Note: This Editorial is just Brian’s opinion. Not those of B42 at large (though they can speak up for themselves).
So, this showed up in r/StarTrek (and was yanked by the mods). The “news” site Giant Freaking Robot is hiring a staff writer where hating Starfleet Academy is a requirement. Look, I get it if you don’t like “NuTrek”. There are legit concerns about the writing, but this feels like we’re actively trying to destroy the stuff that brings us joy. It’s already well-established that social media is built around promoting hate. Getting people angry makes them comment and click.
Better, smarter people than I can probably comment on it. Heck, I should see if my buddy with a PhD in Sociology wants to dive into this.
This feels beyond “criticism” and moves into “angry manipulation”.
Screen grab in case they pull the want ad.
That’s disappointing.
I know that if you look online, my experience has been that Star Wars tends to be filled people hate Star Wars. Star Trek fans tend to be more polite and cooperative. It’s as though fans of a galactic conflict enjoy media about oppressive empires and war, and fans who prefer a cooperative utopia and explorative science were fans of going into strange new worlds.
I know that on Mastodon, I follow a lot of Star Trek fans, and it’s generally positive. My tin-foil-hat response is that the same financial motivation that drives the hate in most social media also is leading “news” entertainment sites to try to fuel this.
(As a Star Trek fan, this might by why I’ve come to avoid, even hate. most social media platforms. Mastodon and other Federated social media doesn’t have algorithms, so isn’t monetized, and thus doesn’t need the hate. Servers have to work together, so the atmosphere is more cooperative. As such, Star Trek seems to be more popular there.)
There’s the old quote, “No one hates Star Wars as much as Star Wars fans”.
I don’t mean to call out GFR (well, I do, but not just them). I feel like we need to actively work to push back on this negativity and maybe retake our fandom from this way of thinking.
(Gotta spend some time finding people to follow on Mastodon. I have one author and she hasn’t posted on there since 2024)
I have a bunch of Star Trek folks to suggest, but I don’t seem to have you on there. If you need a better Mastodon instance, you’re welcome to join QuarteredCircle.net, as are the rest of the Bureaucrats. (I have an invite link I can email you.)
I’m here, but today I have my spoiler guard up for Starfleet Academy until my wife and I get to watch it tonight.