one thing I noticed about corporate nerd culture is that it is not about the thing. it is all about being a fan of the thing. that is why they will mutilate the thing until it's barely recognizable so that it will appeal to an audience it previously didn't appeal to. That audience will just be happy to also like the thing that's popular to like on the internet, and will lap it up no matter how bad it is.
that's why they get away with going from well-written shows to low quality streaming services, as well as buggy AAA games that have been completely neutered.
Star Wars has one of the most dedicated, enduring fan bases of all time, but the holiday special was still instantly and universally panned. Today if something like that came out we'd have infinity Reddit posts defending how important and groundbreaking it is and how anyone who doesn't like it is a fascist. Because as you said, it is no longer about the work. It's about the brand.
one thing I noticed about corporate nerd culture is that it is not about the thing. it is all about being a fan of the thing. that is why they will mutilate the thing until it's barely recognizable so that it will appeal to an audience it previously didn't appeal to. That audience will just be happy to also like the thing that's popular to like on the internet, and will lap it up no matter how bad it is.
that's why they get away with going from well-written shows to low quality streaming services, as well as buggy AAA games that have been completely neutered.
Star Wars has one of the most dedicated, enduring fan bases of all time, but the holiday special was still instantly and universally panned. Today if something like that came out we'd have infinity Reddit posts defending how important and groundbreaking it is and how anyone who doesn't like it is a fascist. Because as you said, it is no longer about the work. It's about the brand.