"I WISH THERE WERE A HIGHER POWER"
Interview with Christopher Poole (PDF)
Who rules the world?
The Internet? (Laughs). Well, Malcolm Gladwell claimed in his essay that revolutions were not made by Web 2.0-programs but by people. And then Egypt and Tunisia exploded and everyone said: "Hey, you see that, Gladwell, you haven't a clue, Twitter is powerful." In this respect I'm more inclined to Gladwell's view: power lies with the people on the streets. We can use the new media to give them digital support, and that's noble and helpful, but that's all.
Where is a country like the USA most vulnerable?
I think the USA – like other countries – is most vulnerable where its citizens feel insecure. Many people are afraid of losing their jobs, of facing financial ruin. So if doubts were to be planted that would cause people to lose their faith in the system… yes, I think that would a good point at which to launch an attack.
Can you describe a moment in which you felt powerful?
Well, theoretically, I have some degree of power to control the millions of people who use the 4chant website. I could post a message that would be read by millions. But this is a very hypothetical power. I'm very wary about such actions, very cautious about what I do.
When have you felt powerless?
Let me cite the same example. Because so many millions of users observe me and maybe also expect something of me, I feel almost paralysed because I know that, whatever I do, someone's going to be disappointed. That's the curse of power: you're damned if you do something and you're damned if you don't. If I seldom take a stance, it's because I know it would have a great impact on what I've built up. I believe in the collective consciousness of the community. A personal statement of my position would be putting that at risk.
Do you believe in any form of higher power?
No. I wish there were a higher power, but, no, I don't believe in it.
To whom would you like to give power?
This may sound like a cliché, but I believe that young people in the USA lack power. The educational system is a disaster – this nonsense about "No one is left behind" is turning out to be a lie. I just wish that young people had a chance to take control of their own destiny.