# Gold Membership Trolling > Gold Membership Trolling is a 2007 4chan trolling prank using fabricated images claiming viewers need a paid "gold account" to see the real content. Gold Membership Trolling is an online prank where someone posts a fabricated image suggesting viewers need a paid "gold account" to see the real content. The joke originated on 4chan in December 2007 during a massive influx of new users from Digg[3]. It later spread to Facebook and Tumblr, where it fed on recurring fears that free social platforms might start charging for access[1]. ## Origin On December 6, 2007, 4chan got slammed with traffic after a post titled "Top 100 Funny Pics From 4chan (NSFW)" hit the front page of Digg[3]. That same day, site founder moot reskinned 4chan with a "web 2.0" look, likely as a tongue-in-cheek response to all the newcomers. Regular 4chan users seized the moment and started posting images telling the new arrivals they needed a "4chan gold account" to view content[3]. There was, of course, no gold account. The whole point was to mess with people unfamiliar with the site's culture, a classic example of trolling as a way to identify outsiders[4]. - **Platform:** 4chan - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created by 4chan users) - **Date:** 2007 ## Overview Gold Membership Trolling works by posting a fake placeholder image in place of actual content. The image typically reads something like "this image requires a 4chan gold account" or "upgrade to Facebook Gold to view this photo"[3]. The fake image is paired with a caption describing something enticing, like a new car photo or a selfie, that the viewer supposedly can't see without paying[2]. Other users then pile on in the comments, pretending they can see the image or posting the copypasta "[Comment only available for Facebook® Gold™ account holders]" to sell the joke[3]. The prank plays on a simple fear: that a free platform people rely on daily might suddenly put up a paywall. ## How It Spread The prank jumped from 4chan to other platforms over the next few years. The earliest known Facebook gold account troll appeared in March 2009, when someone on Amazon's Askville forum asked "What are the advantages of a Facebook gold account?"[3]. By February 2010, Facebook had rolled out a user interface update that changed the navigation bar and notifications[3]. The redesign triggered a wave of gold account trolling, and sites like Hoax-Slayer and the Daily Bloggr ran posts debunking the prank[3]. The biggest spike came in September 2011. Facebook updated its News Feed, and rumors spread that the site would start charging users[1]. Facebook responded publicly on its official page: "A rumor on the Internet caught our attention. We have no plans to charge for Facebook. It's free and always will be"[1]. The International Business Times pointed out the obvious logic: Facebook's real customers were advertisers, not users, and the company was on track to earn $3.8 billion that year[1]. None of that stopped the trolling. Gold account images flooded Facebook, and screenshots of comment threads where people fell for it were posted to Reddit[3]. Users would reply with "[Comment only available for Facebook® Gold™ account holders]" to keep the bit going[3]. Several Facebook pages and groups popped up around gold accounts, with the largest group reaching 880 members by late September 2011[3]. The format also found a home on Tumblr. User mrpotatoes posted what appears to be the first Tumblr gold account image on June 28, 2011[3]. Other users would reblog the fake images and add comments pretending they could see a photograph[3]. ## How to Use The format is simple. Pick a social media platform, then: 1. Create or find an image that looks like an official paywall notice (e.g., "This content requires a Premium/Gold account to view"). 2. Post it with a caption describing something people would want to see, like "Just got my new car!" or "Latest selfie." 3. When confused users ask what's going on, reply with something like "[Comment only available for Gold™ account holders]" to keep the joke alive. 4. Other users who are in on it typically pile into the comments doing the same thing[2]. ## Cultural Impact Gold Membership Trolling tapped into a real and persistent anxiety about free internet services. Every time Facebook redesigned something or announced a new feature, the "Facebook is going to charge you" rumor would come back around[1]. Facebook felt the need to publicly deny the rumors multiple times, and its front page for years carried the motto "It's free and always will be"[1]. The prank also fit neatly into the broader tradition of internet trolling, where veterans use inside jokes to identify newcomers and outsiders[4]. The format proved adaptable across platforms. While it started on 4chan as imageboard culture, it worked just as well on Facebook (where less tech-savvy users were more likely to fall for it) and Tumblr (where the reblog system let the fake images spread organically)[3]. ## Fun Facts - Facebook was projected to have an IPO valued at $33.7 billion around the time the 2011 gold account trolling wave hit. The company had 800 million active users and was earning billions from advertising, making the idea of charging users for access absurd on its face[1]. - The original 4chan gold account prank was specifically a hazing ritual for "Digg refugees," new users who flooded in after a viral Digg post about 4chan's funniest images[3]. - The word "trolling" in its internet sense traces back to Usenet in the early 1990s, where "trolling for newbies" described veteran users posting bait to test whether newcomers would respond sincerely[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Gold Membership Trolling? It's an internet prank where someone posts a fake image claiming a paid "gold account" is needed to view content on a free platform[3]. ### Where did Gold Membership Trolling come from? It started on 4chan on December 6, 2007, when regular users posted fake gold account notices to confuse an influx of new visitors from Digg[3]. ### What does Gold Membership Trolling mean? The prank plays on the fear that a free service like Facebook might start charging. Users post fake paywalls and pretend the restriction is real[2]. ### How do you use Gold Membership Trolling? Post a fake "gold account required" image with an enticing caption, then reply to confused users with copypasta like "[Comment only available for Gold™ account holders]"[3]. ### Is Gold Membership Trolling still popular? The format peaked around 2010-2011 during Facebook's UI changes and charging rumors. It still surfaces occasionally when platforms make controversial updates, but it's far less common than during its peak[1]. ### Why did people think Facebook would start charging? Every time Facebook redesigned its interface or launched new features, rumors about paid accounts would circulate. Facebook repeatedly denied the claims, pointing out that advertising revenue made user fees unnecessary[1]. ### What was the copypasta associated with Gold Membership Trolling? The most common version was "[Comment only available for Facebook® Gold™ account holders]," which users would post in comment threads to make the prank look more convincing[3]. ### Did any platform actually introduce a gold account? No. The entire joke relied on the fact that these platforms were free. Facebook's own front page stated "It's free and always will be"[1]. ## References 1. [Facebook Will Never Charge Its Users: Here's Why | IBTimes]() 2. [Gold Membership Trolling - Know Your Meme]() 3. [Trolling]() 4. [Gold Membership Trolling - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/gold-membership-trolling Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library