Are We Slowly Succumbing To Easy Content Brainrot? (Totally Legit Topic)

[Reitisen]

Alright this is something you all probably have dealt with and talked about. Every Touhou fan has seen that person talk about the Western side being not that dedicated to making Touhou content and or is less dedicated to appreciating good content.

I feel like this is part of a deeper problem, maybe something dealing with the way the internet has changed the way most people grew up with consuming content. Tons of content on the internet is mostly just brain food with bright colors and or provoking material (Some edgy crap, and or sex appeal bait) 

Now here is the point. I feel like Western content in general is burning me out. I've seen everything from the darkest pits of the internet to the general tip of it. Now I feel like I've wasted my time as all of it was designed to prevent people from actually having a conversation and act like mindless machines who are driven by instinct for high-quality short form content and or constantly trying to be a dipshit to others for a reaction and or generally stupid takes because their parents never loved them.

 ( °□°) ︵ ┻━┻

"Take It Easy!" I CAN'T, GODDAMN IT! Everywhere I go, I see some crappy meme with a Fumo getting more attention than doujins. You know about Rick Rolls? "NO, NOT THE JAPANESE GOBLIN! IM BEGGING YOU!"  "We are Japanese Goblin!" "AUGGHHH!" "AMONGUS, AMONGUS WHERE? AMONGUS IN YOUR GODDAMN EYES" *Sound effect cues*

"Hey Mister!" "Want a Sprite Cranberry?" STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH" 

Okay that's all. :SaguDown:

 

[The_Trader]

I mean, you arent wrong

But honestly, as I say, we do live in a TikTok era where short and often nonsensical content is preferred because it gives that instant.... Uh what did you call it? Nevermind I will just call this it instant gratification

 

[CountVonNumenor]

This is actually quite an interesting topic. I've been thinking quite a bit about it recently, and sometimes, I feel like this brain-rot might be real, just to a different degree from one person to another. Heck, had it not been about myself starting to question it, most likely I wouldn't have thought about bringing up my most recent topic of discussion (even if it is mostly a recycled text from an older thread just put separately and with some sparkling images for greater emphasis) 

 

[nitorii]

tbh I can ignore this kinda stuff just fine but nowadays it's so common to have this kinda content (not just for touhou, but anything) that your options are to simply pretend it doesn't exist, consume it (moderately) or ignore it

the most touhou content I consume is fumo related stuff (good videos) or MMDs which generally have a lot more effort put into them than a random ass "mommy" touhou vid

 

[CountVonNumenor]

tbh I can ignore this kinda stuff just fine but nowadays it's so common to have this kinda content (not just for touhou, but anything) that your options are to simply pretend it doesn't exist, consume it (moderately) or ignore it

Last time I decided to tackle the topic inside of a Touhou community (big mistake on my side), it ended up like this...

https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/w25e90/why_is_touhou_so_popular_in_terms_of_mature/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Unless we were actually talking about any kind of Touhou-related thing that can become obnoxious 

 

[The_Trader]

This is actually quite an interesting topic. I've been thinking quite a bit about it recently, and sometimes, I feel like this brain-rot might be real, just to a different degree from one person to another. Heck, had it not been about myself starting to question it, most likely I wouldn't have thought about bringing up my most recent topic of discussion (even if it is mostly a recycled text from an older thread just put separately and with some sparkling images for greater emphasis) 

Niel Postmans Amusing Ourselves to Death is a great book if you ever wanted to explore the topic in detail.
His book may have been written in a era where the computer has still in its infancy, but its topic are a quite interesting critique of Television which- if you want a basic idea -prioritizes present and decontextualized content

 

[TheM3ds]

As someone who has been using the internet since my childhood, been exposed to both the good and bad aspects of the internet. I grew up watching flash cartoons and YTP's and some other old YouTube videos many years age, though when I reached my teens I felt like my reached my YouTube brain-rot phase and it only grew worse as I reached adulthood (maybe), I tried to limit my viewing of most videos on the internet but even I still waste my time with them, I've seen a lot of videos, from the tip of the iceberg to the obscure and niche to even creepy and uncanny (during high-school at least) videos at times. Anyways I wish I can say more but I can't think of anything else. I know this isn't Touhou related but I though I would share my brain-rot experience with y'all.

Fart Extra Reverb

 

[Nyoko]

This brain-rot functions like a disease, really. Tiktok is just the newest variant of it. And like any disease, there are ways to counter it.
Though I wouldn't know how to deal with the current epidemic... Except maybe internet quarantine? How would that even work?
As someone who consumed a copious amount of Youtube and still continues to do so to a lesser extent, You can see the timeline of slowly degrading attention spans in the content of the most popular youtubers... I believe.
Hell, I believe there are studies that show the decrease in attention spans from 12 to 8 seconds, so there are actual consequences to this disease which we collectively call brain-rot.

