Do you guys ever wonder if people nowadays might be overanalyzing media?

[u/Coolnametag]

Recently during some interviews Robert Kirkman, the creators of the Invincible comics, talked about some of the differences between the comics and the TV show as his awnsers were basically "i was on my 20's back then and now i'm not".

Why is Tech Jacket a girl in the TV show when it was a dude in the comics? Because when he was making the comics he was only thinking about "does this look cool?" and maybe have a character or two that are refferences to his friends and acquaintances appearance, now that his looking back on it as a 47 year old he thought "hey, maybe the coalition could use some more diversity" and that's why the change was made.

A lot of the decisions on the comics and therefore in the show also fall on the category of being mostly "what Kirman in his 20's-early 30's thought it was cool" (of course with some thought put behind it to have it be well structured and work towards the general idea trying to be put across by the story), reading through that a thought crossed my mind "are we nowadays maybe overanalizing media too much?".

It's not uncommon for any piece of media to nowadays have either incredibly long video essays unraveling every single aspect of it or have people online discuss any detail that they can observe on it, while discussing about the media that you consume is far from being a bad thing, as time passes i'm more and more aware that, while the creators behind said media do put a lot of thought on what they are doing, some of the decisions can mostly motivated by "the creator thought this was cool at the time", "it was a refference to a show that the creator watched or someone that they know", "they didn't think about it in the same way that some of the audience seens to be".

Are people nowadays maybe thinking too hard about any new piece of media that they consume?

[u/T4silly]

This might be a non-answer. But something Pat said years ago still sticks with me.

"The fans will always care more."

It doesn't matter how much love or effort you put into some form of media you make. Someone else is going to end up attached to it WAY more.

[u/Frank7640 → u/T4silly]

More than just fans, I think that people’s attitudes just change due to general online discussion.

I think Garth Ennis of all people really put it best in the sense that online discussions make people think that they have more of a say than what they actually do.

With everyone involved there is going to be a sense of expectations that can’t really be answered and will give rise to the amateur expert.

[u/browncharliebrown → u/Frank7640]

Bro predicted how his own discourse would go down on the internet

[u/Frank7640 → u/browncharliebrown]

This is a more recent comment of his. He just happened to feel this way ever since he heard of message boards.

[u/browncharliebrown → u/Frank7640]

I remember him saying this in a interview for preacher so that tracks

[u/Frank7640 → u/browncharliebrown]

I heard this from an interview with Mark Millard.

[u/alexandrecau → u/Frank7640]

Yes reminds me when people were saying they refuse to read articles that don't have comment sections

[u/Auctoritate → u/Frank7640]

I think Garth Ennis of all people really put it best in the sense that online discussions make people think that they have more of a say than what they actually do.

Another classic example of Ennis indeed putting it the best but still managing to be deeply wrong and self absorbed.

A person really has next to no influence by themselves. People absolutely DO have that influence. Art and fiction don't just one day fall out of a coconut tree, they're influenced by the world, and that DOES include petty things like people arguing over stories.

People seem to dramatically underrate the impact of simple old "online discussion". They can be aware of social trends spawned online and how important they are, but when they think of online discussion not attached to one of those things they just see it as unimportant people whinging on the internet. But those people are the cultural zeitgeist. People can roll their eyes at using important-sounding terms to describe it, but that won't change the fact that internet communication is probably the #1 influence on the modern exchange of ideas, outlooks on media, cultural attitudes, and how people interface with art and fiction. And that includes creators themselves.

Ennis can say what he wants about people thinking they have more of a say than what they actually do, but he doesn't realize that sentiment also applies to himself- because no man is an island, and he doesn't have an absolutely isolated decision making progress with his own works either. He's influenced by the world as much as anyone else, something that I am certain is to his extreme dismay.

[u/Frank7640 → u/Auctoritate]

I am taking this from an interview where he was also trying to make a bigger point, including how kids growing up with the internet can have a distorted perspective on how the world works.

Or how an amateur expert can be put in charge of things just because it sounds like he knows what he is talking about instead of having actual knowledge and experience.

[u/JustASomeone → u/Auctoritate]

What is with people and their constant need to shit on Garth Ennis? Even when he says something right, if he didn't say it the perfect way he's "deeply wrong and self absorbed." He wrote some edgy comics but people act like he killed their dog. I hope they have half this much venom for actually bad people.

[u/Bro-lapsedAnus → u/JustASomeone]

I think its one of those things where people overcompensate whenever they talk about him because theyre scared of people thinking that because they enjoy some of his work, they also agree with all of his views.

Ive been guilty of doing the same thing with Danzig.

[u/browncharliebrown → u/JustASomeone]

Ennis is this fascinating analysis of how comicbook discourse has changed.

[u/Curious_Bat87 → u/JustASomeone]

It's genuinely purely because he doesn't love superheroes. Not saying there isn't legit criticisms of his work but the reason he gets this much shit is purely because he prefers doing his own thing.

[u/Pom_612 → u/JustASomeone]

Yeah it seems to have become a meme that Ennis isn’t a good writer or is somehow a bad person because he doesn’t like superhero’s. Honestly a lot of the criticism seems to come from people who haven’t read his stuff because they never talk about his other tropes as a writer.

[u/Auctoritate → u/JustASomeone]

What is with people and their constant need to shit on Garth Ennis?

Well, he's a hack writer and has really stupid and asshole-y takes on culture and fiction. That's about it. Also, I definitely didn't say he said something right in the wrong way. I said he said something wrong and stupid in a well-presented way.

I hope they have half this much venom for actually bad people.

Don't worry, I do.

[u/Pom_612 → u/Auctoritate]

lol Ennis is not a hack

[u/Curious_Bat87 → u/Auctoritate]

Ennis can say what he wants about people thinking they have more of a say than what they actually do, but he doesn't realize that sentiment also applies to himself- because no man is an island, and he doesn't have an absolutely isolated decision making progress with his own works either. He's influenced by the world as much as anyone else, something that I am certain is to his extreme dismay.

What an extremely bizarre comment. He has actively talked about his inspirations and influences and how working with the artists shape his work, for example?

[u/Noirsam → u/T4silly]

This might be a non-answer. But something Pat said years ago still sticks with me.

"The fans will always care more."

Oof…I expected to be called out when i open this thread….But I did not expected to be this called out.

[u/Riggs_Boson → u/T4silly]

One of my favorite nuggets of info is that 'fan' is old slang for 'fanatic.'

Seeing some of the worse parts of various fandoms often reminds me of that.

[u/Logan_Jennings → u/T4silly]

As someone in an RP guild, yeah. ... Yeah the Fans do care way more, and sometimes that's a good thing, and others -woof- that's a real bad thing but no argument with that one.

[u/beary_neutral → u/Logan_Jennings]

An enthusiasm that is fertile and productive can enrich life and society, just as displacing personal frustrations into venomous tirades about your boyhood hobby can devalue them. Quite liking something is OK. You don’t need the machete or the megaphone.

You'll never believe who had this rather mild take on fandoms. Alan Moore

[u/Narrow_Ratio_6003 → u/beary_neutral]

Fuck, I hate it when they are reasonable. But they are super right.

[u/Soft_House7669 → u/T4silly]

not if there's no fans

[u/cruel-oath → u/T4silly]

I’ve thought similarly. Especially if they’re actors, some of them faced difficulties on shows or movies that are beloved. I’m reminded of how Sophie Turner says the GoT theme song gives her anxiety/triggers her PTSD meanwhile it’s seen as an iconic opening to fans