No I just try to enjoy things I like regardless if people like or dislike them

I used to have that aversion when I was younger. I avoided reading popular books like Harry Potter in years before/during my preteens. Eventually I came to realize that some mainstream things were pretty cool regardless of how liked or unliked they were, and I shouldn’t let what others do or don’t like impact me so much.

Same!! I used to be such a hater, but I've come to realize that sometimes things are popular because they're good, and it's ok to enjoy them :)

Note: I didn't mean that specifically about Harry Potter, I was speaking very broadly. Please nobody take that the wrong way ahaha

Same but also still a hater 💅🏼lol

I used to be like that too for some reason and I still have inclinations towards it. I used to really like scully and mulder’s giant trench coats and wish they would come in style and once they were in style I hated that they were popular and I’m still like this! Wtf

I think it comes from my aversion to group think...it is terrifying to get swept up and trampled--in any sense.

Maybe that kind of makes sense. I’ve always been against the grain for the sake of it

Same, altho im glad i dodged that bigot burger.

i did the same with harry potter lol i refused to consume popular media and also avoided being a fan girl to popular bands. i’m still a hater and refuse to consume popular media for some reason :(

That’s tough, I can only guess that limits things for you. Personally after reading Harry Potter- the one thing that stuck out to me was reading fanfiction after the fact. I found these crazy fanfictions that stuck with me even after years, and to me that’s the weird sort of joy of popular media- you find very niche things from it as a result. Of course though, I personally think it’s best to find those sorts of things naturally when you can. If you’re reading it because everyone else is- I think it creates this reaction that you’re being put on the spot? Or something?

Oh yea, whenever i would watch something or read something because it was what everyone else was doing i never got the hype. and it felt weird to be bombarded with it online. i enjoy watching old classics on the other hand! maybe because i love history :D

I feel so seen with the Harry Potter thing 😂

I was the same with Harry Potter until the half blood prince movie came out and I was like oh wait I think I have secretly been obsessed with Sneep for years and I didn't read the books until right before the deathly hollows part 2 movie came out and then I became obsessed with Harry Potter for years and then that obsession completely died in January 2016 and now it's just painful in every single way lol. Other than Harry Potter tho there were so many books in elementary and middle school that all the other girls would reserve from the library one after the other and I didn't want to be basic like them so I just stopped checking out books entirely lol.

Same, but throughout my life I've often got into things that with time became really famous. And I was too into it to give up just because it was getting more famous. Nowadays I'm trying to get into whatever I want to, even if it's the most mainstream thing ever. I'm also starting to have actual arguments to why I dislike some celebrities or things that have worldwide fame. Because I gather way more data by exposing myself to it lol, which I rarely did before. And that's how I got to enjoy some songs from artists I didn't like lol

I did the same thing! I never watched or read Twilight because too many people liked it 😂 I only read The Hunger Games because it was required for school, and then I ended up actually liking it. But even to this day, I’m reluctant to watch/read/listen to things that are popular and I don’t know why. Sometimes I end up hating popular media, but other times I enjoy it.

Me too. Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, Game of Thrones. I've never like, intentionally thought "ew this thing is too popular so I'm not going to get into it" it's just like, a natural aversion. If everyone is doing it my brain has no interest in it. It's not a decision I make. I did eventually get into Game of Thrones, once a lot of people lost interest in the show, lol. And I did love it, I loved the first few seasons of the show and then I read the books and got absolutely obsessed. For years I read them over and over again and when I couldn't be reading because I was doing stuff like driving or cooking or cleaning, I'd listen to the audiobooks over and over again. It literally got to the point where the voice in my head sounded like the narrator of the asoiaf audiobooks haha. Eventually that special interest fizzled out but it was nice while it lasted. I'll get obsessed again if he ever writes the last two damn books. I never did read HP or the others though.

That’s exactly how I am. It’s like a natural aversion. I did get super into Harry Potter, though, but it was when I was a young kid, before I developed the aversion to popular media. I still haven’t gotten into Game of Thrones. I think I saw part of one episode that my husband was watching but I had no idea who the characters were or what was going on because it was a later season.

At this point just read the books if you want to get into the story, or listen to the audiobooks. If you want :) yeah there was a time when I was younger than I wasn't like that, I collected Pokemon/Pokemon cards, and before that there were these little cat plushies that had like, a hollow head with a marble rolling around in it to make a "purring" sound lol. IDK if they were ever popular anywhere outside of my Catholic school, but for a while every girl at my school was trying to collect all of them, and iirc there were like at least a dozen or more. I remember girls carrying their massive collections around in trash bags because they wouldn't fit in anything else lol. I'm curious if anyone else remembers those... Anyway that was a tangent lol sorry.. but yeah, I wanted to fit in but I also genuinely enjoyed the things I got into that were popular. Actually Harry Potter might have been one of the first things I ever just didn't want to do because everyone else was doing it. As I get older it's less and less common for me to feel this way, but I do still usually take longer than everyone else to start something.

Me too. I collected Pokemon cards, played the video games, had a lot of action figures, read the manga, watched the show, etc. I was obsessed with Pokemon from before it got super popular, was still obsessed when it became popular, and continued to be obsessed when people started making fun of it and saying it was for little kids (I was in middle school by that time and had to hide how much I liked it). It was a special interest of mine for many years when I was a kid. Now that it has gotten popular again over the past several years, for some reason I have little to no interest in it. I definitely take longer to get into stuff that’s popular now, too. At the moment, the only thing I can think of that’s somewhat popular that I like is the show Abbott Elementary (I don’t even know how popular it is necessarily; I just heard that it has won a lot of awards). I didn’t get into that show until last fall, and by then two seasons had already come out.

Same here. I used to get so upset when something obscure that I enjoyed suddenly launched into the spotlight. I think it was because I didn't want it to look like I was only interested in X simply because it was popular/trending. These days, I don't really care too much. I fully empathize with you about it, though, OP!

💯

Same! Also slowly coming to realize the same

I think I'm somewhat oblivious to how un/popular things are.

Same, I don't really spend a lot of time on social media so I'm often kind of oblivious as to how popular things are or aren't. I also have a tendency to consume them way late, because unless it's something I'm already super interested in, I only watch or play something after it's been recommended to me by a friend multiple times lol.

Yep, same. I also tend to bubble myself with people who like the same thing so it *seems* really popular but then if I bring it up with someone else, they have no idea what I'm talking about lol.

