We worry about losing data. Obsolete file formats, dead hard drives, websites that vanish—it’s a real problem. But what if the bigger danger isn’t that we’ll lose information, but that we’ll preserve the wrong version of it? Society has unprecedented access to information, yet people don’t know how to use it. Worse, they don’t know how to tell what was true.
The Digital Dark Ages aren’t just about corrupted files. They’re about how technology is reshaping human connection—and not always for the better. Not just because data disappears, but because misinformation spreads faster than facts. Brandolini’s Law—also called the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle—says it takes way more energy to refute nonsense than to create it. That asymmetry is why false narratives stick, especially in fan communities where emotions run high. Once a fan theory or myth gets internalised, correcting it is nearly impossible.
Media scholar Siva Vaidhyanathan puts it plainly: “We are in an epistemic crisis. Our communication infrastructure now rewards the loud, the manipulative, the performative.” That crisis isn’t coming. It’s here. And it’s changing how my community interacts—and how I do my work.
This post is adapted from my doctorate research on the intersection of religiosity and fandom.