Do you find that you do internet fandom differently? Do you think it's the platforms, or you, that's the biggest factor in changes or continuities?
I definitely do internet fandom way differently, but so much has changed in the twenty-odd years since I got online that there's absolutely no way to say that one factor is a bigger contributor than another. Like, if I were sixteen now, I'd undoubtedly do fandom differently than I did back in 2000. But, if I'd been 38 in 2000, I also would have done fandom differently back then. Fandoms, and platforms, and media, and I have changed in so many ways.
I think one of the biggest changes is that streaming happened, and suddenly we all got decoupled from the weekly TV release schedule. Back in the day, if your were in a TV fandom, and fortunate enough to live in the region where it got first run, you were absolutely going to have your butt on the couch at a certain day and time. Maybe you'd tape or DVR or whatever if you had some sort of conflict, but the vast majority of people were watching at the exact same time and then immediately hopping online afterward to join in the discussion. I suspect that contributed to the posts you mentioned, where we all jumped online to write up our thoughts. That was part of the viewing experience. Watch the show, then jump into the discussion. These days, people definitely do post reviews, but that collective experience is gone because most people are watching stuff at different times. I definitely feel less inclined to post my thoughts about things I watch because I know that there's a limited audience and I don't feel like I'm part of a larger conversation.
I also get more self-conscious about posting. I see mostly people posting reviews of books and movies and TV seasons as a whole, and they usually do it in isolation. I think that tends to make the content of the review much more important, and also makes them feel like they need to be well-written and funny and coherent. They have to stand alone. I can't remember the last time I saw a review that was nothing but incoherent flailing about how much someone loved an episode or how their OTP shared a look or whatever. (Keep in mind that I basically only read DW. Maybe this happens on Twitter and Tumblr?) I don't post those anymore, for the most part. Partially that's because age has dulled the edge of experience and it's incredibly rare for me to get that excited about something these days. And partially it's because I think if I'm going to post a review it should be thought out and well-written and I just don't have time for that.
There's a ton of other stuff I can think of too...the transition from the internet being primarily text to it being primarily audio-visual, the rise of algorithmic social media which means that people no longer curate their own internet experience and instead have it curated by AI, shorter seasons meaning fewer filler episodes which means fewer chances to end up with a random wacky fan-favorite episode that gets everyone talking... So much is different now. I do think I'm quieter as a result, but I also can't discount that being in part due to me being old and tired these days. ;)
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I definitely do internet fandom way differently, but so much has changed in the twenty-odd years since I got online that there's absolutely no way to say that one factor is a bigger contributor than another. Like, if I were sixteen now, I'd undoubtedly do fandom differently than I did back in 2000. But, if I'd been 38 in 2000, I also would have done fandom differently back then. Fandoms, and platforms, and media, and I have changed in so many ways.
I think one of the biggest changes is that streaming happened, and suddenly we all got decoupled from the weekly TV release schedule. Back in the day, if your were in a TV fandom, and fortunate enough to live in the region where it got first run, you were absolutely going to have your butt on the couch at a certain day and time. Maybe you'd tape or DVR or whatever if you had some sort of conflict, but the vast majority of people were watching at the exact same time and then immediately hopping online afterward to join in the discussion. I suspect that contributed to the posts you mentioned, where we all jumped online to write up our thoughts. That was part of the viewing experience. Watch the show, then jump into the discussion. These days, people definitely do post reviews, but that collective experience is gone because most people are watching stuff at different times. I definitely feel less inclined to post my thoughts about things I watch because I know that there's a limited audience and I don't feel like I'm part of a larger conversation.
I also get more self-conscious about posting. I see mostly people posting reviews of books and movies and TV seasons as a whole, and they usually do it in isolation. I think that tends to make the content of the review much more important, and also makes them feel like they need to be well-written and funny and coherent. They have to stand alone. I can't remember the last time I saw a review that was nothing but incoherent flailing about how much someone loved an episode or how their OTP shared a look or whatever. (Keep in mind that I basically only read DW. Maybe this happens on Twitter and Tumblr?) I don't post those anymore, for the most part. Partially that's because age has dulled the edge of experience and it's incredibly rare for me to get that excited about something these days. And partially it's because I think if I'm going to post a review it should be thought out and well-written and I just don't have time for that.
There's a ton of other stuff I can think of too...the transition from the internet being primarily text to it being primarily audio-visual, the rise of algorithmic social media which means that people no longer curate their own internet experience and instead have it curated by AI, shorter seasons meaning fewer filler episodes which means fewer chances to end up with a random wacky fan-favorite episode that gets everyone talking... So much is different now. I do think I'm quieter as a result, but I also can't discount that being in part due to me being old and tired these days. ;)