catterchan is a bulletin board system (BBS) disguised as an imageboard, with the feel of a mid-2000s forum. it was developed as a successor to the mildly-successful chadchan, a much more primitive form of catterchan. i developed both with the intention of a sort of thought experiment in practice. what would happen if i made the only rule on it that you can't post anything illegal on it? what if instead of actual moderators, it was entirely community-operated? what if the content & posters were unable to be censored on it? thus chadchan (and later catterchan) was born. while i won't be talking about the features of chadchan, i will discuss the features & function of catterchan.
catterchan behaves like your typical imageboard. you can pick a board to go on, post a thread, wait for replies. each board has their respective rules to keep things more on-topic, but globally nearly everything is allowed. the more you post original content, the greater the chance of people becoming your "buddy" (like followers, subscribers, etc.) - after 1000 buddies, you gain monetization abilities via Monero payouts, a custom board for you to post on to your community, and a few other perks. if you simply want to post anonymously, you can too - i just disabled the ability to attach content to your posts, to curb bot abuse. if you register, none of the entered data is "real". if you wish, one can use a fake e-mail address. privacy is an utmost priority, and the only reason accounts are used in the first place are for the perks of being an independent creator.
the concept of catterchan being a thought experiment comes through with the practice of using catterchan. it isn't like a traditional imageboard or BBS, and it isn't like traditional social media. the design of the "look & feel" itself filters out the majority of the neo-web, much like sites such as post office & bus stop. those who choose to go on are greeted with obscene & controversial content, uncensored thought, and sharing of media - with an emphasis on felines & related jokes. there is a distinct lax basis of any sort of moderation. there isn't just not-safe-for-work (nsfw) content, but also not-safe-for-life (nsfl) content - content so over-the-top in degeneracy, it demands its own category.
and yet, there are still companies willing to advertise on the platform. there is a consistent new userbase. there aren't people on it threatening people/organizations, and there isn't an actual hateful audience on it (aside from the occasional obvious bait content). in the global rules, i state clearly i don't necessarily support anyone or their expressions/actions on the platform, and posts are the responsibility of the poster. the addition/removal of features/policies are commanded entirely by the userbase, and total freedom is allowed throughout. catterchan [as a platform] stands as a totally-neutral force. communities like 4chan and matrix are in their own respective bias (especially in their culture-specific boards/channels), with a not-necessarily-open discussion of any topic. on platforms such as reddit, stormfront, or twitter, the userbase is so intertwined with existing corrupt entities that you can't truly have open discussion without disturbing the pre- existing echochamber.
i've been in the game of privacy, security, and non-censorship for quite a while now. it's what eventually pushed me into the world of libre computing, and programming my own things. it gave me insight to the large swath of social platforms and federal governments. it eventually led me to the realization that people will forego all evils, all lack-of-privacy/security, all ethics, all etc. - for the sake of convenience. this sort of thinking led to the creation of chadchan, and later catterchan. however, it's incredible to me that privacy, decentralization, and free speech (and freedom of the press) went from being an average left-wing cause to an immediate right-wing cause. how things like the foxconn suicide nets and red flag laws are forgotten about to those circles bewilders me.
after running both chadchan & catterchan as an admin - seeing all the action, knowing the hardships of administration, and interacting with both communities in-depth - i've had the privilege of a gradual epiphany. why is it that extreme ideologies (moreso the left-wing ones than anything else) come out only in heavily-censored, proprietary environments? why is it that terrorists, criminals, and extremists only come out on major social platforms? why do mainstream social platforms have such a heavy influence by federal agencies that entire elections depend on the way they moderate?
i don't know why human rights & open discussion are so frowned upon in a world like the one we live in today.