I’m going to have to answer this based on my personal experience and I’d know because your detailing is very similar.

Mainstream content reinforces the idea that the world and society all but feel manufactured. They’re the things that got chosen to be popular, they’re what is going to be market, they’re what is going to be talked about and so on and so forth. Sometimes it is chosen but other times, there’s definitely a formula in the works that just gravitates people instantly.

That’s all fine and well. But if you’re an individual who’ve developed their own tastes and you’re not getting in any engagement with anyone about those tastes, you’re going to get lost in the fold very quickly because you’re not part of what everyone considers the ‘in’ thing.

Your last bit tells me that it’s a you-thing. You dropped everything that you liked, because why? Because you saw merchandise being made in a store? But it’s like, did anyone force what you enjoyed down your throat? You’re waiting for the hype to die down? I don’t get that, because all that you’re doing, is limiting your personal enjoyment and your personal moderation about how much you enjoy something.

You don’t have to go out, buy the merchandise, buy anything that so much has your favorite thing on it. You don’t have to engage with the mass volume of the community that gets noisy to engage. You’ve sucked out whatever interest that was left over things that are optional. It’s one thing if a series changes because of fan demand, that I can understand and it has happened to people’s favorite series.

But if a series is still going for what it is, unaltered and naturally enjoyed but still popular but you want to sit it out anyways? That’s kindof on you.

Congratulations, you’re a hipster!

Maybe you have a touch of hyper individualism

Do you have issues with authoritative figures? Like did you argue with teachers, your parents, coaches, anyone who was in a role to tell you what to do?

I knew a woman who stopped listening to her favourite band as soon as she heard it on the radio so you’re not the only one. A big part of her identity was not being like other people, do you share this? I don’t know how you can stop other than making a deliberate effort and hoping the feeling goes away over time.

It’s a condition called hipsteritis, and unfortunately it’s terminal.

I do get you though. I’m not as extreme as what you’re describing, but I’ve definitely had this reaction to some things.

For me, one version of this is sort of an overcorrection to unreasonable expectations. If something is super popular and a bunch of people recommend it to me, I’d expect it to be the best thing ever and… that’s just not how that works. The most popular things are the things that are acceptable to the most people, not necessarily the best or what would be your favorite, so I go see the thing and if it’s just ok I feel like I have to push back against everyone overly praising it.

I have not found much I like in recent years but some things you list are pretty good.

There is no need for a reason for; you are as you are and feel as you feel. Enough said.

Were you ever forced to follow a particular show or other form of entertainment? Or have you been criticized by your preferences?

You pass forward a wish for conection with others but when you have a bridge for it, it seems you either escape in fear of being force fed it or in a sense of losing your exclusive take on whatever it may be.

That’s tough.

Popular means crowd.

Crowd can mean ego, arrogance, infighting, power seeking, side-taking.

I theorize that anybody who gets burned by an annoying or even sociopathic fan early in life could be at risk for this.

I get this, but not to the same extreme.

Like, I’ll see a poll and I’ll vote… I’m not sure if most people are bothered by choosing the one everyone else did, but I like when the one I chose is the unpopular opinion. Means I’m not being affected by the same ads, consumerism, politics, and whatnot as everyone else. I value that.

When I was a kid, I generally hated popular music. I still prefer niche stuff (my main jam is Japanese rock and most people don’t know about that), but I’ve found that popular stuff is popular because it resonates lightly (at least) with most people. Deeper with some. While I still prefer stuff that resonates more strongly with me… I did listen to the new Taylor Swift album (mostly just curious) and found I liked most of the songs on it. 1990s me could never. But I’m also not going to be ashamed to like something whether others do as well, or not.

Oh I totally get this. I usually only get to shows and games a few years after release and if I see memes before I see the actual thing , I do not care about it until I stop hearing about it.

Is it the show, the inside jokes or the actual fandoms that get to you? I can enjoy a show, maybe some inside jokes with others that watch it but getting to actual fandoms and people who are really obsessed with a show really turn me off.

The entire genre of anime is like this for me: I can watch it (rarely), get very into it as an art form but I just can’t get into the whole subculture. And I even study Japanese as a hobbyist language learner!

No I can totally relate. I’ve only tried to watch game of thrones for a few episodes because of this. The avalanche of hysterical fandom kinda makes me turn away.

I’d much rather discover something old and forgotten and actually enjoy looking for trivia on my own instead of it being blasted in my face 24/7.

Do you watch these shows alone?

Many things are dull/meh to garbage and loved by people because of marketing and poor taste (and you know it, you know it’s slop for human cattle while they don’t, and the fact that people willingly engage with it is depressing and makes you feel alone), many things are actually good/great and become somewhat popular also. You shouldn’t have a problem with the latter case by itself, although as we all know that might mean sequels, prequels, spinoffs and “creative resets” and eventually some australopithecus will come around and say something like “hey, did you watch Dune: Prophecy/The Rings of Power, it’s so fucking good, bro!”, lol, which is annoying/painful.

I try to just be happy for them the same way my wife is happy for me when she sees me enjoy a greasy, cheap, industrial meal. The difference is my taste buds and intelligence are disconnected so I can realise I’m enjoying the slop… it’s not the same with media for obvious reasons.