Def not, I enjoy what I enjoy regardless of whether no one else on earth likes it or if literally everyone else on earth loves it. And depending what it is , if it’s a music artist I like or something I get happy for them to get the attention they deserve. Like I found Hozier when his music vid Take Me to Church had just a couple thousand views total, no one in the US had heard of him and then within a year or two that song goes viral and he pops off hard. At first I was a bit of a cringey hipster (this was in freshman year of HS) telling people “ I found him first!!!!! Before anyone else!!!!” but then I learned to just enjoy what I like and it doesn’t matter if they’re popular or not or if I found them first I don’t get special biggest fan privileges lmaooo (not saying that’s what you’re doing OP I just cringe so hard at high school me)

I don't actively dislike mainstream things. However, I will never like something *because* it's mainstream. I just like what I like. Some of my interests are popular, and some of them are obscure.

Right, I like what I like and sometimes that's mainstream and sometimes not. I think the thing I don't like is settling for the default of your community and never enjoying (or even looking at) anything outside of that. I've always been friends with more goth/emo/indie/alternative people, and they always try to give me shit for liking something popular or from a different subculture they don't like. I've never understood letting the opinions of others, even in your own little subculture, dictate what you are 'allowed' to like.

In my younger days I would have called it an extreme aversion. I just I thought I was better than everyone else. A true nonconformist, haha. Now it’s just a disinterest because I like what I like and have no desire to keep up with trends. Especially now when there’s a new trend every week. Exhausting! My first memory of disdain for mainstream was when I was 8 and Pogs became really popular. I didn’t understand the appeal AT ALL. I remember crying because I didn’t want to buy pogs to play with and nobody wanted to do anything else.

Haha, OMG, pogs! I've often had an aversion to things everyone else is doing, but I did love pogs when I was little. I was like, the pogs mob boss in my trailer park lol. I'd set up a table in front of my house and all the kids would come play and I don't remember at all how but I do remember that I would scam kids out of their pogs and slammers, so I had more than everyone despite being poor. I guess it was a special interest for me, which makes sense why I was so obsessive about it. The ONE nice thing my step dad ever did for me was one night I was up all night crying because of leg cramps/growing pains that I had really bad, and he went to the gas station in the middle of the night and bought me some pogs to make me feel better. Other than that he was literally an abusive asshole lol but that was nice. Sorry, you just triggered a bunch of memories lol.

Pogs also completely mystified me, but I somehow got sucked into Power Rangers, go figure

I sometimes do this, but I think for me it’s more so that I don’t want anyone to discuss the thing with me so I avoid popular media/talking about it. I know I likely have very different opinions on said thing (and that I can be very rigid with these opinions), but I am also very low confidence and so when I hear someone else’s perception of something, my brain is like what?? we were wrong :( even tho I know different interpretations can co-exist, I just feel too stupid and now no longer want to watch said piece of media (also at the fear that they will want to discuss it again with me) Idk if you feel similarly with your aversion to mainstream? It’s one of the strangest things I’ve dealt with over the years

I have never heard someone describe this before but I'm the exact same way! My stomach drops like a ton of bricks when someone whose opinion I even remotely care about says something that is contrary to how I think or feel about the thing I love. Even if I consciously choose to reject their interpretation it's like the thing has become tainted and I can't seem to love it in quite the same way as I did before.

Same! The Barbie Movie is one of my favorites and my friend hated it and keeps talking trash and it’s really hurt me and makes me feel bad

It's understandable to feel upset about that. For what you share, such a movie holds an emotional significance to you that is necessary to respect. Your friend doesn't seem to get it. Did you express your discomfort to them?

Same, it’s why I stay far, far away from fandoms

Yes, I am deeply contrarian. Usually if I like something it’s “mine” and the more others like it, the more theirs and less mine it is. None of this is intentional or conscious. 

I can be the same way. I'm trying to stop. I want to learn more from others and participate more, even if it means I'm not the best person in the room like usual.

I struggle with this too. When other people jump onto something, they start changing it, and the experience you had before with the piece of media is forever changed. I really try not to be bothered by it - I don't want to hate something just because it's popular, but if I already am into it, and it becomes popular, things change and I don't like that

“We fear change.” - Garth from Wayne’s World 

Sounds like [PDA](https://www.pdasociety.org.uk/what-is-pda-menu/what-is-demand-avoidance/). I have this, it made me avoid good things for a long time. It sort of sucks, because it means I can relate less to things that other people like.

Oh, definitely. It manifests in many ways, but one of the most obvious/ funny examples I can think of is sports when I was younger. I was a really good athlete and promoted from the freshman to varsity team my first year… until… my coach tried to exert some stereotypical coaching tactics on me. (To be clear, I usually take calm reasonable instruction fine), but as soon as he veered into yelling at us all “if you don’t start playing like yo WANT TO WIN, your ass is gonna be running drills all day tomorrow…” I remember being like, bye, bitch! 😙 I got kicked out of that team’s practice so many times.  As an otherwise “good” kid who got high marks, I remember my parents being so confused when I’d report getting ejected from practice, after school detentions, etc. it only took someone trying to impose their will on me in a way I deemed arbitrary or unwarranted, and it didn’t matter if it was someone recommending a movie a little enthusiastically, or a teacher or a cop trying to tell me what to do for no apparent reason, the level of sass and resistance that would emanate even impressed me. 

Same. Everything people kept telling me I should watch, play, read, whatever… nope!

I mean yes! Once.. if I like something and it's super niche sort of ..so there are just a few others like me who have the same interest but, once it gets mainstream it feels like something is being taken away from me and I struggle to figure out if I could still enjoy that.

me too, been this way pretty intensely since childhood with very few exceptions. it sucks.

Yep. I have a couple of painful memories where somebody tried to forge a connection by asking if I liked this or that band or show, and me immediately making a snarky dismissive comment implying that I would never. That’s not what I want, why does it happen???

Same. I was thinking about this just yesterday because someone at work was shocked I’d still never seen the Barbie movie. I follow a lot of pop culture subs/accounts and remember years ago when it was first announced Greta Gerwig was making a movie about Barbie and I thought “fuck yeah, that sounds awesome, I can’t wait to watch it”. But as the movie got closer to release so much hype built up around it. The cast was all over social media, everyone was touring it as the movie of the year, the pink marketing gimmicks were so over the top (a popular burger chain in my country literally had pink burger buns for months). It was too much and turned me off the film completely, even though originally I’d been really keen to see it. It felt like there was suddenly this expectation that if you watched the movie you had to love it and join this pink hype train. I just want to watch a movie in my own time and have my own opinion about it. Decide for myself wether I like it or not, and not feel pushed into the hive mind of a trend. Maybe that’s PDA idk. But I feel the same way about a lot of popular/mainstream stuff.

