For the "lolz"

I remember logging onto the internet at the age of twelve. At the time, I was completely computer illiterate, yet I managed to find my way to a video gaming forum where I could talk about RPGs. Even though it has been six years since then, I can still distinctly remember the awe and fascination that captured me when I learned how to post a smiley. Over time, I grew up alongside the internet. Yes, that is a very "nerdy" and "loser-like" think to say, but it is true. For a period of time, I developed this "troll" complex where my friends and I would surf the internet and join in communities and discussions around just to "mess with people."

Long before To Catch a Predator existed, my friends and I made it a hobby to "expose, embarrass" certain types of people. The easiest "prey" were perverts that lingered on chat rooms. So we all made AIM accounts with provocative names like "sexyblonde234" or, my favorite, "urtitsrmine." We then went into chat rooms for single and lonely people who were willing to hit on "underaged" girls. When they inquired, "asl?" We'd often reply, "13/f/ny." Or some variation of that.

If the person behind the other computer catches the bait, we often had a bag of tricks in store for them. One of my friend's favorites was telling two men at the same time he'd (in the minds of the victim, "she'd") call them and give them a "good time." More often than not, the idiots would resign their phone numbers. My friend would then switch the phone numbers from the two victims and have them call each other. Surprise, surprise! I usually preferred saying, "hey i want sum pics." And request to be directly connected to the victim (a function on AIM's messaging system which allows quick and easy transferring of images, large amongst of text, etc.)." If they fell for the trap, I'd be able to find their IP address registered onto my computer and I would often times be able to trace the address to a city or a state. If I was successful, I'd stop typing like a ten year old and say, "Sir, we know where you live, [location]. We are apart of the FIB and we know where you live. You have broken the laws and you have attempted to sexually harass a minor . We will now --" By then, the person in question usually, A. logs off, or B. blocks me.

Moral of the story? Why did we do this? It wasn't because of "justice" or we felt the urge to create a genocide of internet perverts. We did this for the "lulz" or "lols," "laugh out loud(s)." Whatever you want to call it. Yes, we went through the trouble of doing this pranks because we thought it was funny, hilarious, a source of entertainment.

Though this isn't just a story about a immature and bored group of teenagers having fun in their own weird and individual way.

In recent times, there has been controversy over an increasingly popular website called 4Chan (by the way, you might want to reconsidering visiting the site if you have a weak stomach) and it's offspring (7Chan, 420Chan, etc.) ... particularly over "raids," and "harassment issues." (To clarify, raids is basically a mass group of people invading a site, game and etc. to disrupt it (basically grieving or trolling in a massive amount)). A good example would be the Church of Scientologist incident where at least hundreds of 4Chan members throughout the world (primarily Britain and the United States) wore masks from V for Vendetta to protest outside of church.


Source: 4chan - /b/

In an etic perspective, this looks absolutely crazy. V for Vendetta Masks? The Church of Scientologist? Conglomerates of nerds gathering outside of these institutions? What is this madness? This incident has been met with varied opinions. Ranging from praise about the group's vigiliance to disgust about the group's intolerance. Before more is thought or said, from an emic perspective, the vast majority of the people in 4Chan (except for a few, because there is always debate in a "culture!") view of this entire endeavor as a joke, much like how my friends and I went through the trouble of harassing random strangers on the internet. In response to these pranks (which can range from being playful to nasty) victims will often times react vehemently--which provokes people to harass them even more. Unfortunately, not many people understand this concept, as evident from the television report below:



I lol'ed.

- Khuyen Lam