[Beasty]

In the interest of brevity, for which without one can compound an infinite sum of contrived conversations on the art of non-conversation (or rather the art of alternative mediums of conveying meaning in conversation, but I digress), it's imperative that I do abridge the introductory period of this essay for those with less than adequate attention spans, or those who otherwise require the use of pharmaceuticals to transcend these acronyomical shortcomings. In no way was the aforementioned shortcoming intentionally affronted by the use of the rather ostensible yet satisfying run-on-sentence either, so it would do you well to disregard such notions.

The nature of the topic at hand is one that is universally known, but may take different namesakes depending, oddly enough, not so much on communal vernacular, but rather the severity to which the act is perpetrated. For instance, digression from the discussion at hand may simply be referred to as shitposting, while unwanted and unwarranted solicitation may be more likely labeled as spam; however, duly noted also is the use of the later as a less vulgar namesake for the former in such communities like SmG, which contain a plethora of minors- thought the degree to which this is effective relies heavily upon self moderation, to which I would suggest is a poor way to maintain any sense of moral upstanding. Humans, especially when first person social stigmatization is less of an issue, will often go to the extents they are allowed without conflict, whether that be with internal morals or external force; indeed, the internet may be once of the greatest case studies of anarchism (and to an extent cases made for authoritarianism) the human race has ever encountered.

Shitposting, while utterly devoid of any practical purpose in the eyes of the constructive everyman, is nonetheless an artform in that it may contain and convey underlying emotion, ideals, thoughts and characteristics of the poster. To the trained eye, plenty of information can be revealed, and attempting to convey messages through mediums which require a fair deal of nuance and wit to both follow and transcribe may be an undervalued display of the underlying wit and intelligence necessary to partake in these actions. Of course there is many methods of conveying information in shitposts, and while each of them assume distinct forms, they are all unified by a common theme- Ironic stupidity. While they require careful precision to construct, they all converge at points close to the line between simple minds and flat out retardation, and they are distinguished from these characteristics by maintaining a certain contextual balance within confined prescribed methods of enactment.

This serves two purposes, one subtle, one less so, and both cruel. Firstly, it serves to establish who is in the know and who is not, but also it likely serves as a commentary through satire on what is perceived to be the rather low common denominator of normie thought. Those who understand the methods reciprocate in an appropriate fashion, and those who do not fit into the drawn dichotomy of this rather strange subculture instead find themselves ousted in the face of failing to act appropriately. To this extent, the conventions of shitposting serve to reinforce the divide between shitposters and non-shiposters. Later, we will dive primarily into what sociological factors contribute to the action known as shitposting.