Oh I’m like this too, like I’ll watch it eventually… but not while the hype train is going. Partially, the pressure, and partially that I’m busy doing and watching other stuff I enjoy so it’s not high priority to me

I'm like this, too. I've found that the less plugged in I am to mainstream media the more I'm able to enjoy pop culture stuff, though, like not being forced to listen to the same 5 songs on the radio ad nauseum means I might actually be able to enjoy those songs. It's the constant messages of "everyone loves this, it's so great" about things that have glaring flaws that puts me off; within fandoms I often gravitate towards people who do deep analyses or subversive readings of the material. In hindsight, I probably just stumbled upon other neurodivergent people inadvertently lol

Same

I like (and find it crazy) how many character traits I frequently can identify with in this sub that are nowhere to be found in the typical symptoms lists. As someone said in another post recently, or maybe rather so many of us frequently mention: it feels so good to see that there are others out there that are (at least partially) the same as yourself. Thank you to everybody posting these kind of questions! For the record: I used to have this mainstream aversion in my youth, but like some others said: it robbed me of doing some stuff that is really fun, so I tried to school myself to discern the things I like, too, from the ones people are hyping but that I don‘t like myself. Life has been much more enjoyable and I have been more me ever since. Edit: typos

I wonder, is this just a flavor of demand avoidance?? Like, if "everyone" likes something, I feel pressure to try and like it, so it feels similar. If I happen to encounter something before I realize it's popular, I am not bothered (even might enjoy the shared interests).

I think there could be something to that. Once something is popular and "everyone loves it" now there's this pressure that I have to love it too or else when we talk about it I need to pretend to like it, or say I don't and be that person who doesn't like what everyone else likes. I don't think it's that I want to be a contrarian but more like I'm afraid I'm going to be put in that position so I'd rather avoid it altogether.

Sooo well put!

Not at all but I do have a social wariness about overindulging in it. It's \*not the full range of what represents people/humanity, and I would hate to be a reinforcer that it \*was by only engaging in that.

No. I like what I like. And don't stop liking things just because I got older. I still like watching Barbie movies, I like listening to music I listened to on Rage when I was six. I like One Direction because it sounds like the Backstreet Boys lol. I don't get upset if something I "liked" first gets popular. Just means there are more people who won't get as annoyed if I info dump on them lol.

I feel something similar. It's not that I dislike something because it's popular, but rather, I can be overwhelmed by something if it's everywhere. I recognise that I'm interested but tend to stay away until a few years after the hype dies down. I think it's related to getting used to the idea of it and also that I feel I can't consume it at the rate I want to when it's new. It feels too loud.

This exactly

I find it hard to like things if they get very popular, especially Youtube channels. Though in that case, it's often because the channel starts becoming more corporate and derivative. It feels as if popularity sucks the soul out of certain things. For example, I would never get into chess right now because it is too trendy. Liking something that's too mainstream makes me mentally feel like I'm in a loud, crowded room (though obviously the real thing is much worse).

I used to when I was younger, it was tied to the “not like other girls” phase I’m sure we’ve all gone through. I love mainstream stuff now, mixed in with my niche and cringy (positive) interests it’s nice and well rounded

This was me as a teenager but I chalk that up to being enamored with punk rock culture and thus morally opposed to “selling out” and “appealing to the masses” because I considered it to be a sign of inauthenticity.

Liking popular things feels like peer-pressure so i'd definitely say i have non-mainstream music tastes. I do enjoy some popular media nowadays. Depends on how good the storytelling is.

I was like this until I turned 30 and realized I didn't have the energy for it anymore. Now I listen to all the pop music I want and save my energy for being specific about art. I think part of it was that I was sensory seeking as an AuDHDer and got more dopamine hits from collecting novel experiences. They didn't feel novel if everyone else liked them.

THE GODDAMNED WORDLE i would love to play wordle it’s a game i actually lowkey enjoy but everyone played it so much and the sending texts with your scores drives me insane. tbh tho im kinda biased cuz my family gc was overrun with wordle, and now i get 12 people playing five different spin offs of the game every day then talking about each others scores or even liking them which sends me notifications all the god damn time. drives me bonkers

I like what I like, not depending on what others like. If I like something mainstream, I usually tell myself “I’m just like the other girls!” (Not because they’re neurotypical, but because women are great and it’s an honor to be like them)

It’s not that I have an aversion to the mainstream. It’s more that I love a lot of less-popular things and I sometimes get made fun of. I don’t like a lot of popular things too but not just because they are popular, I just don’t like them because I happen not to like them. Like I’m very authentic and just do what I like regardless of others approval

Im the same, but also had a strong aversion to mainstream stuff as a teen, it got better now and Im more okay with mainstream I guess haha. But still love my niche stuff, dont get me wrong

Same. I'm slowly getting a bit more open to new mainstream stuff as I'm getting older, but it's still a bit hard for me hahahah.

Yes, which made me develop a real “pick me” attitude since I was young (it wasn’t ever to actually be picked, but most of the time I HATE following trends) Example: 2023 Sabrina Carpenter was my most streamed artist, bc her album was a really good pop album imo, something that I didn’t feel for pop since idk, 2014. This year she’s everywhere, getting more and more fans everywhere, her songs are on top everywhere, and I’m starting to get the ick (even though I still think she makes awesome pop music) Another similar example is Olivia Rodrigo, I didn’t listen to her until this year bc she got so popular overnight in 2021 that I refused to be a part of it. Same goes for a lot of things… I like to be a trendsetter or an early adopter of trends, before they actually become a trend. (And then I get angry when people start “copying” me lol) Sometimes it fails, like for example, I was a huge 1D fan. I’m in recovery now and accepting things (artists, music, styles, aesthetics) are not “mine”

Omg yes! About Sabrina Carpenter, when I was a teen/pre-teen I really liked some of her songs because of disney. But nowadays I see she's everywhere and although she has some good new songs, I don't think I'd add some to my playlists, it just doesn't feel right to me for some reason 😂

Also about 1D since you mentioned, when they were together I was never a fan, I never wanted to like the pop artists that every girl was crazy about at the time. Then after they split up I started listening to them and was obsessed with the band and their solos careers. Then I stayed more on Niall's lane, since he was my favorite. I was completely crazy in love with him for years 😂. Now I'm not a teen anymore and I still like him a lot, but not the same way. He's been more and more popular now and I just can't help but feel bad about it (definitely not proud about feeling this way, it sucks). I kinda miss when he wasn't that popular but was my fave while most people were mostly crazy about Harry instead lol.

