George R.R. Martin Decries The Current State Of Social Media Fandom- "Toxicity Is Growing"

George R.R. Martin Decries The Current State Of Social Media Fandom- "Toxicity Is Growing"

Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin shares his dismay about the rise of toxic online fandoms and how social media is ruled by "anti-fans."

By MarkJulian - Feb 05, 2024 04:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

These days, is it cooler to hate on something instead of celebrating the things you love?

On Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin's personal blog, he shared that he thought 2023 was a terrible year, not just for himself but for the entire world. However, he then segued into how even film and television isn't an escape anymore because of the toxic nature of online fandoms.

Said Martin:

2023 was a nightmare of a year, for the world and the nation and for me and mine, both professionally and personally.   I am very glad that it is over. Unfortunately, so far 2024 looks to be even worse... There is war everywhere.   Ukraine and Gaza dominate the news, but there is a war in Myanmar as well that our western media just ignores, things are heating up in Yemen and the Red Sea, North Korea has nukes and is testing missiles and rattling sabres, Venezuela is threatening to annex three quarters of neighboring Guyana....I look around, and it seems as though my entire generation of SF and fantasy writers is gone or going.  Only a handful of us remain… and for how long, I wonder?

Well, I take solace where I can.   In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else.   In books.   In films and television shows… though even there, toxicity is growing.  It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say “I did not like book X or film Y, and here’s why.”  Now social media is ruled by anti-fans who would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped.

Martin definitely knows a thing or two about toxic fans as the enormous fandom surrounding HBO's Game of Thrones quickly turned on the show and its creators following a divisive final season and finale. Then, there are those fans who blamed Martin for not finishing his books in a timely fashion.

Martin is also a well-known fan of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it's likely he's well aware of the shift in the fandom towards how the MCU has progressed since the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Marvel Studious was once thought to be an invincible, irreproachable powerhouse that would churn out billion-dollar box office hit after hit.  More recently, it's latest cinematic offering barely grossed more than $200 million worldwide and was derided by both critics and fans alike.

Comments on social media and YouTube for Marvel projects are awash with criticism concerning "how far Marvel has fallen off."

But is that the case of a vocal few creating the illusion that the majority feels this way or is it just the popular thing these days to take shots at what's popular? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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SATW42
SATW42 - 2/5/2024, 4:16 PM
This site perfectly proves his point.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 2/5/2024, 4:26 PM
@SATW42 - EXACTLY!!!!!
dragon316
dragon316 - 2/5/2024, 4:27 PM
@SATW42 - comments I read on other sites and social media it’s everywhere not one place
bobevanz
bobevanz - 2/5/2024, 4:29 PM
@SATW42 - thank you for your service
Vigor
Vigor - 2/5/2024, 4:31 PM
@SATW42 - this is what I've been saying for the longest. Whar @mycoolyoung and I lament about. This site is prime example.

Hate watching something must be a state of mind or mindset. I can't imagine wasting the time to do such thing
CyberBishop
CyberBishop - 2/5/2024, 4:32 PM
@SATW42 - Yup and add pretty much add any other site, group, whatever that is on the internet. People suck and are horrible.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 2/5/2024, 4:34 PM
@SATW42 - Yup. Take a bow gang.
Goldboink
Goldboink - 2/5/2024, 4:35 PM
@dragon316 -
My only exposure to any kind of social media is this place and a NY Giants fan site. There is a healthy contingent of those folks in both places, although they are at least confronted on the football site.

I weep for the future.
tylerzero
tylerzero - 2/5/2024, 5:05 PM
@Goldboink -

This is how I heard your last sentence...


Goldboink
Goldboink - 2/5/2024, 5:14 PM
@tylerzero -
Yea, that's pretty spot on.

comicfan100
comicfan100 - 2/5/2024, 5:28 PM
@SATW42 - Yeah. When I read what he had to say a few days ago, this site instantly came to mind.
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 2/5/2024, 6:07 PM
@SATW42 - well when creators actively make shitty versions of the things they love, they create their own anti-fans.
mountainman
mountainman - 2/5/2024, 6:49 PM
@Vigor - How about hate not-watching?
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 2/5/2024, 6:59 PM
@Vigor - man… he said what I’ve been saying perfectly

“I did not like book X or film Y, and here’s why.”

This line is what I be saying all the time. It’s ok to dislike something. Let’s talk about why. “I hate everything about it and it was the worst movie I’ve ever seen” is more than a stretch.

