Yeah, so anyway... I wrote that article earlier this week about why I don't like the current version of Lara Croft. I expected a bit of flack for it - and, indeed, I had a few tweets aimed at me implying that I had some sort of patriarchal agenda, or was attention-seeking - but for the most part people seemed to be aligned with my sentiments.
However, I did nevertheless get a load of grief from it in a rather weird, tangential, and unexpected, sense.
In short, while discussing it on Twitter, I drew a parallel between the new and cheerless Tomb Raider series and the DC movie universe. You can read that tweet above. I mean, whatever your feelings about Marvel movies, you can't - on any level - argue that they aren't wildly successful just in commercial terms. It's an undeniable fact that, over the last 10 years, Marvel - under the watch of Kevin Feige - has grown into the biggest entertainment franchise on the planet.
And, by comparison, DC has failed to achieve the same with its movies. Wonder Woman is great of course - adopting some of the escapist lightness of tone that Marvel manages to balance with the more dramatic moments and action beats - and this was reflected in its box office. The Zack Synder-led DC movies did okay, but failed to land a Marvel-sized hit, and - crucially - are simply not as beloved or well-received as Marvel films.
That's what I was rather clumsily getting at, rather than bringing my own opinions on those movies into it. Although, y'know, I struggled with Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. Though admit that I enjoyed Justice League more than expected (albeit perhaps because my expectations were so low). I loved Wonder Woman and I'm very much looking forward to Shazam (again, because the trailer suggests it has learned lessons from Marvel).
Anyway. None of that was contained in my tweet, which is perhaps why a mob of furious DC movie fans - clearly searching for criticism of the films they love (as none of them follow me, and wouldn't have otherwise seen the tweet) - sought me out to tell me why I was wrong.
However, I did nevertheless get a load of grief from it in a rather weird, tangential, and unexpected, sense.
In short, while discussing it on Twitter, I drew a parallel between the new and cheerless Tomb Raider series and the DC movie universe. You can read that tweet above. I mean, whatever your feelings about Marvel movies, you can't - on any level - argue that they aren't wildly successful just in commercial terms. It's an undeniable fact that, over the last 10 years, Marvel - under the watch of Kevin Feige - has grown into the biggest entertainment franchise on the planet.
And, by comparison, DC has failed to achieve the same with its movies. Wonder Woman is great of course - adopting some of the escapist lightness of tone that Marvel manages to balance with the more dramatic moments and action beats - and this was reflected in its box office. The Zack Synder-led DC movies did okay, but failed to land a Marvel-sized hit, and - crucially - are simply not as beloved or well-received as Marvel films.
That's what I was rather clumsily getting at, rather than bringing my own opinions on those movies into it. Although, y'know, I struggled with Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. Though admit that I enjoyed Justice League more than expected (albeit perhaps because my expectations were so low). I loved Wonder Woman and I'm very much looking forward to Shazam (again, because the trailer suggests it has learned lessons from Marvel).
Anyway. None of that was contained in my tweet, which is perhaps why a mob of furious DC movie fans - clearly searching for criticism of the films they love (as none of them follow me, and wouldn't have otherwise seen the tweet) - sought me out to tell me why I was wrong.
FANDOMINATION
For the record, I don't get upset by stuff like this. It was annoying in the sense that I was getting a lot of notifications, but - if anything - I enjoy it, rather perversely. I generally don't engage beyond responding with bizarre GIFs. I knew what I meant, I'm pretty secure in my opinions, and I don't get upset by it.
I don't much like being accused of misogyny, but I accept that certain people are going to project that onto anything written by someone from my particular demographic.
Nevertheless, in this instance I found the whole thing fascinating, and - when I stopped to think about it - kind of heartbreaking. I know we live in an age when actors are abused into leaving social media just because a heap of people didn't like a film they were in. We're all too aware of our era being one in which misogyny, racism, and extreme views are given too much of a platform, courtesy of social media.
Nevertheless, this wasn't about any of that. This was a bunch of people who are SO defensive and touchy over some films they like that they're actively looking for examples of others undermining that faith.
It's actually really, really sad. After a few days of it, that was the main thing I felt whenever I'd get a new reply - I felt sorry for these people that this is all they have to get upset and angry about. That's not false pity, or intended to be patronising; I genuinely mean it.
But why are they so touchy?
For the record, I don't get upset by stuff like this. It was annoying in the sense that I was getting a lot of notifications, but - if anything - I enjoy it, rather perversely. I generally don't engage beyond responding with bizarre GIFs. I knew what I meant, I'm pretty secure in my opinions, and I don't get upset by it.
