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Canvas treats September 11 differently than most

Canvas says it wants to be the mature sibling to 4chan. But these altered 9/11 images aren't quite living up to expectations.

 

Fernando Alfonso III

Internet Culture

Posted on Sep 12, 2011   Updated on Jun 3, 2021, 2:50 am CDT

While many Americans spent the 10 year anniversary of Sept. 11 remembering the thousands who died, others took to Canvas, a new photo based social media network, to make fun of that fateful day.

Some Canvas user superimposed images of the Nyan cat, the “Men in Black,” and Keanu Reeves on photos of the Twin Towers engulfed in smoke, while others poked fun at the phrase “never forget.”

All in all, the Sept. 11-related posts collected more than 300 stickers and 100 replies. Stickers are a way for Canvas users to express approval or disagreement over an image and replies allow users to remix (in other words, alter) an image or post a comment.

The images were a disturbing reminder that nothing is sacred on the Internet, even on a website like Canvas which is trying (although perhaps not always successfully)  to be the mature sibling to image board 4chan. Both sites were created by Internet entrepreneur Christopher Poole.

So the question is, do these rather tasteless images violate Canvas’ rather strict code of conduct?

Since the images have not been taken down, the answer seems to be no.

One image used appeared particularly serious and sincere. It features the word “reflect” written above the New York skyline with an image of the Twin Towers reflected in the water. But like most things on the Internet, it can easily transformed into something ugly. Also, it turns out the image was produced by an advertising agency, not a Canvas user.

Image via cookiemonstr

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*First Published: Sep 12, 2011, 5:29 pm CDT