Why are a lot of bronies socially awkward?

[Paleopony 701]

I know that the majority of bronies have good social lives but I've noticed that there are many bronies that have trouble socializing with people in real life, including me. Why do you think that is? This is not meant to be offensive, I'm genuinely curious.

[Pandora 38,040]

Because they like things others would consider childish maybe ; / many have a troubled past

[Paleopony 701]

24 minutes ago, Pandora said:

Because they like things others would consider childish maybe ; / many have a troubled past

Good point. Maybe non bronies perceive them as such because they like a little girls cartoon.

[Lord Chin Chin 1,209]

I guess because its a very friendly and accepting community, from what i can tell, so they would feel more comfortable here 😋

[Paleopony 701]

1 minute ago, Tweek said:

I guess because its a very friendly and accepting community, from what i can tell, so they would feel more comfortable here 😋

That's why I'm here, no doubt about it!

[Pandora 38,040]

32 minutes ago, Paleopony said:

Good point. Maybe non bronies perceive them as such because they like a little girls cartoon.

Yeah, it’s not something most feel comfy with tbh 

[Flying Pencil 3,024]

Maybe because out of fear of judgement by other people for liking MLP. 

[AppleButt 8,675]

Well I personally don’t like to socialize due to the constant anxiety of saying something weird or stupid that’ll turn people away from me.  I just happen to be a brony, but I’m shy even within the fandom too.  I feel less judged here though, and the people are friendly so that’s why I stick around. 

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

Considering MLP is mainly oriented towards children, I'd say the most common cause may be related with an absence of emotional development in these individuals, which can happen for a multitude of reason. Causing impairments to socialize with people of the same age, due to the childish state of their psyche. At least, that is my personal case.

[Tom Gallagher 33,588]

I was always socially awkward before I became a brony so there’s nothing new there. 

[Fluttershutter 2,456]

I think the question is more accurately "Why are a lot of socially awkward people bronies?"

Socially awkward people tend to be a lot more interested in hobbies and media than people who spend all their time socializing.

[Evil Pink One 13,506]

9 hours ago, Paleopony said:

I know that the majority of bronies have good social lives but I've noticed that there are many bronies that have trouble socializing with people in real life, including me. Why do you think that is? This is not meant to be offensive, I'm genuinely curious.

Not really....

[EpicEnergy 23,218]

There is not answer to that because it is incorrect to attribute one's hobby or association with social awkwardness.

[TotallyNotGrogar 11]

I woudn't consider myself socially akward, although I'm not the most outgoing person either. I think that if you deep dive into any hobby that's big enough, you'll find a subset of socially akward people. I don't think it's something that can be attributed to liking something in particular as it is just coincidence that given a large enough sample size, some people will have certain matching personality traits.

Of course there are activities that tend to draw certain people more than others, but I would consider social akwardness to be something inherent to a person, regardless of their interests, something that has to be worked out individually.

[Paleopony 701]

I honestly think a large subset of bronies are autistic. People who study fandoms have shown that there is a greater percentage of autistic people involved in fandoms than the general public. I think this is because 1. autistic people tend to have very strong interests, and 2. they find it easier to socialize with people who share their interests.

[J.J 923]

On 2021-09-02 at 12:49 PM, Lord Chin Chin said:

I guess because its a very friendly and accepting community, from what i can tell, so they would feel more comfortable here 😋

I wish that were completely true, but I myself can attest to having a hard time fitting in, even in the brony community... When I was in highschool I had lots of "friends", but most ppl don't come to the conclusion that toxic yes men that just want to use you and look more relevant aren't "friends" in the slightest, they just need a place to fall out and "look cool doing so".. I think everyone is inherently a little bit "narcissistic" it's just natural to focus on your own problems, your own comfort, your own priorities as it is human, but the weird ego clash I've got from certain "bronies" was very unpredictable and completely unseen... I was never using this fandom for any kind of personal gain, I genuinely fell in love with this show... I already had "social acceptance", I already had ppl I could talk to in real life, I got the chance to rethink the sentiments of friendship, and what they truly mean to me, ESPECIALLY after my experience with MLP, over the course of the past 10 years... But there are bronies that want to "test the validity of your fan hood, bc they seem to live for their obsession and can't fathom that anyone outside of their stereotypical arch types could share that obsession, or even take it further than them... I just remember after the concert at bronycon 2017, I had made "some friends", and had a good time with ppl I had knew before, but I basically was sitting there all alone, nobody to talk to, the only thing I got were mean mugs, nobody reached out or tried to say a word to me, I had danced with some ppl during the concert, but at this point, I couldn't see any familiar faces, it went over until like 2-3am... A lot of bronies are cynical, a lot of them are nostalgia driven toxic neckbeards... And I don't say that to be rude, it's like, some ppl just want certain ppl to be an outsider, bc it makes them feel more important by making themselves look exclusive... A lot of bronies are judgmental, assuming, and way to competitive in regards to something that is supposed to inspire friendships among various different kinds of individuals, it's like differing opinions sometimes bring out the WORST in this fandom, bring things back to 2016 when loving Starlight Glimmer could start up a witch hunt against you...lol