Fandom Snowflake Challenge: Day 6

[rogueslayer452]

Day Six: In your own space, make a list — anything between one and ten things is a sweet spot, but don't feel constrained by that! - of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, or that you'd like someone to make for you.

There's one thing in particular that comes to mind, and it's that I wish to have more people to discuss fandom with.

And when I say fandom, I'm talking about anything fannish in general. There seems to be this idea nowadays, especially here on LJ, that fandom just means being an active participant in a specific fandom, when that's not necessarily true. My definition of fandom has always been this overall sense of being a fan of something, anything, regardless whether you are actively participating within an online fandom community or not, and sharing that love with others. That's it. Interestingly, that is why I joined LJ in the first place back in the day, because there were a lot of places, communities, and online friends who held the same kind of fangirl gene that I did where we would talk and share our enthusiasm about things. The kinds of shows we watched, the recent movies we saw, our pairings and OTPs, favorite characters, theories, headcanons, etc. That's how I personally connected with people. And I want that kind of engagement to be brought back again. I want conversations and discussions, I want people to share their loves for different types of media they're currently into, their most recent obsessions. It can range from being something deep and meta-y to just simply sharing squee-level excitement.

Basically, I guess I just wish for more interactions about fandom as a whole. Even though the fandom community on LJ isn't as active as it used to be back in the day, that doesn't mean people should be afraid of letting their inner fannish side out.

In the same vein, I wish for more metas in general. Something I always liked was reading people's thoughts, observations, and opinions through their constructive and researched pieces of meta and seeing things from a different perspective. This also helped with the engagement by sharing your own thoughts and opinions, whether in the comments or making a response post, adding more to the discussion no matter whether you agreed or disagreed with a person's points.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

There are few of us nowadays.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

And it makes me sad, to be honest. :( I know that there are some people out there who are very, very fannish but are either not motivated to because everyone else seems to only talk about IRL stuff and not so much fandom-based stuff, or are just cross-posting from their DW accounts where there are a bit more fandomy people, but not by a whole lot.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely in the "I would talk but to what end?" camp. I feel like when I do talk, I get so few comments I wonder why I bothered. I get it, a lot of people read without commenting, and I will admit I think I've been impatient, because you definitely can't expect replies within twelve hours the way you could ten years ago. I'll sometimes get replies to entries two weeks after the fact! But if I spend two hours writing about my thoughts on something, and get maybe two responses at most, I'm sorry, I feel like it's a waste of time that could have been better spent elsewhere. So I know I'm part of the problem. I did enjoy doing that Fandom Topics Meme a while back, because in a way, it allowed me to parse what people might be interested in. (It was based on a similarly cool Book Topics Meme, which had the same effect.) Maybe I'll do something like that again.

Also, the fact that it was a meme with already set topics allowed me to answer them at a slower pace, so that I wasn't wasting time if few to no people responded, rather than sitting down for two hours and writing something that got lost in the void.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

and I will admit I think I've been impatient, because you definitely can't expect replies within twelve hours the way you could ten years ago.

I've come to except this considering how quiet LJ is in comparison to how it was years ago where people would be posting multiple times a day and get a lot of comments within hours. Nowadays, aside from how quiet things are, people have their own busy lives and will often catch up with their flist at, like, the end of the week or something. Weekends can also be even quieter than usual, I've noticed.

But it can be quite discouraging when you place so much effort in writing a post that you don't get any comments on, or when you do it's with no substance and not really bothering engaging in the conversation. At times I'm like, I don't want a one-sentence "I agree with this" kind of comment, I want you to engage with what I wrote. What are your thoughts? It's that kind of nonexistence conversation that makes it hard to really post anything at all.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I agree with this - oops. ;)

I'll admit I have left those kinds of comments, but mostly for the more day to day posts where I want the person to know I read and I care, but don't really have anything to add. I try to put thought into posts I can tell are more conversational, as well as posts where the subject clearly matters to the other person.

. What are your thoughts?

Yes! That's what I know.

