Few websites have influenced internet culture as deeply as 4chan. Created by Christopher Poole, known online as “moot,” the platform became a birthplace for memes, anonymous activism, underground movements, and at times coordinated harassment. It shaped how online communities interact, evolve, and mobilize. Understanding 4chan requires understanding the young creator who built it at only fifteen.
The inspiration
Poole grew up fascinated by anime, niche online communities, and the freedom found on message boards. In 2003 he discovered Futaba Channel (called 2chan), a Japanese image board that allowed users to post images and comments without registering accounts. This model of anonymity and ephemeral content differed from Western forums that required user names and profiles.
In October 2003, Poole launched 4chan as an English-language site modelled after Futaba Channel. He intended it to be a home for anime discussion, but the platform quickly evolved into something much larger.
Its anonymous posting system removed the identity layer that shaped most online interactions. Within months, 4chan became a hub for experimentation, humour, and rule-defying creativity.
The rise of the /b/ board
The site’s most influential space, the “random” board known as /b/, became the centre of its culture. Without themes, user identities, or persistent records, it encouraged a unique style of posting that blended inside jokes, shock content, and rapid-fire meme creation. Many of the internet’s most recognisable meme formats emerged from /b/, including LOLcats, Rickrolling, and early phases of Anonymous-style iconography.
The absence of personal profiles contributed to a sense of collective authorship. Posts became expressions of the community rather than individual users. This style influenced early meme culture, where content belonged to “the internet” rather than a specific creator.
Anonymous, activism, and online movements
4chan’s influence extended from humour to activism. Its users began using the Guy Fawkes mask and the name “Anonymous” to represent a loose collective acting without central leadership. Operations targeted institutions ranging from the Church of Scientology to financial services and government websites. Although the ethos varied widely between participants, many early Anonymous operations can be traced to coordination that originated on 4chan boards.
This period demonstrated how decentralized, anonymous communities could drive large-scale digital actions. It also highlighted how easy it was for trolling, activism, and harassment to overlap, sometimes with harmful consequences.
The controversy
Poole maintained that 4chan was built for creativity and expression, but he also confronted significant challenges. The permissive structure enabled harassment campaigns, doxxing, and targeted abuse. Moderation was minimal and often reactive, which led to public scrutiny and media criticism.
Law enforcement investigations occasionally involved the platform. Poole became the public face who had to explain that 4chan was both a cultural engine and a space where harmful behaviour circulated. These tensions shaped his own views on community management and the responsibilities of platform creators.
The departure
After more than a decade of running 4chan, Poole announced his departure in 2015. The emotional weight of managing such a volatile platform, combined with the demands of handling its infrastructure and controversies, contributed to his decision to step away.
In 2016, Poole joined Google as part of its internal social products team. His experience with anonymous communities provided insights into online engagement, although he remained largely private about his post-4chan work. He left Google in 2021.
Poole's legacy
Christopher Poole’s creation shaped major elements of modern online culture. 4chan influenced meme creation, anonymous activism, the early development of internet subcultures, and even political discourse. Elements of its design, such as content ephemerality and identity-free posting, still inspire newer platforms and decentralised communities.
The site’s legacy, instead, is complex. It fostered humour, creativity, and grassroots movements, but it also enabled harmful behaviours and unmoderated enclaves where harassment could thrive. Poole has acknowledged these contradictions, describing 4chan as both a creative outlet and a source of difficult ethical challenges.
Poole launched 4chan from his bedroom, expecting it to be a small anime discussion board. Instead, it became one of the most influential platforms in internet history.