iFunny

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For the realistic fiction novel by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, see I Funny.
iFunny
Logo as of 2014
Logo as of 2014
Developer(s)iFunny Inc., FunCorp, Okrujnost
Initial releaseApril 26, 2011
Available inEnglish, Portuguese, Russian
TypeHumor
Websitehttps://ifunny.co/

iFunny is a Russian[1][2] humor- based website and mobile application developed by FunCorp that consists of memes in the form of images, videos, and animated GIFs submitted by its users. The mobile version of the site once featured a built-in meme creator tool. The app describes itself as a "community for meme lovers and viral memes around the internet".[3]

History[]

The application first launched on April 26, 2011 for iOS devices, and on November 25, 2011 on Android.[3] On April 11, 2013, iFunny.co went up as the desktop alternative to the application.

Association between users, content and violence[]

Some users and content on the website have been associated with far-right extremist ideologies.[2][4][5][6]

According to VICE News in November 2019, the neo-Nazi hate group "The Base" was posting recruitment propaganda on iFunny. One user "MemeMercenary" who posted QR codes to encourage users to contact the extremist group.[4]

Samuel Woodward[]

On January 12, 2018, 20-year-old Samuel Woodward was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the stabbing of Blaze Bernstein. Woodward is a member of the neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division.[7] Woodward had a large following on iFunny under the moniker "Saboteur", and often posted content that was racist, violent, or related to white supremacy. iFunny users subsequently turned Bernstein’s death into a meme.[8][9]

Justin Olsen[]

On August 7, 2019, 18-year-old Justin Olsen from Boardman, Ohio was arrested for making posts on iFunny under his username ArmyOfChrist that supported mass shootings of Planned Parenthood. The FBI found over 10,000 rounds of ammunition and 25 guns at his home. He told authorities that the posts he made were in a joking manner.[10] This led to several inside jokes within the community about the nature of satire posts.

Farhan Sheikh[]

On August 16, 2019, the FBI arrested 19-year-old Farhan Sheikh for iFunny posts threatening to murder people at a women's health clinic that was less than 5 miles away from his home. On a post, he wrote that he would "proceed to slaughter and murder any doctor, patient or visitor." He made it clear on his account that the posts were not satirical by writing that it's "NOT a satirical account. I post what I mean, and i WILL carry out what I post [sic]".[3]

Alexander Treisman[]

On May 28, 2020, 19-year-old Alexander Treisman was initially arrested for carrying concealed weapons and was separately indicted for possession of child pornography, but was later discovered to have made posts on Reddit and iFunny threatening to assassinate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In one iFunny post, he said, "Should I kill Joe Biden?". He was found in a van with four rifles, a 9mm handgun, explosive materials, and books on bomb making. Police subsequently found 6,721 images and 1,248 videos of child pornography on eight different digital devices.[11]

Joshua Doctor[]

On March 12, 2021, 21-year-old Joshua Doctor from Holland, Michigan was arrested and charged with terrorism for making death threats towards Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Gretchen Whitmer on iFunny. In the posts, he wrote that he would "be the catalyst" for a revolution. Bomb-making instructions were found on his smartphone as well.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ "Mobile Fraud Targets Swing State Voters In Russian-Owned App With History Of White Supremacism". forbes.com. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  2. ^ a b "iFunny Has Become A Hub For White Nationalism". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  3. ^ a b c Levenson, Eric (August 21, 2019). "This little-known meme site has hosted two mass shooting threats this month". CNN.
  4. ^ a b Mack Lamoureux, Mack (November 14, 2019). "Neo-Nazi Terror Groups Are Using iFunny to Recruit". Vice. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  5. ^ Broderick, Ryan (August 26, 2019). "iFunny Is Trying To Fix Its Far-Right Problem By Shutting Up Its Moderators". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Broderick, Ryan (August 26, 2019). "iFunny Moderators Say They Have A Nazi Problem That The Site's Leaders Won't Fix". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Olmstead, Molly (2018-01-31). "The Man Suspected of Killing Blaze Bernstein Attended a Three-Day Nazi "Hate Camp"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  8. ^ "The Man Accused Of Killing His Gay Classmate Was Sexually 'Confused,' Attorney Says". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  9. ^ "Photo shows 'Ivy League killer' pretending to crush friend's skull". New York Post. 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  10. ^ "iFunny Has Become A Hub For White Nationalism". BuzzFeed News.
  11. ^ "A 19-year-old with a van full of guns and explosives plotted to assassinate Biden, federal officials say". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  12. ^ Shamsian, Jacob. "A Michigan man was charged with making death threats to Biden, Pelosi, and Whitmer on a meme website". Business Insider.

External links[]

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