This content has been automatically translated from Ukrainian.
Even a person who has never used 4chan could encounter mysterious references to Rule 34, Rule 63, or the phrase "it's one of the rules of the Internet." Due to the numbering, it's easy to imagine that there exists an official code of the network somewhere: Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 3 — and so on up to some final point.
In reality, the Rules of the Internet, or "Rules of the Internet," have never been actual rules. They are a collective internet meme and a kind of folkloric "code" of early online culture, formed around anonymous forums, IRC chats, 4chan, and the Anonymous milieu in the mid-2000s.
Everything made it onto the lists: observations about people's behavior online, advice for newcomers, local jokes, memes, provocations, and references to pop culture. Some points contradicted each other, and their numbering constantly changed.
Therefore, there is no single canonical list of the Rules of the Internet — and it seems there never was.
What are the Rules of the Internet
The "Rules of the Internet" are best understood as a parodic constitution of internet culture in the 2000s.
Some "rules" described real patterns of online communication: don't argue with a troll, don't make loud claims without evidence, first understand the culture of the community and only then actively post.
Others were inside jokes of 4chan, understandable mainly to regular visitors of the site. Still, others were deliberately absurd, crude, or contradicted adjacent points.
Thus, the Rules of the Internet simultaneously functioned as a collection of memes, a humorous guide for newcomers, and a portrait of a certain online subculture. In retrospect, VICE on the history of the Rules of the Internet describes them as a mix of inside jokes, references, and occasionally genuinely useful advice — without a single author or stable editing.
The Internet had rules long before the Rules of the Internet
The idea that there are norms of behavior in the network is much older than 4chan.
Even in the early Internet, the concept of netiquette — internet etiquette was formed. In October 1995, RFC 1855 Netiquette Guidelines was published — a set of recommendations for email, newsgroups, and other contemporary online services.
Among the advice were things quite familiar to modern users: remember that there is a person on the other side of the screen, be cautious with sarcasm, do not send large amounts of unwanted information, and do not get involved in flame wars — aggressive online disputes.
Especially interesting is the recommendation to first read a new group for a while and study its culture before posting anything. RFC 1855 even advised waiting one to two months before actively joining an unfamiliar group.
Later, a very similar principle appeared in a much less formal form in internet slang as lurk moar — roughly "sit quietly and observe a bit more."
The Rules of the Internet can be considered, in a certain sense, an informal and parodic response of a new internet subculture to the old netiquette. Instead of a serious guide — a chaotic list written in the language of memes.
Where the "Rules of the Internet" came from
It is difficult to establish a specific moment of their birth. This is not surprising for a culture built around anonymous users, temporary posts, and IRC chats.
The best-documented history leads to the Anonymous-related IRC channels at the end of 2006. There, the idea of creating a set of rules for the community was discussed. Subsequently, a corresponding page appeared on Encyclopedia Dramatica — a satirical wiki that documented memes, conflicts, and various manifestations of contemporary internet culture.
According to the chronology compiled by Know Your Meme in their article about the Rules of the Internet, the Encyclopedia Dramatica page was archived on January 10, 2007. At that time, it actually contained 18 rules, although the text already mentioned the existence of 48.
The next important date is February 15, 2007, when a set of 50 rules was published on the text board of 4chan. The period around 2006–2007 can be considered the time when the Rules of the Internet took shape as a distinct recognizable meme.
What does 4chan have to do with it
4chan was the ideal environment for the emergence of such a list.
The site was founded by Christopher Poole, known by the nickname moot, and its official launch date is considered to be October 1, 2003. As explained by 4chan in its FAQ, the site was created under the influence of the Japanese imageboard Futaba Channel and initially did not require users to register.
One of the main features of 4chan was anonymity. If a user left the name field blank, the message was published as Anonymous.
Moreover, on 4chan itself, this word gradually transformed into much more than a technical signature. Users began to joke as if all Anonymous were one large collective personality. Even the modern FAQ of the site half-jokingly explains that Anonymous is not one person, but a collective whole of 4chan.
From here came the well-known formulas that "we are Anonymous" or that "Anonymous is legion," which appeared in various editions of the Rules of the Internet.
Later, the name Anonymous began to be associated with a decentralized activist and hacktivist movement, especially after the Project Chanology campaign against the Church of Scientology in 2008.
This means that the Rules of the Internet originate from an earlier stage in the history of Anonymous — when it was primarily a collective image of anonymous residents of imageboards.
Who created the Rules of the Internet
We do not know a specific author.
And this is perhaps one of the most characteristic features of this meme.
The Rules of the Internet do not resemble a text that one person sat down and wrote sequentially from Rule 1 to Rule 50. Rather, it was a collective compilation, into which jokes and phrases that were already circulating in various communities were included.
Someone added a new point. Someone changed its wording. Another version of the list rearranged the numbers. A separate popular meme could simply be inserted inside and declared the next "rule."
Therefore, it is more accurate to say that the Rules of the Internet emerged in the environment of Anonymous, IRC, and 4chan, rather than being created by a specific person or formal organization.
The collective nature also explains why today it is impossible to find one indisputably "original" version of the list.
Why there is no single list of the Rules of the Internet
After the first variants appeared, the rules began to multiply almost uncontrollably.
In December 2007, a separate wiki-like site even appeared for collecting the Rules of the Internet. According to archival data cited by Know Your Meme, by October 2008, there were already about 180 rules there, and by 2012, the numbering reached 900s.
At the same time, individual variants of the list existed on Encyclopedia Dramatica, Urban Dictionary, and other sites.
Therefore, most numbers do not mean anything stable. Rule 47 in one list may not correspond to Rule 47 in another. Some points disappeared, others were moved, and new users simply added their own.
