TOMÁS SAMPAIO

  Hello, my name is Tomás Sampaio and I’m studying linguistics and foreign cultures in Porto’s School of Education.

  As a person who has been involved with media creation and as an avid user of internet media I’ve always been enthralled by internet culture and how it influences modern thinking. To my surprise, in my English Media Culture studies class, we were assigned to create an e-portfolio based on something within media. The first thing that popped into my mind when our professor mentioned this work assignment was the prevalence of 4chan’s notorious “/pol/” board and how it has influenced the white power movement and far-right extremist ideology. Through my own eyes I’ve been able to catch a glimpse of how young people are coerced into joining these movements and the way these groups take advantage of how lost these younger people feel, leading to a complete radicalization of a once morally sane person. With this work I wish to shine a light on how 4chan does this and what methods its users utilize to completely change someone’s mental state.