In fandom culture, it’s common to have cliques forming within the community to recruit and host fans who like the same thing or share the same sentiment as they do. However, these little cliques could be a contributing factor to a fandom’s ‘toxicity’.
Many fandoms aren’t that toxic – but their sub-communities still get labelled as such due to the behavior of fans on TikTok, Instagram or Twitter, further tarnishing the reputation of that particular fandom.
Here are some toxic fan traits you should be aware of. (I admit that I was a toxic fan once, and am not proud of it):
Gatekeeping
Gatekeeping is when fans call other fans “fake fans” because they don’t share the same perspectives as theirs. They would usually use the phrase ‘You are not a real fan if you don’t [blank]’ This usually happens within the same fandom. Gatekeeping badly misses the objective of fanbases, because meeting groups of individuals who share your interests should be a good experience.
I myself was a gatekeeper for a fandom that I’ve now retired from. Looking back, I feel embarrassed for gatekeeping fans who only followed the fandom’s most popular medium – anime adaptations, than the original game version. Remember, it is NOT okay to gatekeep anyone.
Entitlement
When you are one of the original community contributors of fandom, before the series gets too mainstream and popular, you feel yourself getting bitter when your original fandom becomes too popular – and you develop a big dislike towards new fans. That feeling right there is called entitlement – you believe that you own the property in question in some way, and that being a fan for years or decades qualifies you as ‘special’.
You fail to realise that these things are created for profit, and that individuals profiting from them are not doing anything illegal. You also fail to understand that we wouldn’t still have the property if new fans didn’t put money into it.
Starting arguments that are tiring and pointless at the end of the day
We all know the term ‘Keyboard Warrior’ from various memes and jabs. However, starting an argument with fans from the same community is a toxic fan trait as well. If you aren’t happy or disagree with what another fan thinks about the fandom content you like, it’s not okay to type out a novel-length argument that might backfire and do more harm than good to yourself.
This does not excuse you or anyone for joining an ongoing argument online as well – it just further cements how toxic you are as a fan.
Sexism
Sexism exists in fandom as well, especially if a fandom is predominantly male, or vice versa. Don’t shun away opposite-gender fans in a fandom, who likes the same things as you. If you are a female fan that has been in a male-dominated fandom (comic book fandom, games fandom) you’d understand how it feels like getting the misogynistic treatment. When there are new fan members to your fandom who are mostly female, welcome them instead of shunning them.
When you stop seeing idols as human beings
This trait is specifically for idol culture. However, it is a toxic fan trait as a whole. Fans of idol groups from Korea and Japan take their roles as fans seriously. Fans would invest their time and effort in their beloved idols and would get furious at their idols for getting married, dating, etc. They would stop supporting the idol completely until they “apologise”.
There are other toxic fan traits – these are the popular ones that cause a lot of problems for a fandom. If you realize that you have some of these traits, give yourself a break and evaluate if the fandom you are interacting with is good for you in the long run. Always remember – fandom interactions are meant to be entertaining and not to cause misery for all.
Be a responsible fan by acknowledging your toxic traits as a fan
More on toxic behaviour? Read these:
https://lipstiq.com/love-and-relationship/187996/dont-go-lo-co-codependency-will-ultimately-lead-to-a-toxic-relationship/
