A person who has just begun to master the Internet space is faced with a huge number of terms and concepts that simply cannot be rationally explained. In fact, oldfag - who is it, and why is it so important? The problem is that on many resources communication is going on at a high pace, and due to a misunderstanding of the terms, the meaning is lost and slips away. What can be done about it?
Meaning and use of internet slang
Each field of activity has its own style of communication, while the number of special terms may vary significantly. At the same time, the Internet is practically no different from other areas, but includes various areas of passion. For example, it can be professional communication between programmers and IT specialists, or connoisseurs of anime, comics, or some other hobby.
Internet slang allows you to significantly simplify communication, identify "their own", form a social circle. However, in any business there are people who understand the issue better or worse, but how to call them - beginners and specialists? Then who are oldfags and newfags, and why is it suddenly so important to distinguish between them?The paradox of Internet slang lies in the fact that the gradation of the value of a particular title or title is seriously different from reality.
Oldfag - who is this?
Being an expert in this or that issue is an honor, this statement is not questioned. If we consider the oldfag as a specialist in this or that issue, then why is there a certain amount of irony in this “title”?
The origin of the term "oldfag" itself is from the English old (old) and fag. The second component is logically taken from the Greek for "to absorb", but interpreters found on the net more often claim that this is an American slang concept meaning a homosexual. If we consider the semantic structure of any word formation with the ending “phage”, then in most cases this means excessive enthusiasm for something with special value attached to the subject of passion. So, anime fans can be called animefags, and opponents of anonymous commenting, diligently writing from their login, are called namefags.
Consequently, oldfags are not just “long-standing in the system”. These are people who attach great importance to their awareness. This phenomenon causes quite understandable irony, so there are many memes associated with this concept. For example, oldfag glasses, which are added to avatars or photos of users using Photoshop. The design of the glasses schematically repeats the glasses of Kamina, a character from the old anime Gurren Lagann. Sometimes they are replaced with pixelated black glasses, but this is more recent.interpretation.
Who are the Newfags?
In contrast to the oldfag, there is always a newfag - a beginner who does not yet understand the issue under discussion. There is a share of irony in this definition, perhaps even ridicule, in some cases, contempt. A newfag or noob is called someone who is not just a beginner, but an extremely active user who literally climbs out of his skin to attract as much attention as possible. As the well-known RuNet encyclopedia Lurk explains, an oldfag will always treat a newfag with derision, and at the slightest opportunity put him in his place.
Artificial significance of the user's "rank"
The concepts of oldfags and newfags appeared during the heyday of imageboards - forums that give visitors the opportunity to communicate anonymously, attach images to messages. There is a kind of paradox in this, because the absence of the need for authorization makes all users equal, anonymous, and the illusion arises that everyone can impersonate an old-timer.
There is an imaginary level in a newcomer's understanding that, when reached, can earn the respect of the entire community. Therefore, a user who takes his first steps in the community asks himself the question: "Oldfag - who is he, and how to move to this category as quickly as possible?" Mistakes are unavoidable along the way, allowing other users to taunt the newfags unhindered.
Psychology of communication on the Internet
At the initialAt the stage of mastering the Internet, it may seem that the user must somehow identify himself as belonging to an interest group. Therefore, the user begins to sort through the definitions in search of the most suitable community for himself - bitard, oldfag, anime? Such hobbies are especially dangerous for teenagers: the fragile psyche reacts extremely sharply to the increased pressure that the community exerts on any newcomer.
Triforce as a typical meme
Like any phenomenon in our lives, oldfags with newfags are surrounded by a variety of cultural phenomena or memes. For example, such a meme as "triforce" came from the cult game Legend of Zelda. In the original, this is an artifact made up of three triangles. It was the form that became a kind of graphic test for user experience. The triforce icon can be typed with a continuous space, otherwise the top of the triangle is pushed to the beginning of the line, thus exposing the newfag.
However, this meme quickly evolved into a stable expression "oldfags don't triforce". This means that an oldfag doesn't have to prove how badass he is by demonstrating his ability to post a triforce, and whoever does is just a slightly advanced newfag seeking his share of recognition, praise or envy. The multi-layered logic of this phenomenon boils down to the simplest essence - many users love to mock other forum users and, in fact, are just trolls.
Relevance of these definitions
Is it worth striving for recognition ina virtual community where persecution flourishes, a distinct division into some far-fetched castes? Oldfag - who is this, a respected member of the party or a suspicious anonymous, reveling in his exclusivity? Is it really embarrassing to be a Newfag?
At all times, newcomers were laughed at, but never on such a total scale. Anonymity allows almost anyone to quickly download data that allows them to be considered an old-timer, thus obtaining ephemeral privileges. We have to admit that excessive enthusiasm for virtual titles and titles is inherent in immature individuals. Moreover, this has long spilled out beyond the imageboards, now in almost any Internet community there are people who form the so-called elite. The rest are either assigned the role of a retinue, or they turn out to be persecuted pariahs, who are happily hounded.
Teens suffer the most from this phenomenon as people who are dependent on someone else's opinion. It's great if parents or older comrades can explain to a teenager the principle of this far-fetched hierarchy in time and save them from unnecessary suffering about an anonymously derogatory comment left.