I'll admit I don't entirely miss LJ being quieter, because sometimes I'll realize after I post that I worded something poorly, and still have time to edit. Whereas back then, I ran into trouble a few times. (Also, there were a lot of faux woke types. The Faux Woke problem really began here, IMHO, it's just that the Faux Wokes followed everyone to tumblr, and it turned into a Wild Wild West of Faux Wokeness.)

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I can understand not knowing what to say sometimes after reading a post, but if I do have something to say I try to at least have more substance to my comment, even if it's very brief, so the other person knows I'm engaging with their post and what they're saying.

(Plus, all this reminds me of those posts talking about how you write a very detailed, articulate, and professional email to your boss/professor, and they only respond back with an "ok".)

Also, there were a lot of faux woke types. The Faux Woke problem really began here, IMHO, it's just that the Faux Wokes followed everyone to tumblr, and it turned into a Wild Wild West of Faux Wokeness.

This is very true. I remember when all of that supposedly started, as there was a lot of kerfuffle regarding racefails in various fandoms. Which, while that is an important topic of discussion to have and it should be addressed, since the concept of "fake woke" didn't really exist at that time, some definitely took things too far and that's when fandom wank started becoming unfunny and more serious. I think it started getting more unbearable once it migrated to Tumblr/Twitter where it became less of a discussion and more of just...yelling into a void.

Like, it's definitely more bearable on this site because the fandom drama isn't here as much, and that's why I remain because I can express my thoughts/opinions without worrying, but I still long for those kinds of discussions overall. Just, with less drama, which isn't always possible because, y'know, wherever there's fandom there will always be drama regardless.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Tumblr and twitter can also reblog/retweet you to the point where you lose control. At least on LJ you could delete comments, although I belonged to a comm where that wasn't allowed, and got banned for a week while the person overreacting and leaving nasty replies got to keep doing it. It was nuts. (Though that comm had other extremes in it, where people would use ableist language and just be... very arrogant in general.)

I actually was a bit of a Faux Woke in those days, but I was never really vicious about it, more just obsessive. I can kind of see how it almost becomes an addiction, though. You almost think you HAVE to be upset about everything 24/7. A friend of mine actually held a lowkey pseudo intervention when we met IRL.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

At least on LJ you could delete comments

Or freeze a comment thread, or freeze the entire comment section altogether if things got out of hand.

That's one of the main problems with social media is that there's no moderation, and while sometimes people can abuse such power like deleting or freezing comment threads on journals/communities that silence people's thoughts or opinions on matters, there was a sense of self-containment that you could have within your own space. Social media and sites like Tumblr, for example, don't have such options, which makes derailing conversations and spreading misinformation much quicker. There was also a time when, on Tumblr, you could even edit the original text of a post from someone you were reblogging to say something completely different, making the spread of misinformation go even further (esp since nobody bothers checking the original source of things online and just believe everything at face value).

Yeah, there are power-hungry mods that can get out of control, there's always a downside to anything in that regard, however I would prefer having control of my own space rather than not, y'know?

I actually was a bit of a Faux Woke in those days, but I was never really vicious about it, more just obsessive

Oh, I was too for a brief period of time. I think a lot of us were during that time since, you're right, the sentiment was rather addictive. I was young (early twenties) and it felt like I needed to be a part of something bigger, and once being made aware of social issues and how it affects everything you do feel compelled to want to do something about it. There's nothing wrong with caring about social issues, but there's a difference between being made aware of and having it consuming you to the point where you're always so negative and cynical all the time and just not enjoying anything anymore. And that's what the faux woke culture evolved into. Being outraged over every little thing, discarding nuance, not thinking critically, etc.

[honeymink]

I add something fandom related to (almost) every post I make but I hardly ever get any response to it. That's rather disheartening tbh. Because initially fandom was the main reason I joined LJ for as well back in the day.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's really disheartening because, it's not like there aren't fannish people still here, but I feel like there was this shift of there being more focus on IRL content and less on fandom with those who still remain here, and it has discouraged others from writing or discussing fandom as a whole. Even in friending memes in the last few years there's been more and more people going, "I don't do fandom", which is incredibly disheartening to see. :/

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

<>Even in friending memes in the last few years there's been more and more people going, "I don't do fandom", which is incredibly disheartening to see. :/

I know! I don't get it. Or you realize very quickly that they're not even remotely fannish types. Which isn't a bad thing, I don't do the whole "fake fans", but it does mean you're back to square one if you were hoping to find more people to meta with.

