Cancer

Cancer

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Updated Dec 17, 2017 at 04:03AM EST by Y F.

Added Jan 12, 2013 at 04:09AM EST by Z..

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About

"Cancer" is an Internet slang term used to describe the perceived or actual misuse of internet memes by someone who is unfamiliar with internet culture. This metaphor draws a parallel between the growth cycle of an internet meme or viral video and that of cancer in a biological system.

Origin

The earliest known use of “cancer” in this context appeared in early 2007 as part of the catchphrase "The Cancer That is Killing /b/" in a thread on the GunzFactor forums[3] detailing the history of 4chan’s Habbo Hotel raid. Another user in the thread called out the OP for doing so, lamenting that "fags" from other websites have been flooding 4chan’s /b/ (random) board and degrading the quality of conversations on the forum.


03-08-2007, 12:56 AM ForteGSX Gunzfactorian Guardian Re: POOLS CLOSED(the epic adventures of 4chan) Wow, in all honesty and I don't really care if I get banned for this. AS YOU'RE THE CANCER THATS KILLING /b/ I remember 3 years ago when I could spend countless hours on /b/ and get many a lulz, but now because of Galfags, RPFags, FurFags,and F--- in general, it has turned to the one thing we never though possible, the worst "worst" place on the internet because everything has become so fake that it appauls even the most hardcore of /b/tards. I can't stand 5 minutes of /b/ now a days mostly because no one adheres to the rules of it anymore and it stopped being the Racist/Egotistical/Heartless/and downright disgusting bunch that many/b/tards used to love. Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: SHINING MOMENTS FGTS Posts:1,899 Replays: 0 tl;dr? GTFO out of my /b/. Uploads:0 Reply With Quote

Etymology

“Cancer” is an Old English word, sometimes also spelled canceradlm, once used to describe “spreading sore.” It was derived from the Latin word “cancer” and the Greek word karkinos, meaning “crab” and “tumor” respectively, in addition to being the name of a constellation[1] found between Gemini and Leo. Both the Greek and Latin terms are derived from the Proto-Indo European root word *qarq-, meaning “to be hard.”[2]

Spread

Throughout the summer of 2007, the word "cancer" continued to gain momentum on personal blogs[4] and message boards,[5] becoming heavily associated with the perceived gentrification of 4chan's /b/. In August 2007, a definition for “4crap”[6] was submitted to Urban Dictionary, describing 4chan as “the cancer of the internet.” In October, the earliest archived 4chan thread (shown below) using the phrase in a combo-style image post was archived via Chanarchive.[7]


File :1191242055184.ipg-(7 KB,250x250, img0.jpg) O Anonymous 10/01/07(Mon)08:34:1 No.41238820 Anonymous 10/01/07(Mon)08:34:1 No.41238821 File :1191242057172.ipg-(3 KB, 125x125, imgl.jpg) th Anonymous 10/01/07Mon)08:34:2 No41238825 File :1191242060462.jpg-(3 KB, 125x125, img2.jpg) Anonymous 10/01/07(Mon)08:342 No.41238826 File :1191242063644jpg-(4 KB, 125x125, img3.jpg) >Anonymous 10/01/07(Mon)08:34:2 No41238832 C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER! Anonymous 10/01/07(Mon)08:34:3 No 41238835 File :1191242070024ipg-(3 KB, 125x125, img4.jpg)

By July 2008, 4chan founder moot had acknowledged the use of "cancer" to refer to misused content in a blog post[8] about the state of /b/. That September, a thread about /b/ was posted to the 4chan BBS Lounge[11], asking if the cancer had spread to the site's text section. In July 2010, an image macro of 60s Spider-Man with the caption "That Post Gave Me Cancer" surfaced on 4chan.[12] Both the image and phrase have since become a common retort for poorly made or reposted content.


THAT POST GAVE ME CANCER

As of January 2013, there are a handful of permanently archived threads on Chanarchive[9] tagged "Cancer" and hundreds of search results for the word on Foolz Archive.[10]

Notable Examples

A wide range of Internet-based activities, subcultures and properties have been subject to the label of "cancer" by users on 4chan and other internet meme elitists.

Commodification

With the convergence of the mainstream and the Internet culture in recent years, market demand for merchandise products with meme designs have been on the rise as well. Several images of these products have since appeared online and have been criticized for their misuse of the source material and commodification of others' artworks.


RS 6,40 RS 6,70 R$ 6,70 FRoblem like a Boss SOUTH

Commercialization

Similar to the commodification of internet memes, a number of ad-supported blogs and online communities focusing on the Internet culture have come under the accusation of being cancerous, as well as marketing and advertisement campaigns that incorporate well-known meme references.



Forcing Memes

Forcing a meme, or an inorganic attempt at co-oping a specific idea into the meme culture at large, has been widely stigmatized as a cancerous practice and a faux-pas.


OUGH SWORDSE HE NG OF H KING OF HERO F HEROR GH KING OF HEROES Do You KING OF HEROES U HAVE E OF ENOL KING OF HEROES FORCED MEME Yeah, just keep saying it. That'll make it funny.

Overloading Memes

Meme Overload refers to the practice of combining multiple internet meme references into a single imagery or a video production. The merit of this practice has been disputed, with some recognizing the trend as an emerging subgenre of online remix culture while others have criticized it as a circle jerk largely driven by the hyperinflation of the meme culture.


thefrogman.me

"The Cancer That Is Killing /b/"

The Cancer That Is Killing /b/ is a common phrase used to refer to whatever and whomever one would blame for the perceived decline in the quality of content on 4chan’s /b/.


COMBOS R HILARIOUS! U LAFF U LOSE!! xD LOOK AT ME LOLOLOLLOL A

"That Post Gave Me Cancer"

That Post Gave Me Cancer is an image macro series commonly used in response to nonsensical or insubstantial posts submitted by the original poster (OP) or other users in a given thread. This hyperbolic expression is typically used on 4chan to express one’s disgust towards a trend or a thread.


That Post Gave Me Cancer メ.)

Search Interest

External References

[1] Wikipedia –

[2] Online Etymology Dictionary – Cancer

[3] GunzFactor – POOLS CLOSED

[4] The Band Bus – 4chan Destroys Souls

[5] Nobody Likes Onions Forums – There is a reason for having rules 1 and 2. It's because threads like these fill the chans with newfags, which leads to cancer and fail.

[6] Urban Dictionary – 4crap

[7] Chanarchive – Cancer that is killing

[8] 4chan – /b/

[9] chanarchive – Posts tagged "cancer"

[10] Foolz Archive – Search results for "cancer"

[11] 4chan BBS – The cancer that is killing /b/

[12] Foolz Archive – That Post Gave Me Cancer

Recent Videos 4 total

Recent Images 40 total


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