Some two years ago, I wrote about how some Pokémon fans can embody a certain negative "poisoning" spirit, which would indeed be called "toxic". Unfortunately, such people are not likely to disappear any time soon, and worse yet, they may be found "lingering" in various places, specifically in certain social settings on the great Internet. I've observed Pokémon social circles on the Internet for quite some time now, and I've been able to identify a few places where these toxic fans might linger and cause discomfort for well-meaning fans.
One of those places is the comment sections of various YouTube videos. The freedom needed to afford more fans the chance to comment on these videos regrettably also lets in these less-than-desirable fans. In particular, the "live chat" of premiered videos like Pokémon Presents may have many of them, often creating rapid cascades of (sometimes nonsensical) comments during a premiere that is just as hard to read as to follow along. For that reason, I often ignore (much of) these comment sections in favor of enjoying the videos as they are.
Nowadays, a person is likely to be involved in different groups on social media, and fans are likely to belong to one or more Pokémon groups. Yet it is in these groups that toxic fans can also persist, sometimes invisibly until they make themselves evident in interaction. As defined in the previous post, continued negativity in interaction is what makes people toxic, and once that becomes evident, it becomes hard to deny. At that point, well-meaning fans like me will have to reconsider involvement with them and, if necessary, their groups.
Before the transition to current forms of social media, there were online forums on the Internet - specifically, ones related to Pokémon - and with the numbers of fans that flock these places, there were bound to be a few less-than-desirable ones. Though I could not personally tell with certainty, I am likely to have interacted with a few of them during my time on certain online forums. The slower nature of communication on these forums makes the interactions with them less evident until they are discovered to be as such.
Pokémon is big nowadays with a legion of fans that is just as big. Yet it's not hard to tell that certain sizable segments of these fans are "poisoning" ones, and they still persist today, moreover in certain places on social media and the Internet. It becomes up to well-meaning fans like me to be wary of such places and the people contained therein, and to know when to stay and court the positive people as well as when to pull out and avoid interaction with the negative people whose "poisoning" spirits represent ruinous ways of enjoyment.
One year ago: Taking It All Home
Two years ago: Sponsored PokéStops and Gyms in Pokémon Go
Three years ago: The Persistence of Legendary Raid Hours
Four years ago: Poké Ball Mini Pokémon Figures
Five years ago: Metal Unova Cap Pikachu Keychain
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