even when the content of my posting isn't so intensely offputting or challenging in a different social setting due to the nature of decorum or my own web of social misgivings, being able to speak freely in places like this on any topic helps. I can bounce an idea or a thought out into the vacous chamber of an imageboard and it will have no consequence on my life unless I choose to integrate a response into my life myself. That's a wonderful thing.
But really, we shouldn't be using these places as a replacement for family or social interaction if social interaction is something that one desires.
All said, thankyou to every anon that has ever replied to me or read any of my posts, good or bad, annoying or lovely, thankyou.