Computer Reaction Faces meme

4 images

A Computer Reaction Face variant depicting the aftermath of frustration — a fist smashing down onto the keyboard.
A colored variation of the Computer Reaction Face meme showing an expressionless viewer at a computer screen.
A frog-themed Computer Reaction Face variant conveying a smug or unimpressed reaction to online content.
A Computer Reaction Face comic strip where the character remains oblivious as a Poker Face slowly emerges from behind the desk.

History

Computer Reaction Faces are reaction images and GIFs of a figure hunched at a computer monitor, used since 2009 on 4chan and Reddit to show how a poster feels while looking at online content. The format took off through crude comic drawings on 4chan boards and r/funny posts in the early 2010s.

Origin

The earliest known instance is the Long Neck Reaction Guy image, which is rumored to have started on 4chan's /v/ (video games) board in 2009[4]. Users posted it in response to threads about disturbing games, including the visual novel Katawa Shoujo, a dating game in which the player romances women with severe disfigurations[3].

The template-drawing style moved to the /a/ (Anime & Manga) board on March 28th, 2010, when a user uploaded a blank image of a monitor on an empty desk and invited others to draw their own reactions into it[2].

Platform: 4chan (origin) / Reddit (viral spread)
Creator: Unknown
Date: 2009

Overview

Computer Reaction Faces are reaction images and animated GIFs of a figure sitting at a computer monitor, posted to convey how someone feels while looking at something on their screen[1]. The format usually shows a crude comic illustration or MS Paint drawing of a person hunched over the keyboard with an exaggerated expression that stands in for the poster's real reaction[3].

The images cover feelings like disgust, horror, confusion, awkwardness, and arousal. They spread through 4chan and Reddit during the early 2010s, when text-based forums leaned on custom drawings to add visual emotion to threads[2].

How It Spread

On April 5th, 2011, Redditor _hellojello posted an illustration to r/funny showing a man at a computer holding his head, captioned about staring at a correctly spelled word until it looks wrong, gathering around 995 upvotes and 100 comments[1].

Later that year, on October 17th, Redditor Bmxing85 shared a comic reimagining the computer guy's arms as a giant Fu Manchu mustache, which pushed the character further into meme territory[1].

On June 26th, 2011, Redditor thexnotoriousxlmg posted a four-pane comic titled "NSFW You Say," showing a smiley-faced figure at a computer with an erection. A commenter turned the comic into an animated GIF that became the top reply with 61 points, and the thread cleared 1,840 upvotes before being archived[3].

How to Use

The typical Computer Reaction Faces post pairs a rough drawing of a figure at a monitor with a quoted message or linked piece of content, letting the drawn expression act as the user's written reaction. Common conventions include hand-on-face poses for cringe, wide eyes for shock, and animated GIF loops for arousal or disgust reactions[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Computer Reaction Faces?

Computer Reaction Faces are reaction images and animated GIFs of a figure at a computer monitor, posted to show how someone feels while looking at something on their screen[1].

Where did Computer Reaction Faces come from?

The earliest known example, Long Neck Reaction Guy, is rumored to have started on 4chan's /v/ board in 2009[4], with the template-drawing style spreading on the /a/ board in March 2010[2].