A person who has just begun to master the Internet space is confronted with a huge number of terms and concepts that simply cannot be reasonably explained. In fact, the oldfag - who is it, and why is it so important? The problem is that on many resources, communication is proceeding at a high pace, and because of a lack of understanding of the terms, the meaning is lost and escapes. What can be done with this?
The meaning and application of Internet slang
Each area of activity is characterized by its own communication style, while the number of special terms can vary significantly. At the same time, the Internet is practically no different from other areas, but it includes various areas of passion. For example, it can be professional communication between programmers and IT specialists or connoisseurs of anime, comics, some other hobby.
Internet slang allows you to significantly simplify communication, identify "your", form a circle of communication. However, in any case, there are people who understand the issue better or worse, but what do they call - newcomers and specialists? Then who are oldfags and newfags, and why suddenly it turns out to be so important to distinguish between them? The paradox of Internet slang is that the gradation of the value of a title or rank is seriously different from reality.
Oldfag - who is it?
Being an expert in this or that matter is an honor; this statement is not in doubt. If we consider the oldfag as a specialist in a particular issue, then why is there a certain amount of irony in this “rank”?
The origin of the term "oldfag" - from the English old (old) and fag. The second component is logically taken from the Greek “absorb”, however, the web-based commentators more often claim that this is an American slang term meaning homosexual. If we consider the semantic structure of any word formation with the end of the “phage”, then in most cases this means excessive enthusiasm for something with giving special value to the subject of enthusiasm. So, fans of anime can be called animephages, and opponents of anonymous commenting, who are diligently writing from their username, are called neumphages.
Consequently, old-phages are not just “long-standing in the system”. These are people who attach great importance to their awareness. This phenomenon causes a completely understandable irony, so there are many memes associated with this concept. For example, oldfag goggles, which, using Photoshop, attach to avatars or photos of users. The design of the glasses schematically repeats the glasses of the Fireplace, a character from the old Gurren-Lagann anime. Sometimes they are replaced with pixel black glasses, but this is a more recent interpretation.
Who are the Newfags?
In contrast to the oldfag, there is always a newfag - a novice who still does not understand the issue under discussion. There is a share of irony in this definition, perhaps even ridicule, in some cases of contempt. Newfag or noob is called the one 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 encyclopedia of Runet Lurk explains, the oldfag will always mock the newfag, and at the slightest opportunity put it in place.
The artificial significance of the "title" of the user
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. This has a peculiar paradox, because the lack of the need for authorization makes all users equal, anonymous, and the illusion arises that everyone can impersonate an old-timer.
In the understanding of the beginner, there is a certain imaginary level, at the achievement of which you can get the respect of the whole community. Therefore, the user, taking the first steps in the community, poses the question: "Oldfag - who is this, and how to quickly get into this category?" Errors along the way are unavoidable, which allows other users to mock Newfags unhindered.
Psychology of Internet Communication
At the initial stage of Internet development, it may seem that the user must necessarily identify himself somehow as belonging to a group of interests. Therefore, the user begins to sort out the definitions in search of the most suitable community for himself - bitard, oldfag, animeshnik? Such hobbies are especially dangerous for adolescents: a fragile psyche reacts extremely sharply to the increased pressure that the community puts on any beginner.
Trifors 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, a meme such as “trifors” appeared from the cult game Legend of Zelda. In the original, this is an artifact made up of three triangles. This form has become a kind of graphic test for user experience. The triforce icon can be typed using a continuous space, otherwise the top of the triangle gets off at the beginning of the line, exposing the newfag in this way.
However, this meme quickly evolved into the stable expression "oldfags do not triumph." This means that the oldfag is not required to prove its steepness by demonstrating the ability to post the trifors, and whoever does this is just a slightly advanced newfag seeking to get its share of recognition, praise or envy. The multi-layer logic of this phenomenon comes down to the simplest essence - many users love to mock other users of the forums and, in fact, are just trolls.
Relevance of these definitions
Is it worth striving for recognition in a virtual community where bullying is thriving, a clear division into some far-fetched castes? Oldfag - who is this, a respected party member or a suspicious anonymous, reveling in his exclusivity? Is it really embarrassing to be a newfag?
At all times, newcomers were laughed at, but it never took such a total scale. Anonymity allows almost any person to quickly pump data that can be considered an old-timer, thus receiving ephemeral privileges. We have to admit that excessive enthusiasm for virtual titles and titles is inherent in immature individuals. Moreover, this has long spilled beyond the borders of image boards, now in almost any online community there are people who form the so-called elite. The rest is assigned either the role of retinue, or they turn out to be persecuted pariahs, whom they poison with pleasure.
Adolescents suffer most from this phenomenon as persons dependent on the opinions of others. It is wonderful if parents or older comrades can explain to the teenager in time the principle of this far-fetched hierarchy and save them from unnecessary suffering about the anonymously derogatory comment left.