It gets used online for things, and there are whole communities devoted to shitposting, but I can’t find a clear set of rules for something to count as a shitpost. I remember querying whether a post on a shitposting community was witty enough to be a shitpost rather than just a shitty post, but of course not all the responses to that were terribly helpful!
I typically interpret it two ways:
- egregiously poor quality content, that does not contribute with a topic
- unpretentious content posted for the sake of fun and entertainment
Which is which depends on context.
A shitpost is something low effort, that simply takes up space in the content feed without being engaging, entertaining, or interesting.
One of the primary forms of shitpost is a meme or joke that isn’t very funny, or has been reposted to death. So “shitposting” can refer to the act of spamming shitty meme posts.
A meme or post that has no deeper meaning. If you have to analyze it or think about it, you’re already past a shitpost. The point of a shitpost is the stupidity of its superficial, useless, low-quality humor
It’s possible to have a high-quality, high-effort shitpost, but it’s rare, since by nature, high effort posts tend to also be meaningful. In my eyes, this is peak high effort shitpost
That shitpost in indeed 🧑🍳 😘
It’s scientifically defined (Woods, 2023).
https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2023.2272988
I propose a definition of shitposting that embodies four distinct elements: a reliance on absurdity or “meaninglessness,” the critique or disruption of online discourses, the employment of an “internet ugly” aesthetic, and the use of meta-languaging.
Meaninglessness/absurdity - There’s no intrinsic meaning in the content, but there is in said content’s circulation. Shitposts “mock”, “denigrate”, “construct an image of authenticity”, and “accrue social capital” (he probably means upvotes or Discord reactions)
Disruption - It can be used politically, e.g. the alt-right drowning out opponents, or just plain derailment, using “ironic references… to confound commentary or analysis” (he uses a Twitter example in the article – i.e. among the “Here’s what I did today!” there’s a Jon Arbuckle of in of out, and it disrupts your train of thought)
Internet ugly aesthetic - Kinda obvious. Motion blur on a plastic bag sort of stuff. But he diagnoses an internet-queasiness I didn’t know I had: “[shitposting] provides a critique of the overly streamlined information ecosystem of the internet… an imposition of messy humanity… on smooth gradients, blemish correcting Photoshop, and AutoCorrect”
Meta-languaging - Well, memes evolve. It’s part of their meaningless-content meaningful-use interaction. Like a meme with a random Subway sandwich on it, obviously insanely edited over repeatedly.
Actually a really interesting read. The man quotes dril and talks about how he started a small movement where “corncobbing” was an insult.
Thank you for this.
Thanks for asking this, OP. I’ve been wondering this same thing for awhile with no real results when I search.
I love this kind of thing and appreciate the humor. I don’t think it’s something that would come to me easily if I were to create one on my own, however.
But thank you for the illustration, it is helpful and made me smile :)
It’s posts that are a step up from piss-posting, but below regular unmodified posting.
What about shart-posting?
Starts off OK but ends in disappointment?
Starts off with only a few words on the topic, but ends with writing a thesis on an unrelated diversion.
At least among the folks in my circles, in addition to the many fine answers already given, it refers to an irl action that is completely idiotic/unhinged that you’re doing for laughs (either your own or those around you).
It was the dawn of the third age of mankind. Ten years after the Earth Minbari war. The Babylon project was dream giving form. It’s goal, to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It’s a port of call. Home away from home for diplomas, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanders. 500,000 Humans and aliens wraped in two million five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it’s our last best hope for peace. This is the story of last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258.
The name of the place is Babylon 5.
Now I want to rewatch season 1 again…
There’s a hole in your mind!