I don't much like being accused of misogyny, but I accept that certain people are going to project that onto anything written by someone from my particular demographic.
Nevertheless, in this instance I found the whole thing fascinating, and - when I stopped to think about it - kind of heartbreaking. I know we live in an age when actors are abused into leaving social media just because a heap of people didn't like a film they were in. We're all too aware of our era being one in which misogyny, racism, and extreme views are given too much of a platform, courtesy of social media.
Nevertheless, this wasn't about any of that. This was a bunch of people who are SO defensive and touchy over some films they like that they're actively looking for examples of others undermining that faith.
It's actually really, really sad. After a few days of it, that was the main thing I felt whenever I'd get a new reply - I felt sorry for these people that this is all they have to get upset and angry about. That's not false pity, or intended to be patronising; I genuinely mean it.
But why are they so touchy?
CLICKBAIT
A couple of responses to the Lara article suggested I was clickbaiting, asking how I enjoyed the paltry few retweets I got for it. I mean, fair enough... if trying to write something that people might want to read - shocking, I know - is the definition of clickbait, then you got me.
The DC fans either just abused me, or tried to tell me why my tiny little tweet was wrong.
Everyone's different, and I'm sure those who kindly took the time to engage with me have subtly different emotional reasons for being the way they are, but there's a clear sense of them trying to ensure that their own opinions are solid. That was the sense I got; that they're fighting to prove the validity of their beliefs.
Fandom can be all the stronger when it comes to fictional worlds, because those fake realities are typically more intesting and transportive than the real world, while allowing an empathic connection the inner lives of the characters. It becomes a form of psychological compensation for how mundane or disconnected their own lives are.
One of the most positive things about fandom is that it fosters a sense of community, and with community comes security. Indeed, it's one of the most brilliant aspects of Digitiser, and I love it. Feeling you belong to something can be incredibly beneficial to mental health. We live in deeply divided times, and fandoms can make us feel a little less alone.
IDENTITY: DEFINED
Speaking to Teen Vogue, of all things, Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a psychotherapist and professor of psychology at Columbia University, explained: “Feeling like you are part of a group can help one define his/her identity and give a sense of purpose to what might be an otherwise routine lifestyle.”
So in theory, on paper, fandom is good thing, but when it becomes a bad thing is also contained in what Steinberg says; when a fan confuses what they like with who they are. It's when their identity becomes conjoined with the things they're a fan of.
You saw it in a lot of those who tweeted at me; their Twitter names often contained references to Zack Synder and DC movies.
A fanbase may be made up of individuals who are very different, but they also reinforce a belief in the correctness of what they believe. If you want to extend it further, then the same psychology is at work in the alt.right, the alt.left, Gamergate, and whatever other toxic communities you might want to think of. How many Gamergate commenters would reference Gamergate in their screen names? The cause became their identity.
Therefore, attack them at your peril, because you're going to be attacking the sense of self each of the individuals who make up these groups are feeling by being part of that group. And the reason they're fanatical in the first place is because, outside of belonging to that community, they often have a weak sense of who they are.
Chances are, if they've thrown in their lot with a group, then - depressing as it is to say - they don't have much else going on in their life. Threaten the group and you essentially threaten everything about the individual.
A couple of responses to the Lara article suggested I was clickbaiting, asking how I enjoyed the paltry few retweets I got for it. I mean, fair enough... if trying to write something that people might want to read - shocking, I know - is the definition of clickbait, then you got me.
The DC fans either just abused me, or tried to tell me why my tiny little tweet was wrong.
Everyone's different, and I'm sure those who kindly took the time to engage with me have subtly different emotional reasons for being the way they are, but there's a clear sense of them trying to ensure that their own opinions are solid. That was the sense I got; that they're fighting to prove the validity of their beliefs.
Fandom can be all the stronger when it comes to fictional worlds, because those fake realities are typically more intesting and transportive than the real world, while allowing an empathic connection the inner lives of the characters. It becomes a form of psychological compensation for how mundane or disconnected their own lives are.
One of the most positive things about fandom is that it fosters a sense of community, and with community comes security. Indeed, it's one of the most brilliant aspects of Digitiser, and I love it. Feeling you belong to something can be incredibly beneficial to mental health. We live in deeply divided times, and fandoms can make us feel a little less alone.
