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112 of 152 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Read, Ignore Negative Reviews, September 14, 2011
This review is from: Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan?s Army Conquered the Web (Hardcover)
This is a well written and fascinating read on internet culture. A long time lurker on 4chan and b, this book is even more relevant in today's society than ever. Because of the sensitivity of the subject, MANY 4chan users have taken to purposely giving this book 1 star reviews. I would not heed them. For those interested about 4chan and internet culture, this book is for you.
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68 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice introduction for those hoping to learn about 4chan and Anonymous., September 4, 2011
This review is from: Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan?s Army Conquered the Web (Hardcover)
So I'll start by saying that I found the first few sections of the book to be pretty boring. They're primarily introduction content but assume that the reader knows absolutely nothing about the internet at all. At first I was thought "Well this book is going to be a total drag," but I realized that this book was different than what I was expecting. With a subtitle like "How 4chan's Army Conquered the Web," I was expecting an opinionated viewpoint on why Anonymity matters and how one example (4chan) proves that it can accomplish tremendous goals. Instead, this reads more like required reading for a college course entitled "4chan 101." Which isn't a bad thing, I just wasn't expecting it. In terms of how the author manages to teach all the various learnings of the internet, I have to say he did a pretty good job. There's a few chapters dedicated to "memes" and how they've defined most people's internet experiences. The more interesting chapters focus on how 4chan or Anonymous have affected the world through a few small actions. Such as how PR and Marketing companies have started attempting to create memes or content that people who visit 4chan would talk about. It's fascinating. My experience with the subject material is somewhat adequate. I've visited 4chan for a little over a year which I understand doesn't give me a lot of credibility but I'm familiar with various memes and slang used on 4chan that most people probably wouldn't understand. If you're someone like me than the first hundred pages or so of this book with be a little too brain dead simple for you care. I found the later sections of the book to be a little more interesting but I can also see how someone who's been visiting the site for four years and keeps up with everything Anonymous is doing, would find this book boring throughout. Like I said before, this book seems like an introduction to an untapped field. As much as you guys may hate it (read the other reviews), there will be more books about 4chan. This one is more tooled for people who don't know what 4chan is rather than a member of the community who wants to read someone else's perspective on why the website is a good thing. There's no opinion and no argument made, just a listing on events that have occurred. Like a history book. My only complaint is, for a book that has "Anonymous" in the name, it doesn't really focus on Anonymous all that much. There's a Chapter dedicated to the group but the book should've been called something like "How Memes Have Affected The World." Since there are three out of eight chapters dedicated to memes. The rest are about similar sites before 4chan and a few about the internet in general. Overall: If you know nothing about 4chan, this book is great for you. If you have a little knowledge, this will fill in the gaps and if you know a lot, you probably don't need to read this. To 4chan: I saw this book on /v/ and I thought "Well this is going to be retarded." It's not. I think Cole Stryker handles the subject material with respect to the community. He's not another dimwitted normal person despite what the unfortunate title may imply (Seriously man? EPIC WIN?). Please don't rate the book until you've read it. Thanks.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very informative, for both n00bs and longtime lurkers, January 18, 2012
This review is from: Epic Win for Anonymous: How 4chan?s Army Conquered the Web (Hardcover)
I've lurked on /b/ for years, so I thought I was very familiar with the subject matter of this book. I was surprised at how much I learned about the site, its history, and the greater context in which it exists. Along the path to explaining 4chan's powerful and news making "hacktivism", the author gives indispensable background on the history of 4chan and how it became the idea-creation powerhouse it is today. At the same time, the book covers much more than just 4chan. 4chan is a useful case study, but the themes discussed in this book are applicable to the greater phenomenon of internet culture. The author discusses many of the other sites where this type of cultural sharing is occurring, putting the actions of Anonymous into the context of internet activism as a whole. If you're still wondering what 4chan is, the chapter "4chan in a day" is the best introduction to it that I have ever seen. Instead of trying to describe 4chan (the fact that it is almost impossible to describe it is a big part of what makes 4chan awesome), he lets it speak for itself, conveying actual content from "just another day on 4chan." This chapter has come in handy several times already when friends and relatives have asked what 4chan is. I think this book is perfect for people who have been part of "the internet" for years, but it's also perfectly accessible to those who are just starting to notice things "from the internet", or news reports about "Anonymous", and want to learn what it means and where it is coming from. If you are part of the latter group, after reading this book you'll find yourself being able to join in with everyone else who is ROFL-ing every time they see a news report about 4chan and Anonymous.
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