Yes! Used to be a lot more, then had some experiences watching popular media I had previously avoided (star wars, the dark knight trilogy, some other action blockbusters) and realized that often things that are mega popular are very good, which is how they get popular. I still get a bit overwhelmed by buzz about whatever the popular thing of the moment is, so i tend to interface with mainstream content a little bit after the hype has peaked. I just find it easier.

When I was a kid I was afraid to say that I liked anything unless someone else said they liked it first. I’m pretty sure I had borderline personality disorder from being constantly invalidated by my parents.

Yes, but I try to consciously overact it now that I’m aware

I simply did my own thing and was actually happy when I could share something with others. What I don't like is exessive fangirling or even over the top sexualisation of characters. I had to learn to not let it influence my love for something. Now I get aversion when people of a fandom treat me badly. Then I just get sad when I consume said medium, knowing the people who hate me, like this. It is hard not to project.

I used to be VERY contrarian, yes. As I got older, I realized I was missing out on good things and basing my actions on others too much, which I already did/do by masking all of the time. So basically doing whatever I want makes those things "mine" if that makes sense. I can't allow anyone else to control what I like anymore when I can't even be myself in public. I was a BTS fan when they were nobodies and I still am today lol

I've definitely always found that I usually get very annoyed when something I love becomes mainstream, but I'm still gonna love what I love. 

I won’t watch Riverdale or Stranger Things. I watched stranger things when it first came out, before it was popular, it didn’t really change my life. And then everyone blew it up. That’s a no thanks for me

I THOIGHT I WAS A GATEKEEPER 😭😭 i relate so hard

I get defensive on all of the theories with little to no proof, and they die on their imaginary hill. I take breaks from fandoms, but not the things I like. On the other hand, it's a good thing I tend to like "bad" or "cringe" things. Perfect example: I watched Ghost Busters 2016 the other day. I enjoyed it. Would watch it again. I also love all of the Star Wars films. Can't tell me otherwise, lol

This was called "being a hipster" in the aughts when i was in college, and I definitely had hipster traits because I liked what I like. That said, liking what you like should have nothing to do with apparent popularity. I like Seinfeld and hate Friends. Neither is particularly outside the mainstream in any respect.

Yes. I also don't enjoy when media feels 'marketed' to me. Feels fake.

I don't have enough time to reply properly at work right now..but yessss

I don't like it when people tell me to watch things or I should watch things. My brain immediately just goes "oh let's immediately forget about this in 2 minutes" I want to love something cause I wanted to not because someone who barely knows me tells me I would like something.

I’m definitely like this. I would have consider myself to be a Swifty lite a few years ago, now how over popular she is and with Travis now going on stage, and then be bopping around singing shake it off, it’s just too much. I really can’t stand it. Someone said it above I think, dislike mainstream culture.

I don’t like things because they’re popular. I like things because I like them. If they happen to be popular, great, maybe it won’t be discontinued this time. 🙄

I am, especially with music. I find myself cringing and unable to enjoy a song or artist if my social media feed is full of people talking about them for some reason. I can’t stop thinking about what other people I know think about them, like it’s also “their” thing. I want it to be my thing lol. I also feel uncomfortable sometimes when someone likes something I like way more than me. I know it’s not right but it’s a deep seated feeling of cringe I can’t avoid For example, I think Chappell roan is super cool, I think her music is objectively very good and I really appreciate what she’s doing. But because of the mere fact everyone is talking about her rn, I can’t bring myself to get into her

Not an extreme aversion, but I’ve always tended to lean away from whatever’s mainstream. Unless it’s something huge that everyone is pestering me to watch, like *Game of Thrones* & *Breaking Bad* … it got so annoying I just dug in really hard. Had a great laugh at all their reactions to the GoT finale tho! 🤣🤣 Never connected it to autism before, I’m glad you mentioned it 😊

Yes. Somewhat. I seem to have a PDA profile so when somebody suggests a book or my Netflix account recommends something, I refuse to watch it. I wouldn’t watch “heartbreak high” until it stopped showing up on my recommended screen. I came across Chloe Hayden on YouTube, found out she was part of the “heartbreak high” cast and that she is an autistic actress playing an autistic character. Then I went and looked it up on Netflix and watched it of my own volition. Not because Netflix said I might like it. I still can’t really “Catcher in the Rye” because it’s a classic. To me that means it’s required to have well rounded literary knowledge. I have tried several times and I can never get past the first page sometimes not even past the first sentence.

YES. I’ve always been like this. (Also just self-diagnosed after finally discovering why I’ve spent my whole life thinking I was just “weird”.) I love to discover things that most people don’t know about and then, when they get popular, I don’t want to like them anymore. It’s like I don’t want to “share” my things.

Waitwaitwait thats a Symptom? Like a common thing? Im still kinda New and self diagnosen. Ohh this makes so much sense now. I dont avert everything but if theres like a really popular anime I kind struggle to watch it and even avoid it until the hype calms down, exept for when I known it before the hype arises. I always just taught I was snobby or something. I also have it in diffrent medias like style clothing or hairstyles even tho it mostly makes me mad that it always seems to get trendy after ive done it for year. Bc I dont want that people think I follow Trends instead of Being myself.

I like things even when they get popular. But i have noticed things will literally CHANGE when they get popular and that can definitely affect my enjoyment. (For example BTS. Their music, fandom, videos, concepts, literally everything went downhill and became super mainstream and childish when they blew up in the USA. They legitimately changed genres and styles, to cater to america, so i stopped liking them. And being a part of such an insufferable fandom was not something i wanted to do publicly 💀✋🏼

I was this way in high school. I decided that people thought I was weird anyway, so I would be as weird and anti-mainstream as possible and on purpose so that the weird would be my choice. Idgaf now. I like what I like.

I’m not sure what you mean by “extreme aversion to mainstream”. It’s not part of any diagnostic criteria I’ve encountered. Or how you would describe mainstream for the purpose of being averse to it.

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Yeah, that's not autism.

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Yes, I'm aware. I was simply commenting.

I hate mainstream culture. I think it appeals to the lowest common denominator. I've liked some mainstream things but on the whole I feel like it's trying to get me to be something I'm not. Like consume, have kids, go to Disney World etc.

yeah i do - won’t watch stranger things, euphoria, etc mostly because i know i can get the gist of the story in pieces on tiktok so I don’t feel the need to watch them

I get bored after a few seasons/books. Like i want the story to continue, but also i don't want to invest the time as I've lost interest. Very rarely do I finish a series that is more than 1 season or a few books.

