Interview six - part one: caroline

In this interview, we asked two twitter users to share their opinions regarding stan twitter. 

This is Caroline's opinion on the toxicity of stan twitter

​Question one:  As drama and forms of toxicity are inevitable, do you believe that the levels of it vary between different fandoms? If comfortable sharing, have you been in situations, even if from a distance, where something had gotten out of hand?  
I do think that the level of toxicity varies between fandoms. Each fandom has its own culture. Some of these fandom cultures thrive on adopting a "rude" or sassy persona and picking fights with people, starting drama, or hating on other artists. I will say that, in my own experience of being an Ariana Grande and Troye Sivan Stan, Arianators thrive a lot more on drama and toxicity than Troye stans do (That was until recently lmao). This definitely isn't speaking for all Arianators, as many of them are very genuinely nice and caring people. However, there have been some instances where I've posted a picture of myself or a video of myself dancing and someone has made a rude comment about my height or my baby face. A more common occurrence is when I post an opinion and Ariana stand who disagree call me "tasteless" or tell me to delete my tweet.

Question two: Is it better to publicly confront someone regarding any controversy they were involved with, or take it up with them privately? Say for example, someone tweeted something controversial on their private spam account versus their main, would that change the stakes?
I think that, unless the other person has done something really bad, like posted something blatantly hateful towards yourself or someone else, then you should always take it up with them privately through DM. I don't think it's right to bring other people into your own drama.I do think that the stakes are slightly different on a private spam account versus a public account. Since the following is smaller and usually made up of close friends on a spam account, it's okay to be a little bit more open and perhaps "controversial" on these accounts because your followers know your humor/personality and are less likely to take everything you take seriously. However, I don't think it's okay to just post whatever on social media, even on spam. People should always think before they post, because it could always come back to bite them later.

Question three: Something I’ve personally learned, is that making someone’s day and breaking it take the same effort. Almost none. This in mind, do you think it’s significant to consider the person’s feelings and circumstances off the screen whilst responding to them? How could someone’s mental health be impacted by the way we interact with them online?   
I think we should always be considerate towards other people when responding to them, because we never know what problems or insecurities they may be facing in real life. Even when someone is blatantly mean to me, I always respond with something like "we all have our own opinions" or "sorry you feel that way". I stand my ground, of course, but I try not to resort to low insults. I believe that a lot of bullying sprouts from insecurity, so I don't want to make that insecurity worse. Plus there's a certain pleasure in knowing that you were the bigger person in an argument.

Question four: Sometimes it’s healthier to leave someone to resolve their actions on their own instead of reaching out or unnecessarily bringing more people into it, which could potentially exacerbate a situation. Playing with someone’s feelings online for the laughs is deplorable. Do you think this is true?  
  I definitely agree that publicly shaming or humiliating someone online for the sake of personal enjoyment is disgraceful. Fandom is supposed to be a community so it makes me sad and honestly disgusted to see members of the same fandom turning against each other. Like I said in response to a previous question, I think it's better to deal with arguments and confrontations in a private sphere rather than bring other people into them.​

Question five: On a lighter note, the support of one another seen in all fandoms and communities on Twitter is heartwarming. With our potential, there’s so much more we can create besides drama. This starts easily! What are suggestions or little ways to improve the stan twitter environment? 
​I truly believe that despite certain elements of toxicity, like drama or bullying, Stan twitter is overall a beautiful and supportive community. I've made so many friends have gained confidence from the amount of people hyping me up whenever I post pictures of myself. I'm grateful for the friendships and bonds I've formed here. I think that, above all else, we need to remember that fandom is a community. We're all here because of a love/passion for something. We are brought together into fandoms by a common love for a particular artist. I think we should focus on this love and community aspect instead of turning against one another. If we remember that we're all here for the same reason and focus on enjoying the music, then we can all enjoy a beautiful and welcoming environment here on stan twitter.
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