Toxic fandoms.

[rogueslayer452]

Taken from this fandom meme:

What would make you leave a fandom, or prevent you from getting into it in the first place?

Too much toxicity and negativity.

I've left some fandoms for this exact reason. Sometimes I can still enjoy something even if I distance myself from its fanbase and more likely than not I can remain blissfully unaware of whatever fandom drama is happening, but other times such negativity can unfortunately be inescapable. All fandoms have a toxic side to them, and some can be louder than others, and it is more or less subjective depending on the platform you use and who you follow, and sometimes you need to reevaluate your own involvement in said fandom. In general, fandom is supposed to be fun, if you're not longer having fun, no matter what the cause, then you need to take a step back. Taking a breather can be good, and it can allow yourself to gain some perspective, regroup, and rethink if/when you jump back into the fandom again.

(Also, as something I've learned overtime, you can still be fannish about something without ever being involved with its fandom. It doesn't make you less of a fan or less enthusiastic about fanfic/fanart/meta/etc if you're not deeply involved or hardly interact with the fandom community.)

When it comes to the piece of media itself, if I'm no longer enjoying it I just stop consuming it altogether. I just don't have the time or the patience for something that I'm unhappy with.

Comments

[verdande-mi.livejournal.com]

"In general, fandom is supposed to be fun, if you're not longer having fun, no matter what the cause, then you need to take a step back." Very well said! I have been reading a lot of negativity in The Blacklist fandom over the last months, and it's disheartening and I also don't understand why people continue watching something they obviously no longer enjoy.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I also don't understand why people continue watching something they obviously no longer enjoy.

I think there is this mentality that if you've been watching something, especially a long ongoing show, that you have to see it through until the end otherwise you're not a true "fan", which is kind of ridiculous imho. I get that some people are completionists, but not everyone is.

I also think that there's this other side of that mentality where you think that well, even if the writing sucks you care about the characters and you're staying with it for them to show that kind of support even if you continually get more and more frustrated with the direction of the story. I used to have that mentality for a brief moment with a particular fandom many years ago because I convinced myself that I had to stay for the characters. But ultimately that backfired on me big time because of how draining it all was in the end, leaving me feeling miserable and more stressed out than anything else. Surrounding yourself with constant negativity, even if it's a mutually agreed upon negativity, is not good for you or anyone else. It only creates a toxic environment which breeds more toxicity, which can discourage anyone else from speaking about something that they love about the thing that you're growing to despise.

There is also a difference between being critical and giving constructive criticism of something you love versus negativity, which I think is where people can get confused by since I've seen, and have also used, the defense of "but being critical of something you love is good!" which in theory it can be, but the lines can blur so easily when supposed constructive criticism can turn into just plain negativity. So yeah, if you're no longer enjoying something, just stop engaging with it.

[blakmagjick]

"you can still be fannish about something without ever being involved with its fandom"
This is me...often I don't know there is drama going on in one of my fandoms until later, cause I don't pay attention to it, or the fans...haha

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

When it's possible, I'm very thankful to be blissfully unaware of whatever drama is happening in the majority of a fandom as I remain in my little carefully curated bubble. Ignoring most of a particular fanbase is something that I've become very used to at this point.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

There's definitely a toxic side to every fandom but if you can do your own thing and have fun then it's manageable. If it dominates the fandom then it's just oppressive. I've had fandoms that I just steer clear of based on what I've seen from the fan base. If it's going to be a toxic place to be I don't want to spend my time there.

I'm definitely a fan of things and nowhere near the fandom. Lots less drama that way :)

Agreed on giving up media if I'm not enjoying it. There's just so much out there to watch that if you're not having fun it's not worth spending time on something even if you used to be a fan. Why spend full seasons of hours watching things that just feel like a time suck?

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely a fan of things and nowhere near the fandom. Lots less drama that way :)

I've definitely become more used to this over the years, because aside from fandom being incredibly scattered across many different platforms, I find myself not always enticed with engaging at all of a fandom of something. And it's not always due to avoiding the drama either, it's just that sometimes being involved with a lot of interests it can be really draining in general to keep up with everything so I'm quite selective of the fandoms I do engage with based on that, as well.

Why spend full seasons of hours watching things that just feel like a time suck?

My thoughts exactly. Of course, there are people who have that completionist mindset, and feel like they need to stick with something no matter what. I'm just not that kind of person. There's also some people who just enjoy hatewatching something, which I guess I can understand to an extent, but even that can become too much, y'know? idk

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I feel you on the too many fandoms feeling draining. I just have less free time in my days now than I used to so I can't engage with fandom the way that I used to. I like being a fan and that's going to be a part of me forever. I just can't devote as much time to it and also succeed at work and not have my apartment fall apart around me etc. etc. etc.

I used to be more of a completionist but as with fandom things, I just don't have the time. I do get the hate watching thing to a degree as well. Sometimes there's fun found in something that's so bad you can just banter at it. But again, I don't have the time I used to have to watch things. I'd rather spend time watching the things I enjoy.

[giallarhorn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, every so often I hear about some fandom wank and realize how incredibly curated I make my experience in fandom.

That said, I suspect the amount of toxicity in fandom correlates to social media, and the mainstreamness of fandom. Larger fandoms were always dicey as a function of size, but giving everyone a loudspeaker on Twitter/instagram probably hasn't helped.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Larger fandoms were always dicey as a function of size, but giving everyone a loudspeaker on Twitter/instagram probably hasn't helped.

Yeah, especially since it seems everyone on social media tends to really just have no filter and lack any kind of understanding of nuance which leads to a lot of, well, naturally a lot of drama (and not just fandom drama, because drama gets brewed up rather easily in general), and usually it starts with really horrible Bad Takes or just general statements that are just blown way out of proportion and, in a way, it makes me kind of glad that I entered the fandomsphere during the online forum/journal era because while fandom wanks have always existed at least there was a sense of moderation or an understanding that you had Your Own Space to rant about things in a controlled environment.

[omgpeyton.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you said! I think as I've gotten older as well, I've learned to find my "people" in fandom. The ones that don't feed into drama, and have healthier relationships with media. It gets a bit easier to spot, the longer you've been involved.

The best part is also finding great people, that no matter what you're into, you kind of just move along to different fandoms and sometimes meet again in a fandom together.. if that makes sense? I have a wonderful friend that I met through Supergirl, we even went to a con together. Now we don't have ANY fandoms in common (hahaha) but we legitimately will text each other things like "I saw your ship finally got a big scene! How exciting!". Fandom is as toxic as it is magical, if you know where to look.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've found that to be the case with me, as well. I've been involved with fandom for so long that it's easier for me to avoid certain places and to seek those who aren't attracted to those kinds of dramas. I think when you're younger you tend to get caught up in the moment, you find a nice community and you want to be involved with everything all the time, but as you get older you realize that you just don't have the patience for that.

Now we don't have ANY fandoms in common (hahaha) but we legitimately will text each other things like "I saw your ship finally got a big scene! How exciting!". Fandom is as toxic as it is magical, if you know where to look.

I'm still friends with people who we once shared the same fandoms with, and yet now our fandom interests are so different (with some overlapping), but we still are like, friends regardless. And I think that's the beauty of finding those kinds of online friends, the ones that will stick with you even when your fandoms shift and change. I'll see something from a fandom I'm not in but I know one of my online friends is and I think of them immediately. :)