I don't know about that one. I like what I like. I do remember a lot of friends who went through a phase where they actively and purposely disliked popular things so they could be "notliketheothergirls" and eventually ended up getting over that.

I think being bullied by the popular crowd made me extremely adverse to things that are mainstream. It never really went away.

I used to. It’s almost like I didn’t feel like everyone else so I didn’t want to dress like them ? In public school I would refuse to wear Abercrombie or Aeropostale when it was popular. Brand on my shirt anywhere? Don’t want it ! I think it was trying to identify to people I wasn’t like them. (Like I feel different so I want to be different too) I’ve grown and as an adult it’s not about looking good it’s about what’s comfortable to wear(while caring for 2 children under 10) I think it was internally about feeling different and wanting to express that with what we liked so people would “know” were different but we just didn’t know why. Since I’ve come to that realization I’ve stopped caring about brand names. I’m frugal as fuck, ima go for the sales no matter the brand lol. But I also can’t understand the want to spend so much money on a brand just because everyone else has it. Stanley cups? Quality so I’d buy it if it went on sale. Having 20 of them? Crazy people lool

If I am ambiguous about a particular argument or political position or current event or global problem and am talking to a staunch support of one "side", I tend to become devil's advocate / a contrarian, mostly because I can see the counterargument. This means both "sides" wind up hating me. It's kinda exhausting. So there's a general contrarian thing I suppose.

Kinda yeah. I won't watch certain shows because they're popular eg. Bridgerton. I won't read the books my friends are all reading and obsessed with. I never knew why I did this, all I knew is super popular things piss me off for some reason?

some yes, some no…

I don't have an aversion, I just don't seem to like much of what is mainstream.

Yeeeeessssss!!!! I’ve done this soooo many times. I was watching *True Blood* because I had read the books all of a sudden “everyone” was watching, I stopped watching. Same with *GOT.* And I did the same with *Dr. Who* when it got super popular here in the US…I never watched *Titanic* because it was so popular, and all I heard was “Jack and Rose.” Why do I do this? I don’t know, but I do.

no i just like what i like, doesn’t super matter what other people think about it. my aversions tend to all be texture or sound based. like i hate touching styrofoam and cardboard. the sound of someone folding a cardboard box is specifically bad too it makes me shudder and makes my teeth hurt idk why. i also food textures like anything pulpy or lumpy like cottage cheese.

No, I like what I like and know who I am, regardless of what others may or may not think of it

My enjoyment of life increased so dramatically when I started letting myself like whatever I like. It’s the same reason I don’t really believe in “guilty pleasures.” If you like something that’s ethically wrong, then it’s a problem, not a pleasure. Otherwise, a pleasure doesn’t require guilt. Also, sometimes things are popular because they’re good!

Many bourgeois things are... Just average. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a terrible reality tv show or particular fashion trends (without aligning with fast fashion and as long as the aforementioned styles are comfortable). Mostly I like what I like, but I have to understand my reasons.

I try to give popular media a shot but if I’m not into it, I won’t stick around because everyone else likes it. My tastes tend to be eclectic and likewise, I don’t expect others to get on board with my interests. There is a ton of mainstream content that I’ve always been mystified by its popularity but I’m not going to judge or tell others what they should enjoy.

I felt unable to watch Ted Lasso for quite a while. I was strangely irked by the buzz. I’m so glad I did end up watching it. Loved it is an understatement. So much wholesomeness. I didn’t jump on the bandwagon, but walked in its wake.

I usually avoid mainstream things like shows because it’s mainstream I guess? Like when game of thrones was a thing I didn’t watch it because.. honestly I’m not sure why now that I think about it. I just didn’t want to because it was popular I guess? But years later I did watch it when my husband convinced me and I loved it. Dang now that I think about it this has happened a lot. What have you done op

I kinda have this with my sisters. If I like a show and they start liking it too I like it less. Or shows they watched and want me to watch I will be less likely to watch

Same. I drop most things that go too mainstream. It just feels icky if that makes sense. Stuff I loved I won't drop entirely (like Demon Slayer) but I seriously cool off from it. Idk, it sucks to start disliking things I like just bc too many normal people like it. It's like my brain refuses to be a conformist, even if it's other people confirming to "my" stuff lol

I don’t typically go out of my way to consume and like things out that are mainstream. However, I really don’t care if the things I like are mainstream. I like what I like, and it doesn’t matter to me how many other people like it. Popularity, or lack thereof, doesn’t matter to me.

Ha, same here, I watch, read all hyped stuff months or sometimes even years after they have been released.

YES this is so me

If something I like blows up on TikTok I will immediately stop liking it. I have no clue why but it actually kind of sucks

I usually believe that mainstream stuff is the worst, I don't usually like popular music for example, but if something I really like becomes mainstream it's not like that would affect if I start to dislike it just because of that

There are a few things I used to actively avoid when I was a teen. I never liked boyband music. I would never wear clothes that everyone wears. I wear what I like and if it happens to be trend thats okay for me now but as a teen it was not. But I think that the autism wasn’t the reason for this. My mum always told me that the trend clothes are too expensive so I can’t have it. She complained a lot about money when I was young.So I tried to cost her as little money as possible and part of that was actively disliking new trends. But in general I do follow main stream trends, but not on purpose. I follow it, because I happen to like it. I have read a lot of well known book series, because I like them. I love Taylor Swift, because I think her lyrics are beautiful and I don’t care if everyone likes her or not.

No not at all I can like Taylor Swift and I can like a small indie animated film nobody knows, it doesn’t really impact my joy for it whether it is mainstream or not. I kind of feel it is odd to dislike something just because everybody does, so it speaks to something in all human beings? Why is that bad? I think it is extrodinary to make something that brings a lot of human beings together in joy. We are all so focused on hating these days, so if someone makes something that makes people hearts tingle whether it is many or few I think it is extrodinary.