However, several numbers turned out to be so successful that they became independent memes. Primarily, these are Rule 34 and Rule 63.
Rules 1 and 2: why you can't talk about /b/
/b/ is one of the oldest boards on 4chan, dedicated to random content. It became one of the centers of meme and trolling culture on the site.
In the most well-known version of the Rules of the Internet, the first two points essentially repeat one thought: do not talk about /b/.
This is an obvious reference to Fight Club, where the first and second rules of Fight Club also prohibit talking about it. This connection, like several other pop culture references in the early list, is mentioned by VICE in its history of the Rules of the Internet.
However, the joke fit well into the real culture of early 4chan. Closed internet communities often disliked the influx of newcomers who did not know the local memes, norms, and manners of communication.
Thus, "don't talk about /b/" was simultaneously a cinematic quote and a joke about the semi-closed nature of the subculture.
Lurk moar: watch first, then write
One principle that can truly be applied outside of 4chan is lurk moar.
Lurker in internet slang refers to a person who reads a forum or community but hardly posts anything themselves. Accordingly, lurk more, intentionally distorted as lurk moar, meant roughly: "sit quietly a bit longer and figure out how everything works here".
This could be a response to newcomers who asked questions obvious to the community, did not understand local memes, or violated unwritten norms.
The irony is that behind the rough meme form lay a very old piece of advice from netiquette. As we mentioned, RFC 1855 recommended back in 1995 to first read a new group for a while before posting your own messages.
The platforms and language have changed, but the principle has remained practically the same.
Rule 34 predates the list itself
The most famous "Rule of the Internet" is undoubtedly Rule 34. Its essence lies in the humorous assertion that if something exists, there will be a pornographic interpretation of it on the Internet.
And here the story becomes particularly interesting: Rule 34 was most likely not invented by the authors of the general list of the Rules of the Internet.
The origin of the phrase is linked to artist Peter Morley-Souter (Peter Morley-Souter, TangoStari), who created a webcomic with the caption Rule #34 in 2003 after stumbling upon a sexualized parody of Calvin and Hobbes online. The early history of the phrase is traced in detail by Know Your Meme in their article about the origin of Rule 34.
This means that Rule 34 existed before the most famous lists of the Rules of the Internet began to take shape in 2006–2007.
This case well illustrates how the entire project worked: the "Rules of the Internet" did not necessarily create memes — they collected, numbered, and reinterpreted what already existed in the network.
Subsequently, Rule 35 was established with a similar meaning: if such content does not yet exist, it will eventually be created.
Rule 34 eventually became so well-known that it now exists almost independently of the Rules of the Internet. A person may know "Rule 34" and not even suspect that it was once included in a much larger list.
What is Rule 63
Another well-known descendant of the list is Rule 63.
In its classic sense, it asserts that for a fictional character, there will exist a version of the opposite gender. In fan culture, Rule 63 gradually transformed into a convenient designation for gender swap or genderbend — alternative versions of characters in fan art, cosplay, and other fan works.
Unlike Rule 34, there are no early records of the existence of Rule 63 prior to the general list. The chronology of Rule 63 on Know Your Meme dates its emergence to the extended version of the Rules of the Internet around the summer of 2007; on August 8 of the same year, a separate definition of Rule 63 appeared in Urban Dictionary.
This means that Rule 34 and Rule 63 have somewhat different origins: Rule 34 existed earlier and was included in the general list, while Rule 63 seems to have emerged during its expansion.
"Pics or it didn't happen" and other rules that survived the list
Another principle that has taken root outside of 4chan is pics or it didn't happen: if you tell an incredible story online, show a photo or other proof.
In some well-known versions of the Rules of the Internet, this phrase is fixed as number 32.
Today, the wording may sound somewhat old-fashioned, but its logic has not disappeared. Screenshots, videos, links to original sources — the demand to "show evidence" has become even more pronounced in the age of social media.
Similarly, the advice don't feed the trolls survived the specific list. It existed in internet culture independently of the Rules of the Internet but fit well with their logic: an active emotional reaction often gives the provocateur exactly what they sought.
Such universal observations turned out to be more enduring than hundreds of local jokes.
Why old Rules of the Internet may shock today
The full versions of the lists from the 2000s have aged poorly.
They contain many sexualized jokes, crude language, sexist statements, insults, and provocations based on the trolling culture of the time. Some points today seem not so much witty as simply unpleasant.
It is important not to separate this from context.
The Rules of the Internet were born not as a general ethical code for all users of the network, but within a specific subculture of anonymous imageboards, where the ability to shock the interlocutor and provoke a strong reaction was often part of the humor.
Therefore, the list should be read more as a historical document. It shows not what the Internet should have been, but how one influential online subculture of the mid-2000s saw it.
Why the "Rules of the Internet" are important for the history of the network
Today, the Rules of the Internet no longer play the role they did during the times of forums and imageboards. A significant part of the list has turned into a set of incomprehensible jokes without context, and modern users of TikTok, Instagram, or Discord may never even hear of its existence.
But some fragments remain.
Rule 34 and Rule 63 have become independent concepts. Lurk moar has survived the old forums as a principle to first study the culture of a new community. "Don't feed the trolls" is still relevant in social media. And the demand to show evidence has only gained new meaning in the age of viral fakes.
At the same time, the list has become a kind of time capsule. It preserved the Internet of an era when memes were still rarely created by brands or specifically launched for reach, but could arise from a single anonymous post, roll over to another forum, change wording, get a random number — and become part of global digital culture years later.
Perhaps this is why the absence of a "correct" version of the Rules of the Internet aligns so well with their essence. There is no single author, no definitive list, or stable numbering. Users endlessly added to and rewrote them — that is, the "Rules of the Internet" behaved just as chaotically as the Internet they attempted to describe.
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