I think it really depends on the type of mystery, and the topic at hand. If the mystery ended up being in /r9k/ or /pol/’s wheelhouse, you can be sure they’d be the first to answer. I think 4chan put up some really solid numbers during the He Will Not Divide Us thing, surprising most observers with how fast they could find and track Shia Leboeuf.

Another factor is that 4chan tends to be less about … How to word it? A certain kind of groupthink. If your theory is good, but they think you are an idiot, they will tell you that you are an idiot and there’s an end to it. Your post will slowly slide to the bottom and be cycled out, never to be remembered except, perhaps, to appear on a 4chan themed subreddit.