[honeymink]

Well, I do see people who from time to time post "I watched this show and loved it" but then you try to get into a discussion and I found that often very little is coming back except for commonplace rejoinders like "haha I hate character x". So yes I degree it's good the tiniest morsel fannish things but in trying to discuss some fannish things I often find people are really not that interested, it's very passive viewing and can you really can that fannish involvement then?

Say, I was thinking about writing a review of one of my favourite movies, Phoenix, what impresses me; the narrative, the character(s9, how it culminated to something unexpected – this woman looking to find and redefine her identity among other crucial themes. But I knew that would be lost and nobody would read it. So I just go on write about things that upset me IRL with the occasional shout out to some TV or movie thrown in. I wrote about my hopes for the last season of The Magicians. I know there are people on my f-list who watch it but nobody reacted to it. I guess they watch all very casually which is fine but for me from a fannish standpoint sad because I want to talk about it.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

little is coming back except for commonplace rejoinders like "haha I hate character x". So yes I degree it's good the tiniest morsel fannish things but in trying to discuss some fannish things I often find people are really not that interested, it's very passive viewing and can you really can that fannish involvement then?

Exactly. And I've even noticed that in some communities I thought were going to be fannish, but really weren't. Often for TV shows, the emphasis will be more on the cast - which I guess IS part of the fandom, but like you, I'm going for a discussion. Not "this actor is hot" or "this actor sings really well." You know? I agree, it's passive viewing. Which isn't really the kind of fan activity I'm going for.

wrote about my hopes for the last season of The Magicians. I know there are people on my f-list who watch it but nobody reacted to it. I guess they watch all very casually which is fine but for me from a fannish standpoint sad because I want to talk about it.

Yes!

Also, I LOVE reviews that go into detail. Sadly I have not seen Phoenix, or The Magicians. Which honestly I do think is a problem within a problem - I think that the number of people who share fandoms is also lower, so even if people are interested in meta, it's not necessarily things they are familiar with, and therefore can't really contribute. I have friends who write really great reviews, but I can't add to them because I haven't read those books or seen those movies/shows, so I just take their word for it. :/

[honeymink]

Blimey, I reply to posts (and sadly even work emails) lately when I'm totally knackered and later I see all the awful mistakes I made that makes my writing barely readable. That is so shameful. I'm so so sorry.

Now that we have that out of the way, yes – I guess there has always been a part of fan culture that was obsessed not just with the show but then also with the actors (I remember Roswell fandom very vividly and people on Fanforum, crikey were they involved) but I definitely think that these days the real life aspect is heightened by the fact that all these people are on social media. And then you suddenly feel like an old person when you really just want to discuss what happened on 'Nancy Drew' last week and all the parallels to 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' and 'Veronica Mars' but all people are about is "OMG I adored Maddison Jaizani's outfit".

Yes, that's true there is so much media out there – movies, book series, TV shows, it's hard to keep up and sadly unlike back in the day you can't find all these niches anymore on LJ. Back when it first started there seemed to be a community for everything where you could meet likeminded people. Now sadly that's all dead. Well, I won't push a TV show that is soon ending its five season run on you. ;) But just in case if you find yourself wanting to watch a movie someday and undecided, you can find "Phoenix (2014)" to rent on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sSf1k_YbBY

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

When was this? I can't find anything about The Magicians in your television tag and you don't have a the magicians tag. I am a big fan of The Magicians; it's the only show right now that I stay up to watch my recording of right away despite its lateness.

[honeymink]

The beginning of end of January but I think you have me mixed up with someone, could that be? We are not friends on LJ and I don't tag my posts... never got around to establish a good system. But yay fellow The Magicians fan! :)

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

Oh, I could have sworn your post was by rogueslayer452.

