I mentioned this in my previous reply to you, but those spam comments have been around for at least a decade at this point (and I can back it up with experiences from my friend, who has been doing fanfic since around 2005). FF.Net has steadily dropped users since their ban on explicit/taboo content back in the mid-late 2000s. I remember back in 2012, it was still relatively active, but having looked there for fics during these past few years, I've noticed less and less. I think, honestly, it's not active users leaving, but more that fandoms lose their popularity on FF.Net as those fandoms gain traction on here.
Also, TikTok and Twitter have been making a shit ton of content centered around AO3 and fanfics in general. The recent boom with Heated Rivalry has really brought even MORE attention, so the spambots are coming in absolute droves now compared to, say, 2024.
Commenting culture has changed significantly since I started fanfic. I think part of it stems from users being too afraid to comment for various reasons, or feeling they won't be appreciated by the author if the author hasn't responded to comments. Of course, I don't blame some of these authors, as I've seen (and gotten) those "this is so good, I hope you don't [insert pseudo fun insult here]" comments, and they turn me off from responding to comments. TikTok (yes, I'm mentioning it again, sue me LOL) has really changed how commenting works, and it sucks donkey balls.
Fandom and fanfic as a whole are going in a really different direction, but I get the feeling that once the bots get taken care of and tickets about content that goes against TOS finally get fucking answered, the pendulum will swing and we'll zoom back to how it was before. Maybe. I dunno, don't quote me on that, I can be a bit delusional LOL. I'm so fed up with this bot shit, it's unbelievable. Something needs to happen, and I want to see it happen.
Comment on February 2026 Newsletter, Volume 208
Hakvrei Thu 05 Mar 2026 06:17PM UTC
Comment Actions