E-boys are a subculture of young men who use the internet to make and share electronic music, videos, and images. They often use digital graphics and special effects to create their work, which is often uploaded to websites or shared through social media.
Background
E-boys are a subculture that originated in Japan around the late 1990s. They are young men who use the internet to make and share electronic music, videos, and images. E-boys are considered an emerging identity of digital native youth.
The origins of the word “eboy” can be traced back to Japanese pager slang. E-boy is the abbreviation of electronic boys, which mirrors how ‘otaku’ refers to young people who are obsessed with anime and manga (Japanese comic books/moving images).
E-boys often use digital graphics and special effects to create their work, which is often uploaded to websites or shared through social media.
E-boys are a subculture that appeals to both sexes but is most readily associated with youth culture. The term “eboy” is also most commonly applied to young men who use the internet as a means of sociality and creativity.
Author
While identifying as an e-boy may be a self-defining identifier, that doesn’t mean that it is a permanent identity or a fixed status. A person’s online activities and digital habitus may change over time.
Mainstream Presence
In some ways, the e-boy identity has been mainstreamed into a number of more established subcultures that identify or affiliate with an online presence.
For example, gamers may be classified as a ‘subculture’ but also self-identify as e-boys if they share images and videos on websites such as YouTube and play games on PlayStation Portable (PSP).
The term e-boy is also often used as a form of media sensationalism to refer to any number of acts that are considered strange or deviant. For example, online pranksters who cause mischief or make videos for entertainment fall under the category of e-boy as it is only accurate to describe their work as electronic.
Subcultural Studies
There are several theoretical underpinnings that can inform the study of the e-boy subculture. The work of John Clarke and his colleagues is considered foundational in the field of youth studies and specifically addresses questions about the role and influence of technology on young people’s lives (Hine, 2000).
Clarke’s research focuses on the practices and discourses of young people in relation to their changing social worlds and has been both criticized and commended by scholars.
Alexandra Samuel (2005) suggests that Clarke’s research is most useful when it comes to an understanding of how youth use social media such as Facebook, online gaming platforms (Xbox live), or virtual worlds (Second Life).
The concept of media literacy is also useful when considering the e-boy subculture. It specifically refers to the ability to use, understand, and create messages through various forms of media (New London Group, 2000).
Media literacy draws on both critical pedagogy and the work of John Fiske. For many people in western countries, digital technology is a medium that is impossible to avoid. The internet, therefore, should be considered a public space and one where social norms are constantly negotiated.
E-boy Community
E-boys have been associated with the message board 2channel or nijipoi since its creation in 1999. 2channel has been described as an anonymous textboard that allows users to share images and videos anonymously. It’s important to note that nijipoi and 2channel are not the same things, however.
Nijipoi is the community associated with the website, whereas 2channel is a primarily text-based message board. The development of nijipoi also took inspiration from other popular websites like Futaba Channel (2chan) that allow users to share images and videos.
While e-boys are often associated with nijipoi, it is not the only platform used by members of this subculture. Following the success of 2channel, many users created websites dedicated to allowing people to share their work cropped up including Niconico Dōga (ニコニコ動画) and DMM.
The ability to create a home for sharing original content has been an essential element of the e-boy subculture since the early 2000s.
One of the main attractions of nijipoi is that it allows people to anonymously share their work with others, but it also allows people to chat and post links in a similar fashion to most other discussion forums.
The term e-boy itself has been associated with nijipoi through the likes of 2channel since its earliest days. However, it is often used less frequently than nijipoi or anonymous textboard when referring specifically to this website.
Many users do not use e-boy as a self-descriptor or label, instead referring to themselves as anonymous posters.
The ‘E’ In E-boy
One element that ties all of these various platforms together is the fact that they are online. Individuals who participate in e-boy culture do so through digital technologies and tend to be significantly younger than their counterparts who do not use these sorts of websites.
There are several benefits to online platforms when it comes to sharing content, including anonymity and the ability to connect with like-minded individuals (both potential friends and future collaborators).
E-boy culture is also unique because so much of its output has been digital from the beginning, which differentiates it from more traditional subcultures like otaku.
The E-boy Identity
The identity of someone who is an e-boy is often difficult to pin down because it’s not something that’s typically thought about on a conscious level. Young people are naturally fluid with regards to their interests and hobbies, so posting on these sites is just part of their everyday lives.
The idea of the e-boy subculture is something that comes up in the context of other people (usually older generations), but it’s not something that users typically identify with themselves.
E-boy Culture is a Community of Practice
There is no clear-cut definition for what exactly makes someone an e-boy because it is not something that people think about on a conscious level. The primary identifier for members of this subculture is sharing content online. So, the act of creating and sharing visually appealing content is part of an e-boy’s everyday practice.
This means that they also spend similar time-consuming content, which has become one of the primary ways in which fans can easily find new content to create.
In Conclusion
While there is no strict definition for what it means to be an Eboy, the general consensus is that they are passionate about the internet and use it as a tool to engage with others around the world.
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