[honeymink]

No, sorry, just me, I'm afraid. :)

[honeymink]

I had that with people who are writing and selfpublishing their own stories and good on them but it's this thing when you feel looked down on when you talk about how you are writing fanfiction and they say "oh it's this thing that I did when I was 13 and totally into Supernatural" and you think well, but that's not what I'm writing and even if? It makes you feel small and ashamed for pursuing an activity that was (and sometimes still is when I get an idea) a part of my fandom activity. I had a chat though a short while ago with a fellow friend on LJ as I discovered 'Smallville' – granted not the most intellectual of fandoms there is but something I devoured over Christmas when weather was bleak and I was sick suddenly I had all these things I wanted to discuss but who to discuss it with – it's not a contemporary show, it's probably discussed to death and you suddenly have that feeling you cannot bother all the IRL posters in your friend circle with your thoughts in a post. Furthermore, so I really want to write this fanfic now and back in the old days I feel, it was easier to connect with people through discussion and eventually you would find something who'd be interested and willing to beta-read for you. Now? I wouldn't know where to look. So this divide between the real authors and the fanfic authors has me in a funk and the fact that it's hard to connect with people because I find reading meta is great but discussion is even better, and a good beta is worth his or her weight in gold.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It makes you feel small and ashamed for pursuing an activity that was (and sometimes still is when I get an idea) a part of my fandom activity.

Which is very strange since fandom has become more widely accepted in recent years that admitting you've written and even still write fanfiction despite your professional job that it's not really that big of a deal. Hell, I've seen some published authors proudly admit that they've written, and still write, fanfiction, and openly encourage fans to write fanfiction and create fanwork. But I suppose the stigma surrounding fandom/fanfiction will never really go away, and that sucks since nobody should feel ashamed for enjoying a harmless hobby that they like to do.

But the fact that there is still this stigma attached, and that people are afraid to even unleash their fannish sides fearing that nobody will listen to them, breaks my heart. Listen, I've been there. There are times when I write a detailed post about a fandom and nobody really comments on it. It does bum me out a little bit. I know that people are busy and life happens, and I'm still proud of what I put out there, but it still hurts a little.

[honeymink]

Well for what little it is worth, I enjoy your posts and I comment whenever I find something I feel I have something to add to, which may not be much or often but still.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

As someone who doesn't really write fanfic anymore and is focusing on original writing, I HATE the idea that fanfiction isn't "real" writing. Of course it is, and there's nothing wrong with writing fanfic. I honestly miss writing fanfic, but I am trying to focus more on original content. Not in an elitist way, that's just where my energy is going.


had all these things I wanted to discuss but who to discuss it with – it's not a contemporary show, it's probably discussed to death and you suddenly have that feeling you cannot bother all the IRL posters in your friend circle with your thoughts in a post.

Oh, do I ever know that feeling. Although I will say I'm not sure everything HAS been discussed to death. I listen to a Harry Potter re-read podcast, and they've brought up things I don't think I remember anyone talking about. Although I first started my foray into that fandom twenty years ago, so it's entirely possible I've just forgotten. Even then, though, that only means that there's points being recalled, right? Besides, a really good story allows you to see something new every time you go back to it.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

Would asking someone whose fic you liked on fanfiction.net or archiveofourown.org to beta-read for you via the comments not work?

[honeymink]

I have considered that but there don't seem to be many people writing for this pairing anymore and I'm not a terribly pushy person but yes, thank you that is surely an idea.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

And that's the thing. I came here for fandom too. Like I said in my own comment, I actually was initially more RL focused, but there was still a lot of fandom, and also, the reason I was a bit more RL focused than I became was because most of the people on my flist were already fandom friends, so... it was more for us to connect. It slowly became more of a fandom hub, however, which is actually why I started this account, so that I could keep RL on my RL journal and all my fandom stuff on this one. Then my RL journal became terribly neglected. :P

I've tried to explain this to my flist, but... I feel like a lot of my friends were either never here for fandom, or they've moved so far past it they don't even necessarily get why I still care. One of my friends is SUPER into football. If literally everyone in her social circle suddenly stopped liking football, and she had no one to watch football with anymore, I imagine she'd be very bummed out. That's how I often feel.

