Supernatural is not the Jersey Shore of Fandom (An Essay)
This started out as a simple comment reply to the post referenced below, but it kept growing until it felt tangential enough to warrant a post on my own journal, rather than monopolizing someone else's. If anyone's a lover of irony, it should be noted that the last time I posted was back on June 3, which was to rec a story with the pairing (which
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I've been in online fandom since 1995, and while I do agree with you that the crazy migrates (see above example) and perspective about that is very important, I also think the tone and scope of fandom in general has changed in ways that make perspective harder to obtain. The crazy isn't confined to one fandom at a time; multiple platforms and popular wank-baiting forums like the anonymeme have ensured that it's a pan-fandom issue. It is all brought to our doors 24/7, all fandoms, all the time. When I was on two listservs and two newsgroups in HL and XF fandoms, it was simpler: when the flaming started, I could close the group and know that no trace of that would be present in my other lists. But the platforms we use nowadays make it all fresh and prevalent and ensure things are discussed across/outside of particular fandoms, and wank and bashing are hard to avoid without gafiating altogether. It can't be avoided. But it does get tiring, and it does have a cumulative wearying effect, and it is impactful, and it does lead to people feeling like fandom is "more" hurtful and "less" like a community of people all basically here for the same things.
It can be argued that fandom was never a community of like-minded people to begin with, that it was all an illusion. Rose-colored glasses looking back at the past and whatnot. But the feeling of fragmentation and disenchantment people are experiencing now does have its roots in the changes, and while no one fandom takes the batshit prize for good...sometimes I think that's exactly the thing that makes fandom feel less fun. It's everywhere.
(Eh, should have taken your example and made my own post.)
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The changing social media landscape is a huge factor, and sometimes I feel like trying to fnd perspective is like looking through the wrong side of a door peephole. You're pretty sure there's somebody on the other side looking back out at you, but you can't really tell. And you're sure as hell not seeing the same thing they're seeing from their angle.
It was definitely simpler to avoid the crazy people then. Now, we'd have to defriend, uncircle, re-filter, unfollow, and whateverthehell you do on Tumbler to get away from someone(s), and it still wouldn't screen everything.
I know it gets tiring (hello, first eljay post in three months!). I also think that blaming a particular show for those damaging personal attacks won't change anything. I fully realize that it's not like I'm offering a real solution here. I don't have some magic Colt bullet that will make fans behave thoughtfully. In fact, if anything I think I'm expressing my own weariness at seeing yet another beloved show repeatedly blamed for being the funsuck...when it's the people hurting people. If that makes sense. Ugh.
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