# question about FA for my master thesis



## webkilla (Dec 13, 2011)

heyo

I'm neck deep in my master thesis on internet culture - and it time to explain furries :3

(right, this old joke again)

do keep in mind I've been a furry myself for years - i know what its about, but that's beside the point

I need data to prove it

...and that's proving remarkably scarce.


so, if possible I'd like to know the following about FA and the FA forums:

1) how many registered users are there on FA?

2) how many total submissions are there to FA?
 - if possible, how many of those are general, mature and adult? (so I can make a rough approximation of how much of it is porn... me hoping that its not too big a percentage)

3) if there exists any statistics on how often content is uploaded to FA, like how many submissions per week, month, year, whatever you have

4) anything you think could be relevant? 


I intend to open up a thread later in the main part of the forum for asking the main part of the forum populace stuff - but that's first when my questions have been greenlighted by my supervisor


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## Kihari (Dec 13, 2011)

http://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/103627-Fur-Affinity-Stats-(July-7-2011)


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## webkilla (Dec 13, 2011)

well that was quick

how handy


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## Rakuen Growlithe (Dec 14, 2011)

I have a table with the number of registered users for various furry sites. (http://www.flayrah.com/3657/analysis-fur-affinitys-staff-revamped-dev-team-still-lacking) The user figures are accurate (for then) but the page views are not, although they should be accurate for comparing the relative traffic of the sites. Also if you are interested in the administration portion of the table it's worth noting that that was before the Furocity drama and the resignation of six admins. SoFurry has also lost one of their developers since I made the table (I think one or two mods also stepped down).


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## Fay V (Dec 14, 2011)

out of curiosity, what field are you going for?


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## webkilla (Dec 14, 2011)

Medialogy - its a relatively new field (I guess between 7 or 9 years old) - came out of engineering, but focuses more on human-computer-interaction, usability studies, user testing and generally understanding the relationship between humanity and technology (it is very broad in that sense)

its in the last bit that I'm doing my thing

my focus is trying to explain decentralized internet subcultures - such as furries, bronies - and even Anonymous - using the same overarching theory on decentralized concurrent non-commital participation. I call this theory/new phenomena that I'm describing a Standalone Complex. if you know where I got the word from, then you'll know how fitting the description is.

ideally this should allow academia (and the media if they're interested) to finally understand the decentralized nature of all these communities and subcultures - so they'll stop thinking that one group in one of them doing soemthing is indicative or normative for the rest as well. (like thinking taht all furries are porn fiends, or all anons are hackers on steroids)


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## BRN (Dec 14, 2011)

webkilla said:


> Standalone Complex


Oh that is _good_.

And so was the anime.


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## webkilla (Dec 14, 2011)

SIX said:


> Oh that is _good_.
> 
> And so was the anime.



indeed.

I know my geek cred.

I also think that the main difference between what I'm doing and what other anthropoligists or writers have done in trying to explain anonymous and other internet subcultures - is that I've been part of these communities for years. Cole stryker recently published a highly acclaimed book on Anonymous, but because he only spent six months on it he began thinking (and writing!) that anonymous is now all internet superheros fighting for freedom of speech, transparency and against government and corporate corruption and censorship.  some anons do that, but by no means all.

indeed, I do criticise his work for that, even if it is a nice timeline explaining most of the things anonymous does


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## Fay V (Dec 14, 2011)

I like you, we need more people with web based thesis projects around here.


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## webkilla (Dec 14, 2011)

web based? I have plenty of RL theoretical material as well - to explain why ppl do as they do online


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## julyaric720 (Dec 17, 2011)

I think that's awesome. Makes me feel layered. Like some sort of epic lasagna


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## webkilla (Dec 17, 2011)

epic furry lasagna?

i dunno, I'd think that'd be a mess to clean out


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## AlecHusky (Dec 18, 2011)

I registered on the forums at last just to ask:
May I read your thesis if/whenever ^^ I'm pretty excited to hear that someone's writing a thesis on internet culture and trying to create a new narrative that attempts to explain certain subcultures.  I've been interested in the net pretty much my entire life, since my parents got their first system in '97.  I've spent a VERY large chunk of my life on the net, and I'd love to read this.


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## webkilla (Dec 18, 2011)

I'll see if I can remember to link or upload a copy of the final version here once its done - in the mean time I'm battling unresponsive supervisors and trying to get an extension on my deadline, because otherwise I'm screwed


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