ETA: Also, I saw we have a few friends and I think the Harry Potter fandom in common (based on your communities), so I added you. I like fannish posts, and I do still make them here and there, although they tend to be less fandom specific these days.

[honeymink]

I think in the beginning my journal was mostly fandom with a bit of RL here and there and then the fandom people went away and for some people who stayed things shifted more to RL stuff. People I met at friending memes were all about RL posts, it's not that they are bad people but like I said in the other post their idea of fandom are one line shout outs about things and you can't really have a discussion. I have some Harry Potter fans on my f-list but for some reason... most of them I'm not sure how I met them tbh but they all are super into shipping Snape and Hermione, and that's lovely for them, live and let live but it's really not my cup of tea. I like the books, movies and the Fantastic Beast expansion of the universe just fine but I try not to read too much into whatever JKR said now etc. and shipping is a tricky thing – there are a few things I may be open to but then again I think mostly like when I sign up for these little drabble writing things – oh I'll do something gen. I think that's what I mostly do these or am interested in these days – in that sense I think fanfic can be not exactly meta but a way to explore meta-ideas ... but now I'm rambling. So long story short, I friended you back. I am looking forward to reading your posts and getting to know you!

[nothfan.livejournal.com]

I really miss all my old Fandom connections too...a lot

I’ve always been into fandom of one sort or another and that was way before I’d even heard of the word fandom (I’m an oldie lol) I first connected with other like minded folk via pen palling through various fan clubs if memory serves me correctly. So I had pen pals for all the different fandoms I was into back then. But unfortunately it all slowly dried up and I can’t even pin point why, and while I’m still in contact with some of my old pen pals there just isn’t the interest in chatting fandom related any longer.

It’s a shame because I do miss it, and I’m grateful for the fandom contact I do still have, which is solely online now

Great topic by the way Carly

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It seems that there was a lot of personal interaction back in the day, even when I joined fandom there was just this sense of overall community, of finding and befriending people through shared interests and engaging excitedly with each other because of it. From journaling sites to message boards and forums, and even as you say pen pals from even further back. Nowadays though, while it obviously still exists, it's definitely lessened due to the overwhelming presence of social media where it's just talking into a void and relying on likes/retweets/reblogs for validation, or worse, being afraid of sharing what you like in fear of being attacked by others who think they're being "problematic". But that's definitely a topic of a larger discussion about these specific issues.

I know that as online culture shifts and evolves we must adapt along with it, but I do wish for more of that sense of community again where there is active engagement in interacting with one another through these mutual interests.

[violateraindrop]

Yes. I mean, pretty much all my entries are fandom related and I personally also find it easier to engage people through fandom. Making icons is my way of participating and I loved doing it, but that side of LJ is also getting smaller :/

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I really miss the range of creativity of iconmakers. There used to be so many, now it's difficult to find anything anymore especially of newer fandoms. :(

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

You know I agree, but I especially agree with the idea that the tangents and squee were the best part. I miss excitement. I feel like even a lot of fannish spaces really don't have that. Part of it is some of the toxicity you find on tumblr and twitter, but I also think that there's this idea that fandom is more about just liking something a lot. Which is a start, but like you, I miss the SQUEE. I had to give up on Reddit for fan spaces because I felt like sometimes I was even downvoted for having a fun theory. I get that there are a lot of downvote trolls, but it was still.. fine. Sorry I tried to have fun. :/ Or it's very temporary things, like the Snowflake Challenge itself.

I also miss things like M15M. Even Cassandra Cla(i)re's LOTR diaries - she wasn't my... favorite person in fandom for many reasons, but those were hilarious.
Although I recently learned that the Potter Puppet Pals are still around. I thought they just released two puppet videos in the early 2000s and went on with their lives, but apparently not. I really need to investigate that. (Bother. Bother. Bother.) Anyway, I miss the humor.

