I cannot describe the visceral level of aversion I have to mainstream shit. It doesn’t matter if the show is the best thing on earth, if the general public knows about it (And I don’t mean the internet I mean the general public) then I refuse to watch or partake in it. I have no idea why and it genuinely kills me to be like this and I have no idea why.
It prevents me from joining most fandoms nowadays unless the fandom is super niche. Things like Hotel Hazbin, Star Wars, The Office, K-pop (in general), Kpop Demon Hunters, most popular anime… WHY. WHY AM I LIKE THIS?? Is anyone else like this? Even people just mentioning “Oh yeah I love One Piece, you should watch it sometimes” makes me go “Oh fuck nah I’m good” as if the damn show was a personal insult. I feel like a stuck-up prick when I do this but I genuinely can’t control it, why???
Not as strongly as you, but yes, I have a strong aversion to popular media. I didnt used to be that way but somewhere in my adulthood that changed (I’m 45 now).
The more people try to sell me on a show, game, movie etc the less I want to interact with it. I still dont have a solid reason for why but there’s a few ideas (for me at least): 1 I don’t like watching stuff WITH people as I feel self conscious that they will be watching me and my reactions. 2 I’m not interested in discussing the things I enjoy with others. I just dont participate in Fandoms. I just want to take in the experiences and enjoy them for what they are. 3 People recommending stuff can take a really pushy turn and it can become a prickly topic if you don’t take their advice (whether you asked for it or not). 4 Fans can zealously hype their media and create expectations that aren’t lived up to in the consumption. Just comes down to we like that we like and it’s not the same for everyone.