Puritanism took over online fandom — and then came for the rest of the internet
Puritanism took over online fandom — and then came for the rest of the internet
It all starts with a Voltron ship war, because of course it does.
Here are some interesting takes on how Puritanism has harmed lgbtq+ spaces online and the internet in general.
I was big in fandom spaces circa 2002-2008 and it’s pretty crazy to me how much the culture has changed. Livejournal is where I got introduced to the concepts of social justice and intersectionality and all that, and it’s morphed into something pretty weird.
I’m personally kind of a prude and am uncomfortable with oversexualization but I don’t think this puritan, regressive path is the way to go.
I’m personally kind of a prude and am uncomfortable with oversexualization but I don’t think this puritan, regressive path is the way to go.
the thing to remember is: it's perfectly fine to be uncomfortable with some things--this is a normal part of existing in spaces with other people and it's important to set boundaries for yourself. but in general it's also not necessarily someone else's problem to tailor their online existence to your discomfort.[^1] it's good if they respect your wishes of course, and especially if you're close with them it's probably worthwhile to see if they'll respect some of the ones you have. but with exceptions for the most heinous content it is mostly going to be/should be incumbent on you--at least as possible with the tools at your disposal--to curate your online experience so that you're not exposed to that stuff.
[^1]: this is especially true in what are essentially public spaces like Twitter, rather than smaller and more tailored communities
people seem to have forgotten what the findings of all that complaining about video games and violence from the 90s and 2000s actually were (spoilers, media doesn't have that direct 1 to 1 influence like that)
and there's also that wonderful kurt vonnegut quote about the effect of art on the vietnam war that feels relevant here too...
And before video games it was dangerous music lyrics, and before that books, and TV, and the radio :p
Thanks for sharing this article, honestly this kinda stuff been such a quickly growing problem that its hard to even tackle. I remember people involved in fandom TRYING to get folks to listen but because its fandom it was mostly more of a punchline.
What especially sucks is how puritanism has infested leftist spaces, in which its common to hear "porn-addict" as a common perjogative.
I've noticed this happen on tumblr over time. Its kinda scary and sad, especially as lgbtq have kinda indirectly been silenced by the puritan crowd. People sometimes lose their shit at any mention of sex.
ahaha yeah it's unfortunate that people on twitter and tumblr and tiktok just lose their minds when it comes to kink in media. really, get me out of here. Murder violence and gore in stories is perfectly healthy and people won't immediately go and kill people but if you show a couple with an age gap its all of a sudden a moral imperative to stop any depiction immediately.
i do feel like the joker sometimes
I wish I could give you a 100 upvotes. This is very true and twitter has only made it worse.
I don't pay attention to Fandom anything or any of that stuff, but the broader strokes definitely have affected sites and payment processors. I hate the whole purity culture under the guise of "protecting the children" when the internet is not a playplace for kids. Never has been, never will be. Kids should be supervised or only have access to cold computers so that they don't talk to strangers or watch something fucked up about a graphic school mass shooting on fox news.
At the same time, adults should have their own places and sites, and this includes sex and sexuality. Places like r/Bisexual too, where adult discussions can happen.
Hang on, what I'm reading from this is that you believe in restricting internet usage until the age of consent, and I'm not sure that is a good idea? At the very least, it requires making some pretty big changes to be made. Education will have to make a big U-turn, and we will have to ban or restrict IoT devices (to be honest I don't like IoT, but the reality is people use them), and most importantly people below the age of consent won't have much access to movies and music, and in some places or situations, books or community without the internet.
If the ability for a trans 17 year old to access media is restricted by a transphobic parent, I don't see that as a good thing. It means a life of isolation and potential abuse.
I think schools having actual counselors and GSA clubs is probably the best option, to be honest, including class lessons in LGBTQ history. Having counselors would have helped me come out a lot faster in that regard. Kids will always find their way onto the net as they become young teens, and I'm fine with sites for kids, like club Penuin, educational sites, digiral penpals, etc etc. But the internet will always be unsafe on that front, especially since Americans have a taste for extreme violence.
What I don't want is religious extremists carving up the internet under the pretense of making it "safe for kids" which is a dogwhistle for removing all LGBTQ content, LGBTQ + abortion resources, porn, adult sites, and instead promoting religious sites and crap like Prager U and its monstrous cousin, Prager U Kids. That's really what this is all about under the hood anyways.
shudder I'm autistic and fandoms used to be my happy place... I used to go to cons, make so many friends online, just shoot the shit, read whatever, wrote whatever... I miss those days. I had to leave fandom spaces and tumblr entirely as of 2 or 3 years ago because of how nauseatingly toxic most fandoms are these days. I miss the days of dead dove and Don't Like Don't Read being respected.
This is a concerning article about the state of affairs. Back when I was younger, fandoms were known for shipping and all sorts of nonsense, hyjinks, shenanigans, and acts of absolute dedication, at least from my perspective. Yes, there are some problematic issues like mob justice and "the shipping wars," but ultimately it was a community where people could bond. Where else do you find people who would make drawings or comics just because they enjoyed it? Or even an animation team that made a Moomin movie?
Fandoms are a way to find community about a niche aubject, and eventually friends. It's how I found some of mine.
I was, however, surprised that such a small law, the FOSSA law, would have such a big impact on online discourse. This would end up having a domino effect.
It makes me sad and upset that kids and teens are soaking up the toxicity of the world like sponges. As the older generations we should be setting good examples for them, not worse ones.
Yeah, it really sucks how toxic fandom became. Nowadays its TOO normal to see harassment for people having even the wrong headcanons. Ship wars used to be ultimately a light hearted joke but now its tied to your morality.
fossa was a disaster in so many ways. it made it harder to STOP human trafficking because it all went underground. https://newrepublic.com/article/162823/sex-trafficking-sex-work-sesta-fosta
In general I avoid fandoms for the most part anymore because of how toxic they became.
Occasionally I'll dip my toes in a fandom but it usually like the community meme of walking in the door and everything is on fire.
The Owl House fandom is still pretty great though. But that's a pretty openly queer fandom, so it's the exception. Man I loved it's representation of our community.
AI-summary:
The internet has become increasingly puritanical, with outspoken anti-sex advocates on social media criticizing and labeling various forms of sexual content as immoral. This trend has been particularly prominent in online fandom communities, where discussions about sexual content in media have given rise to a movement known as "anti-fandom." The passage of the FOSTA-SESTA bill in 2018, which cracked down on online adult content, has further fueled this puritanical shift. Fandom, once a space for passionate celebration and creative expression, has become a battleground for purity culture, with individuals labeling certain ships and sexualized content as harmful and even equating fictional harm with real-world harm. This puritanical mindset has extended beyond fandom communities, affecting broader online discourse and leading to the censorship of sexual minorities and sex-positive content. The weaponization of social justice language, the rise of "call-out culture," and the moral panic surrounding sex have all contributed to this puritanical trend, making it increasingly difficult to have open and healthy discussions about sex.
fun fact, google-ai couldn't fit the article in its input text-box, and then said "im a language model and dont have the capacity to help with that" 🥶🥶 goog doesn't know what a text-input is
I really like this write-up, especially because it goes in depth into the slow transition from "this isn't something that people should emulate" to "even showing that this exists is encouragement for people to recreate it"
That's a super harmful viewpoint in every respect, but especially in sexual contexts.
We really need a pro-sex lobby, but there's no money in that.