As the person above me did, there is a way for people suffering Brain-rot to recover from it and some mentalities (in my experience) are completely immune to it.

 

[hades]

I'd say yes people don't want to put efort in things but just receive instant gratification/dopamine rush of course the worst ofendant of it is non chinese tik tok (chinese version mainly have DIY trivia or different good advices trending but western have  the dumbest sort of easy enterntaiment), yet we cannot blame content creators beceasu they are creating what people want to see and are trying to one-up the previous trend trying to get spotlight for themselves even though it is by adding more stimuli for human brain causing it to have shorter attention span for less stimulating content (it is one of the reasons the "old entertainment" is dying)

Even earlier people had acces to things cousing shorter attention span but now geting it is a lot easier.

So in short people don't want to chalenge and just want to get the reward

 

[Yumetou]

I don't think its a secret I work too much. Its one of my biggest obstacles for getting into new hobbies. Its hard to find time to read manga or get into a series when your 9-5 goes 9-9. Half the time I don't even get breaks. On days like that, nothing lifts my heart quite like a fumo video. There's an innocence and simplicity to them I enjoy (and the comments section usually laughs at my jokes which is a plus). Not to mention you don't need to be a lore nerd to understand much of the humor which helps with getting normies to watch. 'Haha pink haired doll hungry dolls can't eat spaghetti!'

That said, yeah. Its hard to find decent english fan material. The other day there was a dude in chat who wanted to know if there was any English animated Touhou series worth seeing. He'd seen Little Reimu and its sequel and didn't care for KKHTA. I happened to have stumbled on an animation weeks before of an animated Touhou picturebook for children. It was a beautiful thing. Quality art, unique style, good jokes, sentimental but not saccharine, animated and translated from Japanese.

It got 25k views on Youtube. Less than a lot of videos about funny plushies, loli sex tourists or fishimg rods. This person had poured a massive amount of effort into reaching Westerners with a quality video and it got totally upstaged. They only made one other video. It got about 16k views. Meanwhile 'What if your favorite anime girl was evil and had the crazy' has dozens of references in videos with much higher viewcounts. Much less KKHTA itself.

It takes a lot to make a quality product. Be that an animation, doujin or game. Finding time alone can be a challenge. But nothing burns quite as much as throwing in so much work and make something good. Only for no one to care. But trust me. Someone will. It just sometimes takes awhile.

 

[Hikiko Hime]

It takes a lot to make a quality product. Be that an animation, doujin or game. Finding time alone can be a challenge. But nothing burns quite as much as throwing in so much work and make something good. Only for no one to care. But trust me. Someone will. It just sometimes takes awhile.

Haha maybe we should just create the content ourselves.

No really, that line by Yumetou was rather inspiring. Geez way to go. Now I wanna make content lol.

Anyway, we can make something, with each of us contributing what we may and make the content we all believe is lacking. After all, isn't this where the best fanworks have come from? The desire to add more to the Gensokyo they already love?

Regardless of how 'good' or 'bad' it does, we would be adding the things we like. Rather than the mentality of being the next big thing, we do it for fun. We could become serious about it or not.

I'm semi-serious about that idea. If anyone is seriously considering what I said, even if for fun, I'd be up to discuss it. I wouldn't know what I can contribute myself beyond 'wanting it to happen' but hey you never know I might have some hidden awesome ability  and maybe some of you do too if you don't already have an ability you're known for!

 

Niel Postmans Amusing Ourselves to Death is a great book if you ever wanted to explore the topic in detail.
His book may have been written in a era where the computer has still in its infancy, but its topic are a quite interesting critique of Television which- if you want a basic idea -prioritizes present and decontextualized content

...Oh yea this is about brainrot lol. Um well, a lot was said but this one caught my eye so maybe the 'cure' is things that do the opposite such as "prioritizing the past/future and contextualize content" instead and seek a place that does so?

In fact Books come to mind as the anti YT/tiktok/TV/etc.

 

 

[Nyoko]

In fact Books come to mind as the anti YT/tiktok/TV/etc.

Well then, the fact that the school system makes the new generation dislike books by forcing them to read books with a time limit, thus disallowing a full meditation on the subjects discussed, would not help the fight against brain-rot. I personally know of myself that whatever is popular in my home country is extremely likely to be something I hate with every single fibre of my being. With very few exceptions.

The fact that it has a time limit is especially damaging to my own style of meditation on any given subject, as I like to reach my full conclusion on it before reading further. I also cross-reference the newfound conclusion I reached with other similar ones I reached earlier to see if there are any other subjects I can apply such a philosophy to to speed up future reading and or meditation. And I have a limited amount of meditation space, making any reading I do be whenever I don't have any meditation to do. Leading to me basically never reading as the time limit would also still be enforced due to loaning.

