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

[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. :)