i've noticed that from beginning of 2025 (maybe even 2024) there has been an influx of people wanting to be seen as niche, but no one wants to engage with the said niche things. overall, it just comes off as really pretentious. a more concrete example are cinephiles and anime fans, a lot of them pride themselves on knowing less popular works and thus see themselves as better than people who like popular things.
now, to say that people who engage with a medium on a surface level isn't bad would be lying. i think people should watch more obscure things, but there is a limit to how one can and should act. acting like a pretentious asshole over liking niche media just makes you look like an asshole and as a result you basically drive people away from you which i think is a pattern amongst those people
Comments
Displaying 8 of 8 comments ( View all | Add Comment )
annieapplepies
oh my primus.. have i got to tell you about a friend that acts exactly like this... so... SO ANNOYING !!!!!!!!!!! when i try to talk about music or a game, he gets annoyed tells me that he knows it, then calls me some bs like a larp or a newgen... can i.. just.. TALK TO YOU??????????????????????
ultraviolet
literally i just wish people would be themselves and not force themselves to be try-hards because when you truly are enamored with a subject you will intrinsically want to know more about it and that is the thing that makes you not niche, but unique, which is what people are really looking for. plus, the interest is fueled by pure enjoyment. those who mindlessly consume to check boxes will never be on the same level as someone who is in it for the love of the game.
🍋🟩 illicxt 💜
right! I guess people might be like, kinda lazy or too busy to research or something, but what is the point of 'liking' something if you know nothing about it? It really doesn't make sense
Coco ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ
But don’t you think it’s also kind of pretentious to believe that people should engage with darker or more obscure content? Just like it’s annoying when people act superior for consuming more niche media, I think it can be just as annoying to act like there’s something inherently wrong with only engaging with the more surface-level aspects of something, or that people have to go beyond that.
I understand the sentiment, because people like that really have permeated pretty much every area of entertainment imaginable; books, TV shows, movies, games, anime, and so on. And I do agree that there can be something frustrating about people wanting to be perceived as knowledgeable or niche without actually engaging with the things they claim to be interested in. But I think taking the opposite approach and assuming that everyone should explore more obscure or “deeper” content can also become pretty pretentious and, honestly, a little harmful. People can enjoy a medium in whatever way they want, even if they only interact with its more popular or superficial aspects.
I don't think it's pretentious to encourage people to think more deeply about the media they claim to enjoy. How can it be harmful?
by Andrew; ; Report
i think you thought of what OP meant wrongly, they prolly meant like if you want to show others that you like a certain something, you should do research on it, because thats what people do... when they like something... you know.... (basically just not pretending you like something duhh come on)
by 🍋🟩 illicxt 💜; ; Report
i didnt mean it in that way, as other replies said i merely meant that if you claim to like a medium then you should go a bit above just surface level knowledge of it
by amber; ; Report
obviously people can enjoy a medium however they like, but if they truly enjoy it then shouldnt it be a given for them to see what it truly offers by looking into more obscure stuff? thats what i was thinking of when writing that
by amber; ; Report