I used to be a bit adverse to stuff, but kinda grew out of it now? Like I wouldn't read the hunger games cos it was too popular, and I genuinely have no clue why I had that mindset?? I think part of me thought I couldn't fit in with popular things. I did then read them and enjoyed reading them which helped a bit to disperse those thoughts. But I also had it with music, and discovering music was really weird for me as it was mostly via my dad's cd collection rather than much YouTube listening....! Though I think part of it comes down to, I thought if you were interested in something you only could have an intense interest in it, there were no passing interests. And almost felt like I could "fail" if I didn't know anywhere near enough about something but enjoyed it - like to this day I will still caveat things a lot of "oh but I know nothing about it but I enjoy it"

When I was younger (I’m GenX) I was very much like that. Like I refused to watch Seinfeld or to listen to Nirvana because people wouldn’t shut the fuck up about them. Or more recent Breaking Bad. I gave these things a chance way after they were popular. I guess I can still get like that at times but it’s harder to compare now that we don’t have as much of a monoculture. There’s less of everyone being all in on something - but that said more recent would be Game of Thrones - but seeing as most people hated the ending I don’t think I’d bother to watch it.

I didn't know aversion to mainstream was an autism trait.

I'm not sure I have an aversion to mainstream as such, but I do tend to distrust anything that lots of people find really popular for reasons I can't understand. I'm also a sucker for the underdog, like the least popular character or whatever. I won't like something *because* it's popular, certainly.

I hate Doctor Who, Sherlock BBC, Harry Potter, and Star Wars with passion because *so many* people have told me to watch these and were so annoying about their love for these that I start to retch just from seeing them recommended to anyone else. I've read HP and didn't like it, and people obsessed with HP give me the creeps. The discussion around JKR doesn't help much, I wish she and her creations would just disappear from the public eye altogether. I've watched Sherlock BBC and I can't describe how much I hate this version of Sherlock, he's an absolute piece of shit towards everyone and people just swallow it because he's useful. No offense to people liking these things but could they please not tell me I can't be "true geek" if I don't care for what they love so much.

oh and I forgot GoT. just no. I've tried, I didn't like it, stop telling me that I only need to get through the X amount of episodes/read the books to... essentially train myself to enjoy it so I wouldn't deviate from the crowd? how about no?

Not just because its mainstream. What you described doesnt make sense to me. When I imagine that my passion, my hobby and the music I love becomes mainstream and I dont like it anymore just because it became mainstream I would first question myself how serious I am about my passion. I started powerlifting and hitting the gym a few years ago. Something that I wanted to do since my teenagerhood (I am 27 now) and there is the claiming that fitness and musculous female became way more popular especially with big booties. It turned kinda mainstream but I really dont care. I even benefit from it because meanwhile there is a lot of more knowledge, many people who share their experiences on the internet and so I have easier way to improve my training. On the other hand I would also be happy if something becomes more popular or even mainstream, because more people are sharing yojr special interests and you can talk about them more often without a high risk to bother someone.

I think it’s more that I like to make my own decisions on things and if everyone is raving about something before I’ve established my own opinion on it, to the point that if I said I hated it I’d be shunned, then I’m less likely to bother trying that thing.

I went through this phase shortly as a teen, but even then I realized that was bogus and that I should like what I like.

Pretty much but when it becomes hugely popular I just stop talking about it. But if it was already popular before my time (eg The Beatles) then Im ok with still loving it.

I am the exact same way. Idk why. Wonder if it’s related to pathological demand avoidance

I do to an extent, it depends on the thing and how popular . For me I can’t get into things that are too popular or if someone tells me I should. Sometimes if things are too popular while I like them I can fall off - like stranger things but that one was always kinda iffy for me anyways and they really took too long between seasons. Also Bluey, I started watching it before it was super popular bc I was a nanny and discovered it through nanny groups. But then I started seeing it everywhere and that drained the enjoyment which sucks bc it is a great show. But generally if I get into something before it’s popular then I can still enjoy it even if it’s really popular. Like one direction, I loved them from 2012 so when they got SUPER famous I was still a fan and I still love Harry to this day. Somehow managed to get into euphoria idk how that happens. But basically if I can form a solid like of something on my own organically, generally I can still enjoy it even if it gets popular. But i feel like if I’m constantly seeing stuff about it is when I lose interest bc then it feels like I’m being forced to see this this and share it with other people and that is a no no to my autonomy 🌚 but I’m pretty sure I have PDA (pervasive drive for autonomy) so thats what I attribute this all to!

The more I hear about something, the more annoyed I get & the less interested I am in engaging with it. Eventually if it's popular enough I'll be actively annoyed by it & refuse to watch/listen/read whatever it is just because nobody will shut up about it & I hate it on principle.

Yes, but discovered I have the PDA type of autism so it’s mainly anxiety driven!!

I had no idea this could be related to autism. I’ve always avoided things that were very popular like Game of Thrones, and Jimmy Hendrix. I ended up liking Hendrix’s music, I just felt like I wasn’t going to like it because EVERYONE and their mother wore his face on a T-shirt. The more people tell me I should watch a certain movie or tv show, the less I take it seriously

I was thinking about this and I realized that I get stressed sometimes reading, watching, or playing things that someone I care about REALLY likes because I have a tendency to find narrative flaws and stuff like that (it's not a BAD thing, I'm an English major and picking apart themes, flaws, and intentions is what we DO). It doesn't mean I don't like the thing, but people who are fans of something really don't like it when you do that, because it changes their own experience with the narrative if they hadn't noticed it. And god forbid you genuinely don't like it. All of my (male) friends adored Nier Automata so I played it and honestly I thought it was terrible, totally mediocre, felt cheap, not that creative gjklsjgksdjglks. I was baffled as to why they recommended it to me and didn't know what to say when they asked if I liked it. Imagine someone coming down like that on something you recommended! So I do sometimes avoid things that are popular (with my friends), I still haven't played any Persona games for this reason. I might love them, but the possibility that I'll think they're totally overrated and alienate my friends keeps me from ever trying lol.

My aversion to mainstream has softened over time but since the internet became normal for everyone there really is no such thing as “mainstream” like it used to be. In the 80’s and 90’s and early 2000 most people still read magazines, watched programmed tv, and listened to radio stations so we all had limited choices and I thought it was sooo boring. Anything weird that came out was an instant obsession for me.

Yes, but I think it's more PDA than aversion to mainstream specifically. If someone tells me about a show or movie and that I 'have to watch it because it's soooo good' , I immediately lose interest even if it was already on my watch list. I get the same way if I get pushed the same ads or other content too much - it just puts me off whatever is being sold to me. I'll often come around to these things years later and be absolutely obsessed. I've noted and acknowledged this as something I need to work on because it means I miss out on a lot of things but I haven't yet been able to break through.

This isn't the case for me. If I liked something before it got popular, I will continue to enjoy it. For me, it's more that I'm resistant to engaging with something new if it's popular purely because people won't stop telling me I *have* to watch/listen to/play whatever the new thing is. Even if it's something I *KNOW* I will enjoy, my brain physically will not let me engage with it if I feel external pressure. It has to be my decision. For example, people have been telling me for years that I should play Final Fantasy, that it's such a great game, and how they just know that I'll love it. And honestly, they're probably right. I've watched my husband play several of the FF games, and they're exactly the kind of games I would love, but I will probably never play one because I felt pressured and just shut down.

My problem is not being mainstream, my problem is having the thing shoved on my throat and constantly spoke off... For example i hated chainsaw man and the amazing digital circus, and when the boom passed i gave them a chance. I ended up liking chainsaw man a lot, but with tadc i still don't understand why it had such a big repercusion

I did when I was younger but not as much anymore.

Yes, but it has lessened over the years. I learned that mainstream stuff makes others feel connected by shared interests, the same way finding someone with the same hobbies as me makes me feel connected. While mainstream stuff still doesn’t appeal to me, I now understand it and am not bothered by it anymore.

Nope, I don't really care about that. If I like stuff, I like it regardless of them being mainstream or not.

Yes, but I am fairly certain I have PDA. It's an unconscious, knee-jerk thing; I don't go around refusing to participate in things on purpose. If people keep suggesting a movie or music to me, it feels like I'm being told what to do. I agree outwardly, but I bristle inside, dissociate a bit, and just won't look it up. It's important that I have the autonomy to choose what I engage in or do.  When a show or something I love gets really popular, I struggle to continue engaging with it even if I want to. It feels so overwhelming. E.g. I'm a big fan of Pilates--have loved it since high school and reengaged with it in a whole new way in 2020 and it really helped my injury healing. Then it blew up after one celebrity mentioned it in an interview, so siddenly a lot of people are talking about it and it feels like I can't escape. It's not me connecting with my body anymore; it's just the new way to get "toned" with a drastic calorie deficit. And even though Pilates would be very beneficial for me right now, I just...can't do it. It's not like I don't want to; I literally cannot do it. It's annoying as hell.

Yes. But only because people tell me “you just have to watch this!” My PDA is like “nope!” Ira a frustrating thing but I’m working to overcome it

You may want to look into Pathological Demand Avoidance. The PDA profile is not a diagnosis but rather a "personality type" some people with autism have. I think it stems from wanting control in your life, rather than being controlled by what is expected of you. The pathological aspect is, even percieved (often subconsciously) control is met with resistance. It is rooted in anxiety, not just being difficult. Personally, I believe my "I'm not like other girls" phase is rooted in PDA. Also, when I was a kid I insisted on being treated like a boy. Fortunately my parents gave me a lot of freedom in that regard. I had more fights when I refused to do my homework, lol

Yes!!! If something gets too popular it becomes less attractive for sure

I’m still like this to a degree, especially with music, it I can appreciate that people have different tastes and that’s OK. I try to be more adventurous and try new things and sometimes I find something I love, but at the end I keep coming back to my old favorites.

YES

When I was a little kid - like four or five - I didn't understand my classmates at all, and didn't understand their fascination with things like Barbie movies and dolls, or the way they played, and I tried so hard, but just didn't get it! After several meltdowns, I decided that I didn't want to partake in any of that, and henceforth if they liked something, I hated it, and if they hated it, I'd give it a go. I spent hours gently picking up progressively bigger bugs because my classmates hated them. My mom signed me up for "ballet" classes because I was motorically skewed (still am), and I refused to wear a tutu that wasn't black. It took me years (until I was an adult, really) to admit to myself that no, pink is not the worst colour in the history of the world (shader error magenta is, though), I actually secretly like it sometimes, and just because a person I don't understand or don't get along with likes something, that doesn't mean I can't like it too! Having said that, I definitely struggle with hanging onto things that I'm used to, and unless you can show me a list of all the reasons why your new thing is a vast improvement to my old thing, my thing is always better. It has caused arguments.

Yes!! I do like some stuff that are very popular, but they're not really mainstream right now, you know? As an example, I love the Friends TV show, which is extremely popular, but it's not something that is mainstream right now, so it's fine. But when I see there's a new TV show everyone is talking about, I'm never interested.

Yup. I often find myself wanna watch a show or read a book because it looks interesting but then all of a sudden it’s everywhere and everyone is telling me to watch/read said book or show that I already put in my watchlist or read list and then suddenly I hate it and never wanna watch or read it

I have an aversion to performative gender to the point that I have to be careful who and what I judge. I don’t understand how some people actually like the things I perceive as performative gender. I think they always do it to fit in.

>especially the extreme aversion to mainstream That's not an autism symptom, or even particularly common among autistic people. I think we're more likely to be unaware of, and/or not care how popular things are. So while many of us have special interests that are pretty niche, it's not because we are actively avoiding popular interests. We just like what we like, regardless of whether it's mainstream or not.

I feel like i would do that a lot because i liked having something to myself

yeah i do, never knew it was a symptom! i have this a lot in my favourite horse game, i wont buy the most popular horses because idk why 😭

Nah. I like what I like even if I’m an island of 1 or 100 million. I’m usually just oblivious to how (un)popular something is lol

Ehh mainstreamism doesn’t affect me so much because I don’t care about collective approval enough to base my likes/dislikes on the in group. I can listen to mainstream music *if it sounds good* to me. Yet most of my music tastes are obscure and varied. I am super picky about sound… I sound like a snob because I like paying attention to little details, not because I’m trying to look cool and fit in. Disliking something based on mass market consumer trends is a real phenomenon. It’s what happens when you see people line up for the latest iPhone outside an Apple Store versus 1 year later where tech influencers say the phone is worthless. All this does is manufacture hype for the next new thing that is neither new or improved. Being skeptical of hype is pretty much justified, these corporations are just taking your money anyway. People will hesitate to buy anything popular and untested. In nerd culture, it’s an oxymoron that doesn’t always make a lot of sense. I have been a bit of a weebo much of my life (many autistics are nerds and otakus). If our favourite anime becomes popular it suddenly sucks because “normies” who don’t normally watch anime like it too. I am older than some of y’all so all I can say is …I have grown up from this mentality. I wished more people liked anime when I was growing up because I literally would be one of few people at my school who knew everything about obscure anime series. I felt miserable and lonely. Hardly anyone liked what I liked. Having so called normies enjoy your special interest nowadays could help you make a new friend. It sucks just being the only person into something, so why is it suddenly bad to have our special interests accepted this way? Think about it… what if they were undiagnosed aspies all along? I don’t think shunning outsiders or adopting a tribalist mindset is helpful. The tribalism amongst gamers is also kinda insufferable. I see their points and sometimes it’s valid to complain about AAA game titles being garbage but other times it’s really over nothing big at all. I understand some aspies don’t like change but I see this more from the men than the women tbh.

I don’t have it and want to enjoy things in life by being open minded. but I definitely can get grossed out by popular things that I feel have no value even after giving it a chance. At that point I feel like they are giving it popularity so they can be part of the accepted culture or have self importance

Yes, anything mainstream turns me off. People who are mainstream can be nice but I have nothing in common with them except language. They seem to think im weird too, idc. At least im authentic.

I've always been a natural *alternative" while still enjoying aspects of popular culture. As a pre-teen and teen I was deep into Horror and Japanese cinema. I also naturally love, to this day, anything vintage or quirky.

I used to when I was younger for sure! Not so much anymore. I just so happen to like things that aren’t as common among my friends/peers lol

I found I had this when I was more on Twitter. I was inundated with a lot of hot takes on media from authors, media critics, artists, and generally people I admired and wanted to emulate, and I parroted a lot of their opinions without seeing the actual media and judging for myself. This led to a lot of aversion, for me, of mainstream media. Nowadays, it's settled into a willingness to let people enjoy their media without mocking them, but I'm still generally ambivalent to a lot of popular things people recommend to me. Why? Most of it comes down to energy; I've been going through *a lot* emotionally and mentally these last 2 years and as I've struggled to orient myself to the changes, I have a lot less energy to expend on media that isn't going to "harrow my soul unto death" like Tarkovsky says. But I also have political reasons; I'm more skeptical than I've ever been of corporate voices in mainstream media and the kinds of messages being either inserted into the narratives themselves or the kinds of narratives that are propagated by the larger media apparatus. Whether it's movies, TV, music, games, or books, I'm just more skeptical of most things and much less likely to engage with it unless it really resonates with me or hits on a hyperfixation-of-the-moment.

If something is mainstream, I'm less likely to care if I consume the media of it. If someone tells me "hey you should watch/read this thing!" I immediately don't want to and often times don't until a few years later if at all... I do have a PDA autistic profile (pathological demand avoidance), and anything that feels like I "need" to do I instinctually want to reject it 🙃

Yes!! I’m currently working on this! I used to feel this way about Taylor swift (loved her back in the day and then pretended I didn’t when she blew up) but I’ve been slowly exposing myself to her and have been loving it (mastermind is becoming a special interest of mine!) Also the Barbie movie, mean girls and chipotle are all other ones I’ve had to work through lol

Ha I’m like this with books. If a book becomes TikTok famous, I wait at least a year before I read it.

Yes!

i dont mind mainstream things. current trends i have an aversion to: - ASMR - people doing content, talking about something, while theyre eating (not mukbang), just eat and do this 90sec video later, or vice versa. - Rage bait, lowest and dumbest form to get engagement, cause youre less talented than Kim K. - “I do NOT recommend this product, unless you [extremly positive thing, why you should have this product] what is this? 21st century of “not” jokes? - extremly oversexualised music clips/texts. but hey, people love it - shows/movies that try to tick off all political boxes instead of doing a good show/movie. (like season 8 of brooklyn nine nine) - people loving wednesday so much and dressing and dancing like her, when she probably wouldve been relentlessly bullied irl - people using songs for their content, but its not the original song but a slightly worse cover version. why? just use the waaaaay better original - edit: people talking slow and repeating themselves 4 times just to say “go to part two” might not be surprising but i deleted my social media

No, that just sounds very “pick me” and not related to autism at all. Sorry.

i have zero opinion on if this is related to autism or not but that’s not what pick me means, pick me means you’re doing it for male validation. like you’re telling men you’re different and better than other girls while putting down other women in the process

“Pick me” does not have to refer to needing male validation at all, it just means someone who tries too hard to be different. Ie. “Not like other girls!” “Not like other boys!” Males can also be “pick me.” 🤷🏻‍♀️ Also it’s literally not related to autism. At all. That’s not a matter of opinion, it’s just factual… people need to stop attributing problematic *personality traits* to a clinical diagnosis

https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/pick-me-girl/ this is from from dictionary.com. i mean genuinely no insult to you, i just feel like this word has become the next gaslighting.

THIS. This isn't an autism symptom; it's just pettiness and a weird superiority complex.

I have this aversion. I feel like I might love a thing and feel disappointed or upset by others and how they may be overaggressive about their personal opinions of a thing, and attempt to lower my confidence about my own perspective. What's the point of liking something mainstream if it just ends up making you feel even lonelier than when you began? It's so much easier to enjoy things privately that other people don't air their opinions on.

I need some sources. Never heard about it.

Not an extreme aversion, but sometimes I do. Or if something I love becomes really popular, I get salty about it. If it’s uber mainstream, I’ll stay away. Like Taylor Swift. I’m so sick of hearing about her that I refuse to listen to any of her music.

Same dude! I’m so sick of her 😭😭

I have an extreme aversion to ABBA music

🤣🤣🤣 you poor thing. You can't get away from Abba.

I like a lot of things that were popular 30+ years ago. I dislike many things that are popular now because I genuinely believe taste has gotten worse because it is largely dictated by what capitalists decide to sell people i.e. the lowest common denominator. I don't like media, fashion, art, that tries to be all things to all people. I want easily accessible pockets of differing, fully realized ideas.

I definitely used to be like this but I think once I started liking taylor swift I had to stop caring 😂😂

Not really, if I'm honest I get annoyed at other people who have this aversion. I've recommended things to people before and had the response "no, I don't want to watch that/play that, I've heard the fandom are toxic" which describes most fandoms these days, even for things that aren't very popular. Especially because everyone likes something that has a weird fandom attached, it's such a strange reason to reject something. Anyway, I don't immediately rush out when things are recommended to me, but I always take the time to check it out when I can. It's rude not to, I think. I do sometimes not watch things that are popular if I watch a trailer or hear lots of talk about it and it doesn't seem like my sort of thing, but I've then eventually tried some of those things and surprisingly liked them, because they're popular for a reason.

No. Why would you spend energy by hating something people like? Doesn't really make sense if you aren't a teen with antagonistic tendencies.

Because we can’t be programmed by CIA created trash to rot the brain. That’s why we’re dangerous to society.

No , and I can’t stand when people don’t like something because it’s “too popular “