I think part of the problem is that social media - which includes LJ and DW - has become a lot more centered around the self. Which I would argue is actually a GOOD thing in many ways, but there is this expectation that you use LJ to talk about what you did today. Sure, that was always there,* but it was combined with the sorts of things you and I mentioned. Whereas I feel now, people don't even necessarily get why you would want to devote time to things like that. Or conversation at all, even if it isn't fandom related. (Which I think is what I miss the most, even more than fandom. I just want to talk about a thing sometimes, even if it's something that's kind of "basic" or "mundane" at face value, but with actual conversation can lead to something more interesting. I had a whole conversation with a family member once that began with "why do you like flowers" and ended with musings on the origins of agriculture. That's exactly the kind of nerdy segue I'm here for.)

*Interestingly, reading my original posts I was even MORE RL focused than I am now. However, I think part of it was that a lot of my friends were from fandom spaces where we'd already met, so it was also less of a place for me to connect through fandom and more of a place for us to get to know one another better. As time went on and I added more people from fandom friending memes and the like, my posts became more and more fandom focused. That's the short version, anyway.



In the same vein, I wish for more metas in general. Something I always liked was reading people's thoughts, observations, and opinions through their constructive and researched pieces of meta and seeing things from a different perspective. This also helped with the engagement by sharing your own thoughts and opinions, whether in the comments or making a response post, adding more to the discussion no matter whether you agreed or disagreed with a person's points.

Yeah, that was always cool, when you had those conversation rings. I think that's part of the problem too - no one's really talking meta, but again, no one's really responding to it, so no one talks about it. I don't really bother anymore. When everyone was sharing all the thoughts, it was easier for that to happen. Sometimes fandoms even criscrossed a little.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I miss excitement. I feel like even a lot of fannish spaces really don't have that. Part of it is some of the toxicity you find on tumblr and twitter, but I also think that there's this idea that fandom is more about just liking something a lot.

There's definitely been this shift of enjoyment in fandom, because some take it far too seriously and have gotten rather cynical. I also feel like, while it's good to be critical of the media you consume some mistake being critical with being negative. In fact, I think there is definitely this correlation of the current state of fandom focusing too much on "discourse" and not taking the time to really share and enjoy the stuff they like. Because of cancel/outrage/purity culture, or whatever. It has dulled the excitement into people second-guessing what they're enjoying, whether they should be enjoying it, and being afraid of openly sharing their enjoyment in fear of being ridiculed and attacked for enjoying said thing. There also seems to be a lot of people mistaking being critical of the media you enjoy to being overly negative. So now all "discourse" is riddled with negativity instead of genuine discussions about a topic.

And I liked that your brought up the more humorous aspects of fandom from back in the day, because there were some genuinely funny and silly things that came out of fandom back then which honestly defined a lot of my first exposure to fandom, tbh. It was lighthearted, it was meant to not be taken seriously, and the majority of fandom knew that and enjoyed the silliness and absurdity that came with it. I miss that, as well.

I think part of the problem is that social media - which includes LJ and DW - has become a lot more centered around the self. Which I would argue is actually a GOOD thing in many ways, but there is this expectation that you use LJ to talk about what you did today.

Yeah, it feels like most people treat LJ like Facebook, which is their prerogative obviously anyone can do whatever in their own journal, but because I've been on this site for so long it just feels....rather odd, and kind of off, for there to be only IRL posts or not having a combination of RL and fandom. There was always a presence of a fannish side with people, and without that, idk. But you're right that there seems to be this sense of where people are more open with talking about their personal or private lives on social media. And that can be a good thing, but that can also create problems because, well, when I first started using the Internet there was this really clear rule that you never gave personal information about yourself. And now people do so freely. But that's a topic for another time.

When everyone was sharing all the thoughts, it was easier for that to happen. Sometimes fandoms even criscrossed a little.