IDENTITY: DEFINED
Speaking to Teen Vogue, of all things, Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a psychotherapist and professor of psychology at Columbia University, explained: “Feeling like you are part of a group can help one define his/her identity and give a sense of purpose to what might be an otherwise routine lifestyle.”
So in theory, on paper, fandom is good thing, but when it becomes a bad thing is also contained in what Steinberg says; when a fan confuses what they like with who they are. It's when their identity becomes conjoined with the things they're a fan of.
You saw it in a lot of those who tweeted at me; their Twitter names often contained references to Zack Synder and DC movies.
A fanbase may be made up of individuals who are very different, but they also reinforce a belief in the correctness of what they believe. If you want to extend it further, then the same psychology is at work in the alt.right, the alt.left, Gamergate, and whatever other toxic communities you might want to think of. How many Gamergate commenters would reference Gamergate in their screen names? The cause became their identity.
Therefore, attack them at your peril, because you're going to be attacking the sense of self each of the individuals who make up these groups are feeling by being part of that group. And the reason they're fanatical in the first place is because, outside of belonging to that community, they often have a weak sense of who they are.
Chances are, if they've thrown in their lot with a group, then - depressing as it is to say - they don't have much else going on in their life. Threaten the group and you essentially threaten everything about the individual.
ANIMALS
You see fandom at its worst when it's groups who are routinely under attack, and they adopt an Us vs Them position.
Going back to DC movies, those films generally get a bad press. Ergo - in the case of me - they were pro-actively going on the attack, seeking out any negativity which might threaten them. As impotent as it might've been, it's all pretty primal; seek out any potential attackers, and take them down before they do the same to you.
Furthermore, sending me a rude tweet can make a person feel they've done their bit to protect the community - again, cementing the sense of belonging and reason for being. The anonymity of social media allows people the opportunity to sate a primal urge to attack.
Like it or not, we're mostly all conditioned from the day we're born to conform to society's norms, to be good, to behave. These conditions of worth can often conflict with what's hewn deep into the DNA of what we are.
Back any animal into a corner by threatening it, and it's going to snarl and bare its teeth. Unfortunately, we're no different. How many times have you said something you immediately regret in the middle of an argument that you're losing? You might shut down the argument, but at what cost? In those moments, though, we're not thinking we're feeling - and the same can be applied to any extreme group, be it fandom or one with an agenda.
Ultimately, you're not going to win by fighting fire with fire. As easy as it is to dismiss these people as "idiots", if I get abuse from someone who doesn't like my opinion about Lara Croft or DC movies there's no potential for engagement with a rational, thinking, person there through attacking them back.
They're operating from an emotional platform, because they feel that I in some way pose a danger to who they are. All that fighting back would achieve is more of the same, reinforcing for them that I'm wrong and bad, and part of an existential threat to their community and identity.
Of course, you've got every right to be attack somebody you feel has attacked you... just don't think, when it comes to online interaction, that it's going to help.
You see fandom at its worst when it's groups who are routinely under attack, and they adopt an Us vs Them position.
Going back to DC movies, those films generally get a bad press. Ergo - in the case of me - they were pro-actively going on the attack, seeking out any negativity which might threaten them. As impotent as it might've been, it's all pretty primal; seek out any potential attackers, and take them down before they do the same to you.
Furthermore, sending me a rude tweet can make a person feel they've done their bit to protect the community - again, cementing the sense of belonging and reason for being. The anonymity of social media allows people the opportunity to sate a primal urge to attack.
Like it or not, we're mostly all conditioned from the day we're born to conform to society's norms, to be good, to behave. These conditions of worth can often conflict with what's hewn deep into the DNA of what we are.
Back any animal into a corner by threatening it, and it's going to snarl and bare its teeth. Unfortunately, we're no different. How many times have you said something you immediately regret in the middle of an argument that you're losing? You might shut down the argument, but at what cost? In those moments, though, we're not thinking we're feeling - and the same can be applied to any extreme group, be it fandom or one with an agenda.
Ultimately, you're not going to win by fighting fire with fire. As easy as it is to dismiss these people as "idiots", if I get abuse from someone who doesn't like my opinion about Lara Croft or DC movies there's no potential for engagement with a rational, thinking, person there through attacking them back.
They're operating from an emotional platform, because they feel that I in some way pose a danger to who they are. All that fighting back would achieve is more of the same, reinforcing for them that I'm wrong and bad, and part of an existential threat to their community and identity.
Of course, you've got every right to be attack somebody you feel has attacked you... just don't think, when it comes to online interaction, that it's going to help.
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