but when I wanted to find more complex storytelling than its endless adolescent battles, I had to go online. I found forums where much more experienced anime fans debated their favorites, not in order to gain followers or monetize their expertise as on today’s platforms, but out of personal passion. