Ever stumble onto a weird forum and see someone mention "Rule 34" or "Rule 63" like it’s some kind of sacred text? It's weird. If you aren't terminally online, the whole concept of rules of the internet feels like a fever dream cooked up by people who haven't seen sunlight since 2005. But here’s the thing: these aren't legal statutes. You won't find them in a courtroom, and your ISP doesn't care about them. Instead, they are a messy, hilarious, and occasionally dark reflection of how human behavior shifts when we're hidden behind a screen.
They started on 4chan. Specifically, they bubbled up from the /b/ board back when the internet felt more like the Wild West and less like a shopping mall owned by three tech giants. Originally, there were only a handful. Then a list of 48 appeared. Then it ballooned to 100. Most are jokes. Some are actually insightful. A few are just plain gross.
Where These Rules Actually Came From
The "Rules of the Internet" aren't a formal document. There was no constitutional convention. Around 2006, users on 4chan began distilling the chaotic energy of the site into a satirical list. It was a way to mock "newfags"—the term they used for newcomers who didn't understand the local culture. It was gatekeeping, plain and simple. But it evolved into a cultural shorthand.
Think of it as a digital folklore. Like any folklore, it has multiple versions. You’ll find the "Rules of the Internet" on Encyclopedia Dramatica (a site known for its extreme "edgy" content) or archived on various Wikis. While the origins are undeniably rooted in the toxic soil of early imageboards, the concepts have leaked into the mainstream. When a brand tries to be "relatable" on Twitter and gets absolutely roasted, that's Rule 14 in action. People don't call it that anymore, but the mechanic is the same.
The internet changed. We went from anonymous handles to our real names on Facebook, and yet, the underlying psychology these rules described didn't go away. They just put on a suit and tie.
Rule 34 and the Commercialization of the Weird
You’ve heard of Rule 34. Everyone has. "If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions." It is the most famous of all the rules of the internet.
It’s basically a law of digital physics at this point.
Back in 2004, a webcomic artist named Peter Morley-Souter drew a comic about his shock at seeing Calvin and Hobbes parodies that were... definitely not for kids. He coined the phrase, and the internet did what it does best: it proved him right. Every single day. If you think of a niche hobby, a specific household appliance, or a minor character from a 90s cartoon, someone has already spent hours drawing an R-rated version of it.
But there is a deeper logic here. Rule 34 is actually a testament to the "Long Tail" theory of economics. In a physical world, shelf space is limited. In a digital world, the cost of storage is near zero. This allows for the infinite fragmentation of interests. Rule 34 is just the most extreme, prurient example of that fragmentation.
The Corollaries You Might Not Know
- Rule 35: If no such content is currently found, it will be created.
- Rule 63: For every male character, there is a female version, and vice versa.
Rule 63 is huge in cosplay communities. Go to any Comic-Con and you’ll see "Lady Loki" or a male "Wonder Woman." It’s a creative engine. What started as a joke about gender-bending in fan fiction became a legitimate way for fans to engage with media. It’s a rule that encourages transformation.
Rule 1 and 2: The Fight Club of the Web
"Do not talk about /b/."
"Do NOT talk about /b/."
These are the first two rules of the internet. They are a direct rip-off of Fight Club. In the mid-2000s, this was a serious attempt to keep "normies" away. The idea was that if you talked about the underground parts of the web on mainstream platforms, those underground parts would be ruined.
It failed. Obviously.
You can’t keep a secret on the internet. In fact, trying to keep a secret often leads to the Streisand Effect. Named after Barbra Streisand’s 2003 attempt to suppress photos of her home—which only led to millions more people looking at her home—this phenomenon is essentially Rule 1’s nemesis. The more you tell the internet not to do something, the faster they will do it.
We see this now with "cancel culture" or leaked documents. When a company tries to scrub a video from YouTube, they're essentially ringing a dinner bell for every troll with a VPN. Rules 1 and 2 were an attempt at digital isolationism that the architecture of the web simply wouldn't allow.
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Rule 14: Why You Can't Argue With Trolls
"Do not argue with trolls—it means they win."
This is probably the most practical advice ever generated by the hive mind. We call it "don't feed the trolls" today.
Trolling isn't about being right. It’s about the "lulz." The term "lulz" (Rule 19) is a corruption of LOL, representing the laughter derived from someone else's frustration. If you spend three hours typing a well-researched, cited rebuttal to a guy named "DogWater69" who called your favorite movie trash, you haven't won. You've lost three hours. He spent ten seconds.
He won the "attention economy" battle before you even hit 'send.'
Social media algorithms have actually made Rule 14 harder to follow. Twitter and Facebook prioritize "engagement." Anger is the most engaging emotion. When you argue with a troll, the algorithm sees "engagement" and pushes that argument to more people. The rules of the internet predicted the fundamental flaw of modern social media: that negative attention is still profitable.
Rule 20: Nothing is to be Taken Seriously
This is the most important one for your mental health.
On the old web, the assumption was that everyone was lying, everyone was joking, and everything was a "bit." Rule 20 states: "Nothing is to be taken seriously."
Modern internet users struggle with this. We’ve moved to a "sincerity-first" model where every post is seen as a literal statement of fact or a moral manifesto. This creates a massive friction point between old-school internet culture and modern social standards.
When you see a "shitpost"—a post that is intentionally low-quality, offensive, or nonsensical—you’re seeing Rule 20 in action. The point is to provoke a reaction from people who take things too seriously. It’s a defense mechanism. If nothing matters, then you can’t be hurt. It’s cynical, sure. But in an era of constant doom-scrolling, there’s a weird kind of freedom in remembering that 90% of what you see online is just noise.
The "Rules" That Actually Governed the Tech
While 4chan was making jokes, actual engineers were writing the real rules of the internet. These are the protocols that make the jokes possible. You can't talk about internet rules without mentioning Postel’s Law.
Jon Postel, an internet pioneer, wrote this: "Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others."
It’s the Robustness Principle. If you’re sending data, follow the rules perfectly. If you’re receiving data, try to make sense of it even if it’s a bit broken. This is why the internet works despite being a mess of different devices and languages.
Then there's Godwin’s Law.
Mike Godwin noticed in 1990 that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1. It’s an inevitability. It’s a rule of human escalation. Once the Hitler comparison happens, the conversation is usually over. No more nuance. No more logic. Just "you're literally a villain."
Understanding Godwin’s Law is like having a "check engine" light for your brain. When you see the comparison, you know the engine has overheated. It’s time to close the tab.
Why These Rules Still Matter in 2026
The internet isn't a playground anymore; it’s the infrastructure of our lives. But the human lizard brain hasn't changed. We still want to belong (Rule 1 & 2), we still want to laugh at others (Rule 14 & 19), and we are still obsessed with the weird (Rule 34).
If you're a creator or a business, these rules are your guardrails.
- Don't fight the Streisand Effect. If you mess up, own it. Trying to hide it makes you a target.
- Respect the Lulz. If you try to be too polished or "corporate," the internet will smell it. Authenticity—even messy authenticity—is the only currency that doesn't devalue.
- Know your memes. Using a Rule 63 or Rule 34 reference incorrectly is the fastest way to look like a "fellow kids" meme.
The rules of the internet are basically a map of where the landmines are buried. You don't have to like the landmines. You don't have to agree with the people who put them there. But if you want to walk through the digital woods without losing a leg, you'd better know where they are.
Actionable Steps for Navigating the Web
To stay sane and effective in digital spaces, you've gotta apply these "unwritten" laws practically.
- Audit your reactions. Next time you feel your blood pressure rising over a comment, ask: "Is this Rule 14?" If someone is just looking for a reaction, the only way to win is to close the app.
- Practice Postel’s Law in communication. Be clear in your own posts, but give others the benefit of the doubt. Text is a terrible medium for tone. Assume they’re having a bad day before you assume they’re an enemy.
- Verify before you vilify. Rule 20 reminds us that "trolling" is the default state for many. Before you share a shocking news story, check if it's a "hoax for the lulz."
- Embrace the chaos. You can't control the internet. You can only control your response to it. The "rules" show us that the web has always been, and will always be, a little bit unhinged.
Understanding the rules of the internet isn't about memorizing a list. It’s about recognizing the patterns of a billion humans connected by wires. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s often offensive. But it’s the world we built.
Know the rules. Play the game. Stay sane.