Image boards like 4chan

It should be no surprise that "imageboard" websites like 4chan, 8chan, and 2channel—which all host anonymous, provocative content from users around the world, often without charging any fees—have their share of fuzzy-sounding, behind-closed-door stories. That question became both clearer and more confusing in the past week. Both 4chan and 8chan announced their ownership arrangements had shifted—and that their ties to Japanese site 2channel had drawn them into a tangled web. After 8chan received a surge of new users, founder Fredrick "hotwheels" Brennan worked out a deal to have its content hosted by the same folks who hosted 2channel's imageboards. Watkins' name figures into the story for another reason: he wrested administrative control of 2channel away from Nishimura in

Watch the latest episode, "Extremists Next Door," in the video player above. American teens spend more than seven hours per day on their screens, according to the nonprofit Common Sense Media — much of it out of the view of parents. This constant connection to the online world gives them access to a variety of cultures on the web, including some peddling conspiracy theories and reveling in the most extreme forms of racism and misogyny. Since , perhaps the most influential platforms for extremist internet subcultures have been anonymous imageboards.

An imageboard is a type of Internet forum that revolves around the posting of images, often alongside related text and discussion. The first imageboards were created in Japan as an extension of the textboard concept. These sites later inspired the creation of a number of English-language imageboards, such as 4chan. Imageboards, similar to bulletin board systems , are used for discussions of a variety of topics.

Of key importance in tracking down viral political hoaxes are sites like 4chan, where conspiracies often first bubble up. With that mind, here are a few tips for using anonymous message boards to cover conspiracy theories. Have some more that you think we should include here? Email dfunke poynter.