Newfag and oldfag - who is this?

A man who has just begun to masterInternet space, is faced with a huge number of terms and concepts that simply do not have a reasonable explanation. 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 because of misunderstanding of terms, the meaning is lost and eludes. What can be done about this?

Meaning and application of Internet slang

For each field of activity, itsstyle of communication, while the number of special terms can vary significantly. The Internet at the same time is practically no different from other areas, but includes various areas of enthusiasm. For example, it can be a professional communication of programmers and IT specialists or connoisseurs of anime, comics, some other hobby.

Internet slang allows you to significantly simplifycommunicate, identify "their own", form a circle of communication. However, in any case there are people who understand the issue better or worse, but how to call them - beginners and experts? Then who are the Oldfags and Newfagas, and why is it so suddenly important to distinguish between them? The paradox of Internet slang is that the gradation of the value of a title or title is seriously different from reality.

Oldfag - who is this?

Being an expert in this or that matter is honorable,this statement is not questioned. If we consider the oldfag as a specialist in this or that issue, then why in this "rank" is there a certain amount of irony?

The origin of the term "oldfag" is fromEnglish old (old) and fag. The second component is logically taken from the Greek "absorb", but the interpreters in the network more often argue that this is an American slang term meaning homosexual. If we consider the semantic structure of any word formation with the end of "phage", in most cases this means excessive enthusiasm for something with special value attached to the subject of entrainment. So, fans of anime can be called animephages, and opponents of anonymous commenting, diligently writing from their login, are called nymphs.

Consequently, oldfags are not just "long agopresent in the system ". These are people who attach great importance to their awareness. This phenomenon is quite understandable irony, so there are many memes associated with this concept. For example, glasses oldfag, which with the help of photoshop pririsovyvayut to avatars or photos of users. The design of glasses schematically repeats the glasses of the Fireplace, a character from the old anime "Gurren-Laganne." Sometimes they are replaced with pixel black glasses, but this is a more recent interpretation.

Who are the Newfagi?

In opposition to the Oldfag, there is always a Newfahr -A novice who does not yet understand the issue under discussion. There is irony in this definition, perhaps even ridicule, in a number of cases of contempt. A newfag or a noob is called someone who is not just a beginner, but an extremely active user who literally leans out of his skin to attract as much attention as possible. As the well-known encyclopedia RuNet "Lurk" explains, the Oldfag will always treat the Newfag with derision, and at the slightest opportunity to put it in place.

Artificial significance of the "rank" of the user

The notions of oldfags and newfags appeared duringthe heyday of image boards - forums that give visitors the opportunity to communicate anonymously, attach images to messages. In this there is a kind of paradox, because the absence of the need for authorization makes all users equal, anonymous, and there is the illusion that everyone can impersonate an old-timer.

In the understanding of the beginner, there is an imaginarythe level at which you can get the respect of the whole community. Therefore, the user making the first steps in the community, poses the question: "Oldfag - who is this, and how to quickly move into this category?" Errors along this path are inevitable, which allows other users to easily mock the Newfah.

Psychology of communication on the Internet

At the initial stage of the development of the Internet,it seems that the user must somehow identify himself as belonging to a group of interests. Therefore, the user starts to sort out the definitions in search of the most suitable for him community - bitard, oldfag, animeshnik? Especially dangerous are such hobbies for adolescents: the fragile psyche reacts extremely sharply to the increased pressure, which turns out to be a community for any newcomer.

Tryfors as a typical meme

Like any phenomenon in our life, oldfags withNewfagas 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. It was the form that became a kind of graphical test for the user's experience. The Trifors symbol can be typed using a continuous space, otherwise the vertex of the triangle is confined to the beginning of the line, thus exposing the Newfag.

However, this meme quickly evolved into athe stable expression "oldfagi is not tri-world". This means that the oldfag is not required to prove the degree of his steepness by demonstrating the ability to post trifors, and who does this is just a slightly advanced Newfagh, seeking to gain his share of recognition, praise or envy. Multilayered logic of this phenomenon boils down to the simplest essence - many users adore mocking other forum users and, in fact, are just trolls.

Relevance of these definitions

Is it worth trying to recognize in a virtuala community where baiting is flourishing, a distinct division into some far-fetched castes? Oldfag - who is it, a respected member of the party or a suspicious anonymus, reveling in its exclusivity? Is it really embarrassing to be a Newfah?

At all times over the newcomers chuckled, butnever did it take such a total scale. Anonymity allows almost any person to quickly pump out data that can 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 persons. And it's long ago splashed out of the limits of image-boards, now practically in any Internet community there are people forming the so-called elite. The rest are assigned either to the role of the retinue, or they are persecuted pariahs, whom they delight in with pleasure.

The most affected by this phenomenon are teenagersas dependent on someone else's opinion of the person. It is remarkable if parents or older comrades can in time explain to the adolescent the principle of the operation of this contrived hierarchy and relieve them of unnecessary suffering about the anonymously pejorative comment left.