George R.R. Martin Dislikes Fandoms, And His Reason Makes Us Want to Agree

Summary:

• George R. R. Martin is an American novelist and screenwriter, best known for his fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.
• The author is currently working on the final novel in the series, The Winds of Winter.
• According to his blog post, Martin has lost interest in discussing media online because of the "anti-fan" culture.

It's no secret that excessive use of social media can seriously damage your mental health. As life gets harder for many people around the world, they tend to dump all their negativity on strangers online. Where there's an element of anonymity, there's always the potential to abuse it, so it's important to distance yourself from the Internet from time to time.

Several celebrities also choose to distance themselves from social media, not wanting to deal with the trolls and all the nasty gossip that surrounds them. While some are present on various platforms but only log on to make a promotional post about their new project, others tend to ignore it altogether.

George R.R. Martin, for example, is still present on the web, but he's not likely to participate in any fandom discourse any time soon. Not because he doesn't enjoy consuming media as much as the next guy, but because he doesn't find much joy in online discussions anymore.

Why Does George R. R. Martin Not Like Online Fandoms

While many would like to see a stronger online presence for the author who already shares his candid thoughts and opinions on his blog, it's highly unlikely that George R.R. Martin will become very active on any social media platform.

As stated in a recent post on the author's Not a Blog website, the so-called "anti-fans" bring in too much toxicity for him to handle.

“It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different. <...> Now social media is ruled by anti-fans who would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped,” he stated.

Although Martin didn't specify whether the problems he mentioned included fans of his own A Song of Ice and Fire universe, it's likely the case. Considering the way viewers slammed the tragic Game of Thrones finale and continually criticized the changes in the House of the Dragon prequel, it's possible that Martin was a witness to all that buzz as well.

It's hard to argue with the author that any discourse on social media can quickly become infiltrated with negativity and toxicity that we don't need in our lives. However, there are also many people who are still looking for genuine connection through the worlds, characters, and authors they enjoy.

So if you are looking for some online friends, be careful, but put your opinions out there. And if, like George R.R. Martin, you prefer to wait in solitude for upcoming updates to your favorite series, be sure to keep an eye out for any news and updates so you can be the first to raid your local bookstore.

Source: Not a Blog