It’s impossible to hate everything but the mindset people have going into these things are totally fucķed up
Vigor
Vigor - 2/5/2024, 7:11 PM
@mountainman - I don't see a problem with that unless that certain person then goes to blogs to comment incessantly about something they've never even seen

Then it's the same problem as hate watching lol
mountainman
mountainman - 2/5/2024, 7:34 PM
@Vigor - Valid argument. I’ve tried to be conscious of being precise with my language. Too many people, in too many different areas of communication tend to over generalize, use hyperbole, and criticize without specifics.

As someone who is largely disappointed with a lot of the science fiction, fantasy and superhero content of the last 5-10 years, I’d still rather not blindly hate. If I have a specific criticism, I share it. And I’m always particular about distinguishing between “this looks bad” and “this is bad”. Plus, it’s all subjective. My “bad” can be someone else’s “good”. And I can save my time and money by just not supporting stuff I don’t like.
Ryguy88
Ryguy88 - 2/5/2024, 7:45 PM
@mountainman - if you watch something and hate it you're accused of hate-watching, but if something looks terrible and you don't watch it, you're accused of hating something you never saw.
Vigor
Vigor - 2/5/2024, 7:52 PM
@mountainman - I recognize that. You're one of tbe good ones
rkshuttleworth
rkshuttleworth - 2/6/2024, 3:32 AM
@Ryguy88 - Considering it is subjective, a lot of you seem to whine about things being exactly like the original. I am glad I don't remember or know everything from originals so it doesn't warp my mind into hating everything.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 2/6/2024, 5:39 AM
@Ryguy88 - If you're hating on it then you're hating on it. Whether or not you've watched it is irrelevant to whether or not you're hating on it.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/6/2024, 8:51 AM
@mountainman - how about hate not watching AND then also not talk about the thing you supposedly aren't watching?
mountainman
mountainman - 2/6/2024, 9:12 AM
@SATW42 - No. People are allowed to share things they dislike. As a fan of Marvel, I’d like them to get away from the garbage they produce today and back to quality content. This isn’t a “blindly praise only” message board. Go to the Facebook comments under and MCU post for that circle jerk.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/6/2024, 10:50 AM
@mountainman - you miss my point. If you aren't watching it, what are you doing commenting on let's say an eight episode tv show as soon as the episode airs every single week?

That says more about the people who feel the need to do that than the content itself.

Also, not against negative feedback at all, as an artist, I crave, respect and embrace it. But constantly having an uninformed opinion on something you didn't even take the time to watch (the global you, not specifically you) does nothing for anybody.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/6/2024, 10:51 AM
@mountainman - at that point, you're just looking to piss in the cheerios of people who are enjoying it
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 2/5/2024, 4:17 PM
Hold my beer, I think I can help make things worse :
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 2/5/2024, 4:24 PM
This, 100%. It used to be fun to talk about things we liked and didn't like about sci fi and fantasy, and now it's just people rooting for things to fail, complaining about non-white cast members, calling things "woke" because there are more women in the cast then men. It's a real bummer.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 2/5/2024, 7:02 PM
@ClintThaHamster - if we’re being honest, they’ll swap one white character and the rest will be 85% white and they’ll still complain.

They can gender swap 2 male characters and it’s just woke bs after that. It’s frustrating
MarvelZombie616
MarvelZombie616 - 2/5/2024, 4:24 PM
He is right about the wars.

I think online hate has declined a little.

Personally i thought Game of Thrones had 7 great seasons and an awful last one.

I also think that the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached it's high with
Eddyk68
Eddyk68 - 2/5/2024, 4:29 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - I'd like to believe you about the online hate declining, but it feels like there is an uptick of negative spam reviews on female led projects on sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Maybe it's just me though.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 2/5/2024, 4:54 PM
@Eddyk68 -
Corporations use tools such as race, sex, gender, politics as a shield against criticism.

As such the most common films to receive what is labelled incorrectly as review bombing are films where the film actively is using those previously mentioned tools as a defense against criticism.

As such people are more likely to rate these projects lower on principle because not only is the media [frick]ing atrocious, but the media is also failing to represent race, sex, gender, politics in a non-toxic way.

bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 2/5/2024, 5:17 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - think he's right about the different forms of media in general. Negative stuff just dominates media, and it's not even everything yet.

Also, reached it's high with what?
Goldboink
Goldboink - 2/5/2024, 5:23 PM
@bkmeijer1 -
That would be She-Hulk!
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