Question about reccing

[emmagrant01]

Last night, MDH and I went out with charlotteschaos and her hubby to see Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park get MST'd by a comedy troupe. It was hilarious, but I think Char and I giggled the loudest at all the Harry Potter references that were worked in!

And now, I have a question: on another post, some folks are talking about reccing, and a few comments have been made that seem to imply many people don't read fics that they think have been over-hyped. This is honestly a bit baffling to me, because if everyone on my f-list is reccing something, then I tend to assume it has a good chance of being a great read. People don't rec fics they don't like, after all, so if the pairing is something I'm in the mood for, I figure I should at least give it a shot. If I don't like it, I can hit the back button and go on my merry way.

But why would someone not read a fic that's getting a lot of attention on principle? If you do this, I'd appreciate an explanation, because it doesn't make any sense to me at the moment.

Edit: To clarify, I'm talking about a situation where it's a pairing and a scenario you would ordinarily find appealing, but you choose not to read the fic SOLELY because it's getting recced by everyone out there. Maybe no one actually does this and I'm overgeneralizing...

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

Hm. Maybe it's like being in school and having to read something. An "ought-to-read". Something insta-recced for reasons other than what might appeal to the person refusing to take up this recommendation.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Maybe, but... we're all here for fun, and we all know it. Maybe some people interpret those "OMG you must go read this fic NOW!!!" comments literally.

And what other reasons are you thinking of? *is confused*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

It's not conscious. It's a reflex, and not all people have it - I am always surprised when someone says they only like a book because it was part of their curriculum.

Hm, friendships, BNFs, hype instead of merit *shrugs*

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I just don't see why people think there must be some sort of inverse relationship between hype and quality, especially when so much of that merit is based on our own personal preferences. Odds are that a highly recced fic is good. It won't always be good, but so what? How will I know if I like it until I give it a chance?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_inbetween_/]

I don't really know the post or person that made you wonder about this, but I read downwards and: What lauramcewan said.