Is the fandom dying?

[FoaMi 23]

I recently came back from a 2-3 year break from ponies. Back then, there were content creators posting monthly, you could see ponies on every website on almost every page, etc. Nowadays, I can't even find any of the original content creators making pony content. My question is: Is the fandom dying?

[Untitled Goose Q 5,136]

The fandom isn't dying, no. I think it's shrunk a little, as fandoms do, and many content creators have moved on- they cant keep making the same stuff forever- but no, it's not dying.

[Moonlight 7,279]

@

 

As this thread discusses the fandom, it's been moved to Sugarcube Corner.

 

Have a nice day!

[GeekySonic 1,150]

I doubt it ever will. People will always come and go. Content creators can't keep producing pony content forever. Maybe they run out of ideas, find other things to do, or move on in their careers.

 

The fandom isn't as prominent, but there will always be someone making fan art, music, fiction, etc. Even if in less than 10 years it wears down to just a few thousand people, there will always be someone.

 

The content creators may leave, but someone will still be around to appreciate the community they helped build.

[FoaMi 23]

@

 

As this thread discusses the fandom, it's been moved to Sugarcube Corner.

 

Have a nice day!

Sorry, i didn't know where to put it

[Barpy 2,225]

Nope, i play a lot of games, go alot to youtube, having had a day where someone's picture or name of his profile (comments on youtube, in videogames their profiles) were all with no MLP, i see us everywhere, at least 1/day

 

and the contect creators, some go away, new ones come in

Edited August 21, 2016 by Burpy

[Miss 6,211]

The fandom is not dying. And idk where you're looking but everyday I see new pony content everywhere.

And that was probably because there are more mlp websites now and areas designated on other websites for mlp

[Colt 45 148]

I don't think it's dying really. I think a big reason why bronies are appearing less on places like YouTube comments is because people have stopped making a big fuss about it. Around a year ago, there were lots of flame wars and people complaining about them, but that has seemed to go away lots recently. There are people coming and going lots (I for example started only this spring), but I don't think people are as involved as they were back in 2012/2013.

[Barpy 2,225]

and this can also tell

https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=mlp

https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=my%20little%20pony

[Ironwood 21]

I don't think the fandom is dead. However, I do think it wont grow much further than this. And because of that, with some pony content creators leaving and/or moving on to other things, it would seem that it is slowly shrinking down in size. But I think it will live on for many more years.

[Alex Z 848]

No, the fandom isn't dying it's just not the hottest subject anymore. Right now in terms of shows people are mosty focused on stuff like Rick and Morty, Steven Universe and most recently, Stranger Things. So no, the fandom is not dying. The fandom is still big just not as big as it once was.

[Megas 27,068]

The fandom is always dying, considering how many of these threads pop up every year

[Prospekt 10,984]

The fandom isn't dying, it's just not growing at the rate that it grew a few years ago. It will inevitably shrink after the show ends, but it will probably never completely be gone. Just like there are still people who appreciate cartoons from more than half a century ago, people will likely still hold on to this fandom long after it ends.

 

Plus, what if the bronies of today end up liking G5 of MLP, too? That could spark a whole new "brony revival" fandom.

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

The fandom is always dying, considering how many of these threads pop up every year

Between the "Is the fandom dying?" and "Has the show jumped the shark?" threads this fandom feels like it's always in crisis mode.

[Ember Gleam 167]

Even if the fandom was dying it still makes little to no impact on me. Personally I don't think that the size or popularity of a specific fandom should have that much impact on those who truly enjoy it.  Does not matter if there is one or one million followers, I will enjoy what I enjoy regardless. 

[Discordian 6,013]

Every single year we get a topic exactly like this. Every single year everyone can find a million and one examples why the fandom isn't dying and the topic creator just wasn't looking hard enough.

 

It's bigger than it ever was. The only thing that's really changed is the social acceptance factor. There's a lot less hate thrown around (which, in a way, means less exposure). When they realized that we ain't havin' none of their shit they backed off.

[FizzyGreen 908]

Nowadays, content creators don't get as famous as the first ones. The hype has run its course. But the random isn't dying. Dewd, i thought that like 2 years ago, damn was i wrong! x3

 

You just gotta know, where to look 

[Corgis 574]

It is for sure not as big as it was back a few years ago but it is still alive.  I just started watching MLP a few months ago (so did my brother) so people are replacing some of the ones who are leaving.  The show seems to be going down hill a little bit but the fan base still seems to be doing all right.  Haters are still out there but I think they are becoming fewer as people get fed up with pointless flame wars so that might be giving the impression that ponies are dying down because they are just not being hated on as much anymore.

[That Guy with the CMB 5,872]

Nope - because as long as I'm alive, my massive love for ponies will keep the fandom alive.

[FizzyGreen 908]

Every single year we get a topic exactly like this. Every single year everyone can find a million and one examples why the fandom isn't dying and the topic creator just wasn't looking hard enough.

 

It's bigger than it ever was. The only thing that's really changed is the social acceptance factor. There's a lot less hate thrown around (which, in a way, means less exposure). When they realized that we ain't havin' none of their shit they backed off.

You know, it's always that moment, when you look around and haven't seen much of the fandom for a while or didn't have so much to do with it. You be like "Huh, yeah. Theres not much going on, sadly. It's kind of dead." and out of not-wanting-it-to-be-over you ask around to confirm it's not dead. 

 

I completely understand that way of thinking...

because i would've done it myself back then when i was of the impression it was dead 

[Sunny Shimmer 259]

It will never die as long as there is at least one person out there. Older fans might mellow out a bit but you still have a bunch of new ones that join in to pick up the excitement. 

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

The fandom is past its peak, but not dead or dying. The kind of works we were seeing made back in 2011/2012 aren't being made as often anymore, and there's less mainstream attention towards the fandom now, but it's still very active.

 

Most of the mainstream attention died down mainly because newer and considerably fresher works have come out in the interim between the fandom's peak and the current day. Many of the more casual or creatively-minded members of the fandom moved on to pursue other interests. Nonetheless, it never seems to get dull around here.

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I think the answer to this question sorta depends. There's still tons of fanart coming out of this show daily; on the other hand, some parts of sites like Equestria Daily (at least from what I've observed) seem to have had noticeable dropoffs in activity (this is pure conjecture based on the number of comments in the fan comics/drawfriends section so I could be totally wrong!).

I think a lot of the original creators seem to have stopped making stuff, but there are still lots of fans following in their footsteps and making their own creations.

 

Not to mention that there's no clear definition of what constitutes "dying"- one could mean "getting smaller and smaller" or "virtually silent on the Internet"- whatever.

 

I don't know what's the situation with convention attendance - it seems like around the world there are tons of MLP conventions yearly, but seeing as I've never been to one, I can't gauge how well attendance is doing in that area.

[Rawzy 1,302]

I always thought the mlp fandom was similar to the halo fandom. When you think it's dead....and then out of nowhere somebody remasters all of the halo's, puts it into one game and then releases it for free on pc in 2016....

[Whirlwind 1,048]

I doubt it ever will. People will always come and go. Content creators can't keep producing pony content forever. Maybe they run out of ideas, find other things to do, or move on in their careers.

 

The fandom isn't as prominent, but there will always be someone making fan art, music, fiction, etc. Even if in less than 10 years it wears down to just a few thousand people, there will always be someone.

 

The content creators may leave, but someone will still be around to appreciate the community they helped build.

I agree with you on that one.

And even If the show does not go into another generation. It would probably still be running strong