Keeping it Casual?
While scrolling on TikTok or Instagram, you might find yourself enveloped in several smaller sections of fandoms at once. One scroll might have you learning about cults, while the next is talking about a fashion show. This can lead to young people online not wanting to expand their horizons or dive further into these topics as they may not feel comfortable getting started or becoming interested in something that no one else seems to like in their real lives.
I believe this to be a falsehood. Since I was a kid I have been surrounded by media and hobbies that I was able to fully dive into. As I grew up, my interest in some of those pieces of media or hobbies became even more fleshed out. Of course, there is no playbook when it comes to what you should like and how much of it is socially acceptable to be consuming, but people often follow trends and patterns according to what others seem to be doing in their niches.
This can create a dangerous social environment where people are afraid to fully immerse themselves in their interests, never quite going head-on into what they might be passionate about. My message to anyone feeling like they cannot make that jump is this: express what you are interested in more clearly to others. Even those who you may think will not care, there will certainly be some degree of allowance for letting you speak about your interests and passions. Pour your heart out discussing the blandness of Marvel movies now or tell your grandma about the latest singer you have been obsessed with. The important takeaway is to go into what you want to head first—don’t hesitate to care about anything. Instead, care deeply for lots of things.