I loved it when there were metas that crossed over to other fandoms, and having discussions intertwine with one another. Sometimes it was about general fandom things, other times it just happened to overlap with one another.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I really miss early internet fandom. Messageboards and LJ communities and the feeling of interacting with people who were all excited about the same things. There was a connection that I don't find I see as much anymore online.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mean, it's still there when you find the right people to squee with, but the overall online fandom atmosphere is now riddled with so much cynicism and negativity and thinking that everything you do or enjoy in fandom has to be Hashtag Woke, which I think is what killed a lot of the enjoyment of fandom, tbh. There is this false narrative that fandom is activism when it's not. And now you have people who are too scared to even admit they like something (whether a character or pairing or fandom) in fear of being judged or attacked, and that's really disconcerting. :/

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I’ve read a few discussions recently on how the internet has rewired our brains in a way and made it harder to focus, just because we’ve taught our brains to expect to be constantly stimulated, and I wonder if it’s a similar thing with fandom and social media? I know that back when LJ was thriving I could discuss a topic to death, that I could write out long posts on my thoughts on a television show without thinking twice about it, whereas today it just feels so much easier to reblog or retweet something without thinking too much :( I keep meaning to post on LJ more to talk about the shows I’m watching, but when it comes to actually sitting down and doing it.... Same as how I’ve got so used to quickly skimming through articles online that reading a book is now something that I need to actively focus on to stop my mind from wondering

I think a lot of what we miss about fandom back in the day is sadly down to how the internet currently works when it comes to giving us shorts bursts of information all the time without the time to properly digest it, and that’s why sites like twitter and instagram meet that demand more than an old school blogging site like LJ. Heck I even see it with fan made music videos, they used to be 3-4 minutes long and tell more of a story, whereas the majority of today’s fan videos on YouTube seem to consist more of cuts so quick that you can barely take in what you’re watching, and of course as many dazzling special effects as possible to cram in there

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I’ve read a few discussions recently on how the internet has rewired our brains in a way and made it harder to focus, just because we’ve taught our brains to expect to be constantly stimulated, and I wonder if it’s a similar thing with fandom and social media?

That might probably be a factor, yeah. Since before people would make long, detailed posts, meta and manifestos and the like, just discussing things that they liked and people, in turn, would respond with their own comments or posts and it would be quite a lengthy discussion. Now, however, people often will joke about "glazing over" long posts and just wanting the tl;dr version. The way social media has rewired people's brains to take in so much information, it is understandable that some would be too burnt-out from bothering to read long-written posts even if it's about something they enjoy.

On the flipside, it wasn't too long ago that people would say they got bored when watching a video on YouTube that was longer than ten minutes, and now people willingly make and watch videos that are over an hour long. Hence why video essays are becoming more and more common. It just seems like the attention span has switched sides, probably because it takes more effort to read long post than it does putting on a video that you can have playing in the background and vaguely paying attention.

I keep meaning to post on LJ more to talk about the shows I’m watching, but when it comes to actually sitting down and doing it....

I get like that too, sometimes. I'll eventually get to writing a review or a detailed post, but sometimes it takes a lot of effort to do so. Mostly because I don't know how to properly format it to articulate my thoughts in an eloquent manner, but there is this lingering feeling like, well, is anyone going to bother reading and replying to it? If I spend so much time writing out a review of something I love only for there to be next to no comments, that can be rather disheartening. I'll still feel accomplished after writing and posting something that took hours, maybe days, to fully write out. But it feels empty when nobody is sharing in that same level of excitement, or show interest in what you're writing about.

Heck I even see it with fan made music videos, they used to be 3-4 minutes long and tell more of a story, whereas the majority of today’s fan videos on YouTube seem to consist more of cuts so quick that you can barely take in what you’re watching, and of course as many dazzling special effects as possible to cram in there

Thank you! Yeah, I feel the same way when it comes to fanvids. Now I don't want to knock people who make vids because obviously it takes time and effort regardless, however there definitely seems to be a lack of rhythm and creative narrative. With the lack of vidding communities where advice and tutorials were given, people just wing it with whatever is currently trending in order to get their vids noticed. I also kinda blame the Vine era of where people would post six second edits and think that's all fanvids were. Overall, I think the lack of an actual community and variation has led to the downfall of most of what made fanvids a huge part of the fandom experience, y'know?

(That's not to say there aren't any good fanvids out there that aren't an eyesore to watch, because there certainly are. It's just an observation I've noticed in recent years.)