Taga-masid lang 🍿👀

There’s a truth we have to accept as fans: as a boy group, or any artist, grows in popularity, its fandom will almost inevitably become noisier and more toxic in absolute numbers. This isn’t necessarily because the fandom itself has become worse than it was in previous years. It’s largely a matter of scale and internet dynamics. Think of the 1% effect: if toxicity accounts for 1% of a fandom, then in a fandom of 10,000, that’s only 100 people. In a fandom of 1 million, that same 1% becomes 10,000 people. Think of the fan wars over the past two weeks — that’s scale in real time. And because social media algorithms amplify conflict and outrage, that vocal minority can appear to represent the entire fandom. The bigger the fandom, the louder the noise, but louder doesn’t necessarily mean the fandom is more toxic overall. It may simply mean that the toxic 1% is active online 80% of the time, while the calmer/nicer 99% is active only 20% of the time. This is why, IMO, if you’re part of the 99% who want the fandom to remain welcoming, it may be worth speaking up rather than leaving the conversation entirely to the loudest voices. You don’t have to engage in every argument or match hostility with hostility. Silence may feel like a way to keep the peace and preserve your sanity, and no one is obligated to respond to every conflict. But the reality is that fan communities also thrive and grow online. When the loudest voices are consistently negative, they can end up defining the community.