Steve
Although I am perpetually online for my job, I tend to unplug during my off-hours. I often enjoy curling up with a good book, playing Diablo IV with my partner, or building with Legos while trying to catch up on the films and television series I’ve been hoping to watch. In December, something happened that turned my enjoyment of a beloved series upside down. Stranger Things returned to Netflix, and alongside the fabled fifth and final season of the coming-of-age sci-fi series, a cruel fandom I’d yet to encounter emerged from the shadows.
When the algorithm attacks
The final season began with a four-episode launch, reintroducing the main characters, welcoming a few new additions to the cast, and setting the stage for the anticipated showdown with the show’s villain, Vecna. As a byproduct of the show’s return, my social media feeds began to change. Without my typing anything into my phone, Stranger Things poisoned the well. Gone were my updates about the year’s best reads and Top 10 Albums of the Year. Instead, it was Stranger Things with every scroll, a seemingly endless rabbit hole of hot takes, theorycrafting, and armchair analysis. The display seemed innocent enough at first, if a little aggressive. Seemingly overnight, the algorithm transformed my online respite into a sewer of negativity concerning Stranger Things. As much as I scrolled, there it was, an endless ticker tape of red text, flailing limbs, and wide eyes under furrowed brows. What the hell?
Before I go any further, I’m going to pump the brakes and say that I’m not new to the internet game. I understand how it works. I also support people sharing their opinions online, in all avenues, really. Still, the pattern emerging from a dark corner of the Stranger Things fandom became disturbing. Many posts I’d witnessed offered little in the way of informed critique; instead, they quickly devolved into nightmarish rants about the show’s actors, creative choices, and overall quality. Again, I understand the desire to exorcise your opinionated demons in the hope of finding like-minded individuals to share your frustration. However, the more I scrolled, fascinated by the content in that way you keep tonguing at a sore tooth, the posts became uglier, crueler, attention-seeking, and dangerous.
“Conformity Gate” stokes the flames
This pattern continued for most of December, with my feed only returning to some semblance of “normal” in the weeks between new episodes. Then the Stranger Things finale dropped, and all hell broke loose. When Stranger Things ended, it was as if all the monsters came out from under the bed, their fangs dripping with gore at the thought of posting their latest takedown of the show. Rather than celebrating the conclusion of Stranger Things, people who’d been sharing harmful content became conspiracy theorists, thanks to the rumor of a ninth episode in the series, which they dubbed “Conformity Gate.” According to the perpetrators of this lie, this mysterious ninth episode would “fix” the Stranger Things finale by altering the ending, introducing a higher body count, and revising aspects of the show’s effects and overall visual style.
Predictably, the additional episode, allegedly set for release on January 7, never materialized. Rather than tuck tail and accept defeat, “Conformity Gate” enthusiasts doubled down, saying the episode would instead air on January 12. Does anyone remember the Reasonabilists from Parks and Recreation? Is Vecna the new Zorp the Surveyor? Anyway. January 12 is tomorrow. Will “Conformity Gate” arrive on the streaming network? An army of TikTokers and Instagram influencers think so. In fact, many claimed to have “cracked the code,” saying they had already seen the episode that was going to blow people’s minds.
Negative actions breed negative consequences
Beyond “Conformity Gate,” a portion of the Stranger Things fandom is reaching Star Wars levels of toxicity by targeting the actors and creators of the show, both online and in person. Recently, David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, exited Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! feature mid-production, citing Stranger Things stress as one of the reasons he’s stepping away from the project. Meanwhile, people online continue to target Millie Bobby Brown, spreading rumors about her appearance, and ignoring her pleas for privacy. Did we not learn anything from the trials of Star Wars actor Jake Lloyd?
Stepping away from the soapbox
I’m not here to tell anyone how to conduct themselves online. However, despite a lack of lasting consequences (for most), there remains a high mental price for actions that breed negativity. When you make the sort of content that attacks the creators of shows like Stranger Things, you’re affecting real people. Imagine working on something for nearly a decade, only to have people make it their personal mission to hate it, then recruit others to join in the dog pile. When the pittance you make from generating negativity clears in your bank account, remember that it was generated by making others miserable, pooping on the party, and possibly planting the seeds for worse behavior. The world is ugly enough without us going to great lengths to reopen scars. You get one shot at this, be the reason people celebrate and smile. Nurture your fandoms, and remember the joy you felt throughout the journey.
