Klay
Weird how many nerd fandoms seem to have the same people in them, right? Rhythm games, conlangs, math and computing, puzzles and paradoxes. I've been calling this "the GEB Orbit", because if you're into two or more of these things, you're probably in the target audience for Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter, a book I would describe as "the spiritual precedessor to xkcd."

#geb #xkcd #fandom #convergence
Mar 6 at 4:09pmWeb
Show threadGryficowaMar 6
@nycki Fandoms used to be niche, but after the pandemic there were many norms and now fandoms are toxic like Voltron, which used to be a guide on what should not be repeated...
Show threadKlayMar 6
@Gryficowa maybe "fandom" is the wrong word for what I'm describing? what would you call it?
Show threadGryficowaMar 6
@nycki I don't know, but this is currently what every new "Fandom" being created looks like...
Show threadKlayMar 6
@Gryficowa I'm not sure what you're saying... it sounds like you're saying that the overlap is a bad thing? I don't get the voltron reference.
Show threadGryficowaMar 6
@nycki The Voltron fandom harassed the creators and voice actors to force their ship
Show threadKlayMar 6
@Gryficowa oh. I don't think the GEB Orbit is like that at all. It's just a bunch of people with nerdy special interests, and I'm trying to point out that "nerds who like talking about their special interests" are an intersectional group.
Show threadGryficowaMar 6
@nycki Well, at least it's positive, but let's hope it's still niche, because unfortunately, when something suddenly becomes popular, it can risk this type of incidents
Show threadKlayMar 6
@Gryficowa hmm. I don't think this means "fandoms should stay niche," I think it means "if people listen to you then you should wield that power responsibly."

like I don't think fandoms just spontaneously turn toxic. they form a little subculture with its own leaders, and then those leaders let a little power go to their head.