Apologies for the thread necromancy but I've been waiting to make this post since 2005 and I figure it's relevant to this community, I think what makes it is common interests and social norms and also video gamesblah blah blah. A short introduction: I've been lurking on and off here and before on Pyoko since 2002 (jesus christ) and my Internet communication style and sense of humor have been significantly shaped by the boards. (you've been planting memetic babies in my brain and you didn't even know it!)
My freshman year of college I took an intro to Linguistics course and wrote a paper on "computer mediated communication". We were supposed to do some kind of original research, so I used Pyoko as a kind of case-study for online communication norms. I've uploaded the paper, titled: "
An examination of non-verbal cues in a wholly verbal environment: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the emoticon." in case you're interested in an academic take on ... some things. Re-reading it now, it probably could have done with another round of copy-editing but OH WELL:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=775D7QQI . The Pyoko related bits begin on page 7.
Some choice bits that may interest you
(or maybe not):
As many sociologists have noted before, the Internet is a great gathering place for people with similar interests. It allows them to share reviews and discuss things that others within a close proximity in their real lives care nothing about. Within these various subcultures certain people are able to gain a level of notoriety for their skills in a certain field for their insights or for their humor. One such person was Scott Sharkey.
Applying his acerbic wit to video game reviews, 80’s nostalgia and general jaded Internet culture critiques Sharkey (as he has come to be called) has grown a kind of cult following via his website and has earned the dubious title of “Internet celebrity”. His web site (www.solidsharkey.com) gained a certain level of notoriety and eventually led to his hire as a paid writer on a commercial video game website.
Just as cliques of friends in school develop their own catchphrases and jargon unique to themselves so have the forums created their own slang not found anywhere else. Posting a reply using only the text “what” rose in popularity but has become less prevalent recently. It brings with it a connotation of “what are you talking about?”; a flabbergasted response to a ridiculous point. It can also be used humorously in response to a highly technical or philosophical posting; akin to asking why black holes do not suck everything up after a friend has just finished an in-depth explanation of relativity using black holes.
The use of “[verb] more serious” is generally used to critique someone. For example “play more serious” could be used in a discussion of a video game wherein one person could never get past a certain level, or “read more serious” when one person is pointing out that another user did not recognize an important point in a debate or news article. The “X more serious” phrase also has a cousin in the insult “U [verb] = AWFUL”. It is commonly used like “what” as the entire text of a message to insult another user. For example one might reply with “U TYPIN = AWFUL” to someone with a poorly worded or improperly spelled post. Many of the colloquialisms on the boards have roots in poorly translated Japanese games from the 80’s and 90’s, thus enhancing their appeal.
So I guess what I'm saying is hi guys how are you DAMMIT LOOK AT MY BABY ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL
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Topic: What makes a board like this thrive? (Read 22962 times)