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People used to comment on web comics.
People used to comment on fanfiction.
People used to comment on fanart.
People used to comment on OCs.
I hate “content” culture.
I hate “consuming content” and scrolling immediately to the next thing.
People used to be excited about the art that other people created.
People used to want to share that excitement with creators.
I hate this future.
Once someone tagged art that I made with “woah” and I think about it at least once a week. Someone else said “oh neat” once. Someone else WROTE A WHOLE DAMN POEM IN THE COMMENTS. Anyways even just one word can change how someone sees their art. You don’t even have to think about it too hard. You could put a keyboard smash and I’d probably cry from joy.
I’m also trying hard to interact more, I understand that it’s hard to break away from opening your phone and being in Content Consumption Mode.
Back in the day, people only ever really commented on popular things though? Most of us never got much feedback on Livejournal unless a BNF gave us a cosign. And on bigger pages, the comments section would frequently be a cesspit. Anecdotally, I get as many AO3 comments as I ever did (and I’m new in a small fandom, compared to established in a hueg fandom). You might think that low-effort engagement like kudos and likes don’t count, but as an oldhead, it just seems like the silent majority have a voice now, and it’s nice. I agree that ~content consumption~ is a grim way to experience the world but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking it used to be so much better. You’re still thinking about it in terms of creator and consumer and the proper format of ego tokens. I get it! But it’s better to loosen up that grip a little and manage your expectations.
“Most of us never got feedback on livejournal”
See the thing about that is the type of accounts that got a little feedback back in the day on livejournal (I was there) now get absolutely ZERO feedback here on tumblr.
Same for fanfiction, esspecially, which is what inspired this post.
Back in 2002 I was writing OC x Canon fanfiction for unpopular fandom characters and getting 12 or so comments on each individual chapter. I still have those fics. I can go back and look at them.
The same on deviantart. I was posting extremely amateurish artwork of unpopular fandom characters and getting several comments on each image.
Despite the fact that my art has improved since then, I post artwork now and get met with silence.
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