Read on Twitter
I just read a really interesting article about toxic people in fandoms (I'll link below). Here's a good quote:
"Good fandom is healthy & appreciative. Good fans support each other in a collaborative community. They work to build each other up. Toxic fandom is the opposite..." +
"Good fandom is healthy & appreciative. Good fans support each other in a collaborative community. They work to build each other up. Toxic fandom is the opposite..." +
"It is when fans attack other fans with purity tests. It's when their criticism of some aspect of the show is framed in exaggerated emotional terms. Toxic fans are essentially the abusive party in an abusive relationship with the content they're a fan of..." +
"That is, they aren't just there to celebrate it, but to control it and neg it. Toxic fans can also be abusive to other fans. This tends to happen when they feel like only they are 'true' fans..."
The article also mentions that possessiveness, entitlement, and a feeling of superiority are the three major aspects of toxic fandom.
This DEFINITELY describes the issues we've been having with solos.
This DEFINITELY describes the issues we've been having with solos.
Another interesting quote: "Toxic fan culture develops in what are known as internet echo chambers... a space where dissenting opinions are not tolerated. This means the group has a conformist, herd-like mentality."
The article discusses ways to deal with toxic fandoms but unfortunately the advice seems more like what you can do on an individual basis to maintain your own mental health (ex, ignoring/blocking instead of calling out bad behavior). I'm not 100% sure if that will work in our +
situation because our main issue is solos being able to have control/influence over what happens.
However, the article does acknowledge that having some toxic people in a fandom is inevitable, and obviously the larger the fandom, the more toxic people there will be.
However, the article does acknowledge that having some toxic people in a fandom is inevitable, and obviously the larger the fandom, the more toxic people there will be.
So it doesn't mean that we're hopeless and will inevitably be overrun by solos, but I believe we need to take action to reduce the amount of influence they have.
If anyone has any ideas on how to deal with solos, it would be great to brainstorm some ideas that we can actually make happen.
Here are a couple of my ideas:
Here are a couple of my ideas:
1. Do not tolerate solos who claim someone is ot6 or a member-anti. We should back each other up. I believe the fear of being labeled an anti & losing friends is what causes ppl to follow what solos say even if they don't agree.
2. Unfollow/block people who exhibit solo behavior
2. Unfollow/block people who exhibit solo behavior
3. Be public about the fact that we will not tolerate solos. The more often we speak against it, the more other people (especially baby ARMYs) will know what the correct behavior is.
4. This is mainly advice, but I think it's better to follow people with different biases, so you don't end up in a solo echo chamber.
5. Any time a solo 'incident' occurs, we should be proactive about reporting spam comments & leaving positive comments to outweigh the negative
5. Any time a solo 'incident' occurs, we should be proactive about reporting spam comments & leaving positive comments to outweigh the negative
These are just ideas I've been thinking about for awhile. I'm hoping other people have more/better/more detailed ideas, because I'm really ready to change things
Here's the link to the article: https://reelrundown.com/misc/5-Factors-that-Can-Cause-Toxic-Fandom-to-Arise