In essence, because I take my sweet time thinking about the philosophical nature of the books I read, or the philosophical nature I see the books use, I stress about meditating on the subject faster, which makes it slower, that then means that I essentially give up on actually reading the book due to the loan. I have thus completely given up on reading what I do not own.

I'm semi-serious about that idea. If anyone is seriously considering what I said, even if for fun, I'd be up to discuss it. I wouldn't know what I can contribute myself beyond 'wanting it to happen' but hey you never know I might have some hidden awesome ability  and maybe some of you do too if you don't already have an ability you're known for!

...Perhaps if you throw an idea in the ring we could perhaps put up a topic on Eientei or wherever it would best fit as a start. In fact, there was a little short story in Gensokyo I made just for fun. Though I am going to have to dig around for it. Maybe that could be a baseline?

 

[Rina_]

what a big problem heh

sometime ago i was trying to find more western touhou content on youtube and it's just the same thing about fumos, animations and stuff. i actually did found some good videos, even ones in my mother language, but it isn't enough

as someone above said, this isn't only for touhou, but for internet content as a whole. 

maybe create our own content wouldn't be a bad idea, as other person above said

i was actually thinking about writing a fanfic about the prismriver sisters but i'm just too lazy to do it

my comment wasn't completely touhou-related but that's it

 

[Hikiko Hime]

Well then, the fact that the school system makes the new generation dislike books by forcing them to read books with a time limit, thus disallowing a full meditation on the subjects discussed, would not help the fight against brain-rot.

So then the brain rot is intentional, is what you're saying? Also, even if they did let you read at your pace, the book selection is generally not what students want to read or there are elitist faculty and staff that believe 'comics' or 'light novels' or other 'non-classical' books to count as books/reading. But yea it's odd that learning is made un-fun, but then things like YT/social media/etc. are so easy to access.

It's like healthy food vs junk food. Books would be like veggies which are good for you, but most students prefer the candy and snacks as they taste yummier, are easier to wolf down, generally more inexpensive in terms of bulk/money and because of their lack of nutritional value, the body is still 'hungry' and wont stop craving it.

..Perhaps if you throw an idea in the ring we could perhaps put up a topic on Eientei or wherever it would best fit as a start. In fact, there was a little short story in Gensokyo I made just for fun. Though I am going to have to dig around for it. Maybe that could be a baseline?

Sounds great! I'll DM you and we can discuss it in detail.

 

i was actually thinking about writing a fanfic about the prismriver sisters but i'm just too lazy to do it

Like with working out, maybe you need a 'spotter' to help you out and motivate you? Some people are willing to work out and genuinely get fit/healthy but can only really be motivated to do so with another. They help each other out, making sure that they don't neglect their goals and such.

Also prismrivers have a lot of potential often being the first ones you think of regarding music/sound and being the only group of 3 siblings as the dynamic between 2 siblings vs 3 siblings is very different (most sibling pairings in Touhou are 2). They can also work with Mystia/Kyouko to form a band lol.

 

[Rina_]

Like with working out, maybe you need a 'spotter' to help you out and motivate you? Some people are willing to work out and genuinely get fit/healthy but can only really be motivated to do so with another. They help each other out, making sure that they don't neglect their goals and such.

Also prismrivers have a lot of potential often being the first ones you think of regarding music/sound and being the only group of 3 siblings as the dynamic between 2 siblings vs 3 siblings is very different (most sibling pairings in Touhou are 2). They can also work with Mystia/Kyouko to form a band lol.

i actually already have the plot (something related specially to Layla and the other 3), and another one related to the Hifuu Club i just need to start writing, which it's easy to me sometimes but then i think the text is horrible. anyway, thanks for giving me some advice and actually making me want to write :)

 

[Hikiko Hime]

i just need to start writing, which it's easy to me sometimes but then i think the text is horrible.

The way I see it: "The only truly horrible story is the one never written."

Thinking that it's 'bad' just means you know it can improve and you want it to improve and it will improve if you keep at it! Let's try our best!

I'd love to hear more about these stories! My DMS are open for that whenever you're up to it!

thanks for giving me some advice and actually making me want to write :)

You're very welcome! I look forward to it!

 

[Rina_]

The way I see it: "The only truly horrible story is the one never written."

Thinking that it's 'bad' just means you know it can improve and you want it to improve and it will improve if you keep at it! Let's try our best!

that is so true... thanks again!

I'd love to hear more about these stories! My DMS are open for that whenever you're up to it!

You're very welcome! I look forward to it!

sure! i'll get in touch if i need something!