Because they wanted validation, not freedom. They couldn't stand being ignored or questioned, so they fled to platforms that feed them censorship. Like tiktok or similar platforms that are so censored that you can get banned for anything. I tried to post something controversial to see people’ś reaction there and the police intervened in my fucking house because of my post. 4chan was the most non-death one but now it's gone, 8kun posting is crashed so people are leaving. I saw a few anons saying they moved to nanochan (on tor) because they banned VPNs on 8kun but it’s also kind of dead.

> feels like a whole generation of people suddenly vanished.
They didn’t vanish. They got absorbed. Digitally neutered. Tamed like pets. They’re still out on internet — scrolling, swiping, drooling. Just not here

 free speech? that means you stay in places like that, even when they're empty.