snowflake challenge #15

In your own space, opine on the future of fandom.

I'm not the greatest at making predictions. All I know is that fandom will always exist in some form and people who love something will find a way to share and come together, hopefully in a mostly positive way. Negativity can't be avoided completely but I like to imagine a fandom without certain toxic traits (the antis, the harassment, etc). There will be new fandoms that take over and old fandoms that have staying power, even if it is just a few people still holding it down. I say this as someone whose main fandom has been done for over a decade, but that doesn't make me love it or want to create for it any less. I always love seeing people whose fandoms are 30, 40 years old going strong and it is exciting when someone new gets into a closed canon. I saw some people binge watching Smallville during the early stages of the pandemic and watching them get into and create works really was exciting for an old fan who was ready for some new faces and content.I hope no one ever feels that they are "too late" for something because there will be fans who appreciate it, even if it is only a fraction of what was there during its peak.

In terms of platforms, it is hard to figure out in which direction it will go. AO3 seems to have lasting power (*knocks on wood*) and as a fan of journaling sites, I hope DW sticks around, but I'm sure there will be new ways to communicate. It'll be interesting to see.