Whether it's a fully scripted essay video or a tiktok slideshow rant, you've probably seen some form of media criticism before. But lateley, media criticism has felt more like people forcing their opinions on others through the guise of it being criticism, and less like... actual criticism. if you dont understand what i mean, just keep reading- you'll get it eventually, i promise.

first i want to cover my bases here: i am pro media-criticism. i am all for media criticism. i have nothing against media criticism... when it comes from a sense of good faith. in the last year or so, there has been a recent rise of media criticism that's meant in bad (read: the worst possible) faith, which is where i draw the line.

a lot of media criticism isnt done for the sake of analysis or writing advice anymore, it's done to justify antagonizing people who like things the critic dislikes. people will nitpick a story they didnt enjoy to find a mildly iffy aspect of the story to use as reason to claim that it's inherently "problematic" and claim anyone who enjoys the story is inherently problematic too. hence where the phrase "it's just a book" pulls its roots: you dont have to (and shouldnt!!) be upset over someone else's personal feelings about any piece of media just because they dont align with your own. obviously, there is no piece of media that isnt worth critism of some kind, but theres a difference between criticism and nitpicking for the sake of virtue signaling. your personal distaste of something doesnt make someone a morally worse person than you for enjoying it at all, and that pattern of black-and-white thinking is dangerous.

additionally, a point i see a lot of people mention when told that jumping to a conclusion like "you like the same story i hate, so you're a bad person" is maybe not the most normal conclusion to come to is that it's always "just an opinion."like i said earlier, this form of opinion is a really dangerous mentality to have, and even if it isnt.... if you can acknowledge that you disliking that piece of media is simply just your opinion, then youve already explained why it's not cool to say that people disagreeing with you is a sign they're morally bankrupt. if it's just an opinion, it doesnt reflect your or anyone else's morality at all, so why do you insist it does? better yet people act like you're brainwashed for not believing that that evil edgy piece of (usually children's) media is brianless slop that was made to rot ones' brains... i hate to break it to yall but putting "slop" at the end of an adjective that describes that thing doesnt make your dislike of that thing any more valid or important than someones enjoyment.

to conclude, the last thing i wanna say is that of course, there will be some examples of media that are in fact red flags to enjoy (daddy's little toy being a great example)... but at the end of the day, nine times out of ten, it really is just a book, and you dont have to force a moral reason to dislike it.