The exposure of fan culture to the mainstream

The online world has been a safe haven to countless people for as long as chat rooms have existed and probably long before that too. Fan fiction has history dating back to young Beatles fans sending each other stories in the mail and nerds have been fighting for their Sci-Fi entertainment since a bunch of spirk fans banned together to save Star Trek in what we now call its prime.

Fan culture is complex, it has its own rules, its own etiquette and even its own special way to shame others. Still, we love it because its ours and these spaces were forged so we could write our own odes to the media we love, the characters we identify with and the stories that touched our hearts (among other things.)

These spaces were safe havens for the kids who never quite fit in, who had interests they refused to shut up about and finally gave a home to the ones who never really stopped playing pretend or stopped saying “Okay, but what if these two characters kissed?”

Like many people, I found fan fiction and fandom spaces in my adolescence; I made some of my first online friends, learned to write a proper story way better than anything I could’ve ever learned in school and of course, learned etiquette the hard way.

No matter how hard school had been, how mean the kids were or how misunderstood I felt; I could find my refuge online. I’m comfortable making the statement that I’m not the only one; I’m just the one telling the story and behind me there are thousands of people with the same tale.

So let me ask you this; what happens when a safe space- a refuge for many is exposed? When the dark shadows we take comfort in are brought into the harsh light?

I’m not talking about a flash llight either, I’m saying big LED ring lights and wannabe influencers. The very people we hid from were now invading our spaces in droves, why?

Let’s take a Time Machine back to 2019, we’re all in lockdown ; kids, teens, adults , it didn’t matter who you were or where you were supposed to be. We were all trapped in the same place and you wouldn’t have anything to do but become chronically online.

Because of that ; every trend, every viral sound and song were taking root in your brain and out of nowhere new doors were opening up for you left and right. Websites you’ve never heard of are suddenly at the forefront of your vision and fanart and fanworks are thrown into your path.

What do you do? Do you jump head first into a world you know nothing about? Do you put your phone down and decide to touch grass?

I can’t speak for you but I can tell you what I witnessed.

In the span of a few months the comments on my fan fiction updates are a lot less polite, dare I say even demanding. I have people telling me they don’t like my characterization, demanding I change things or update more frequently; these people completely forgot that fan fiction is free and a hobby.

Without warning, people who had never even heard of fan fiction a few months prior were posting screenshots on TikTok; throwing insults at people who were simply writing for their own enjoyment.

The etiquette I mentioned previously was nowhere to be seen and it didn’t go unnoticed to the seasoned members of the fandom community. Some might not always adhere to them but there are- for a lack of a better term; rules.

We like a little phrase called “Dont like dont read” it’s a miracle what happens when you simply don’t consume content that you don’t like. There’s no need to comment anything nasty or send hate ; you simply don’t engage.

Somehow in the span of a few months people had either forgotten this concept all together or perhaps, a more realistic notion; they had never learned it.

Way back when season four of stranger things aired; I wished desperately at least some of them would have learned that lesson. It was never more apparent that this exposure to fandom culture had gone terribly wrong.

Cast members were being doxxed and furthermore fans were doxxing each other! Death threats were nearly a daily occurrence; and over what , you may ask? Shipping discourse.

Thats it, two groups of people didn’t share the same opinion on who a character should kiss and because of that real people were put in danger.

I would never say that these kinds of things hadn’t happened before. Fandom just like everywhere else is a mixed bag full of good and bad people. Yet, the level of insanity, the rate of discourse and the souring of previously pleasant spaces was more prevalent than ever.

The rise of tiktok gave bullies a new place to call home and with access to our safe havens and websites getting named dropped left and right; lately it’s felt like nowhere and nothing is truly ours anymore.

This doesn’t mean that nothing good has come from this exposure. I’d be a fear mongerer to only focus on the negative. There are plenty of people who found their own little safe spaces because of this exposure. A lot of people who truly needed an outlet or a friend, a community.

Like all change, it comes with a lot of bad and a lot of good; it’s just up to us what we do with it. Things are different now, we’re more exposed and our work is often scrutinized to an audience it wasn’t meant for. It’s hard to tell the world “this wasn’t made for you” when you don’t even know your work is being shared.

As a community, it’s important we respect each other and the people that contribute to your fandom. Tell artists you love their work, reblog if you’re allowed, always give credit and don’t critique unless asked.

Tell fan fiction authors your favorite part of their work or a recent update! Let them know your favorite character, a detail you enjoyed; compliment their writing style if it suits you. The best way to get a new chapter isn’t by demanding a new one; it’s by engaging in the content.

That being said; do not comment or engage with the sole purpose being you want more than they’ve already given you. It’s not their job to write fan fiction, it’s a labor of love and they can quit at any time. Show them they’re appreciated because you actually appreciate and enjoy their work and the time they put into it; not just because you want more.

Engage with your fellow fans head canons! Credit your gif makers, share their work too; because it’s not as easy as it looks to make a quality gif. Talk to the people in your fandom, engage, be courteous and respectful.

Mostly, enjoy yourself as long as no one gets hurt.

It’ll take some time but the people who aren’t meant to be here will fade out, they’ll get distracted and we’ll all still be here; cleaning up the mess in our metaphorical house.

So be kind, comment, support artists + authors and enjoy these spaces because we’re lucky we still have them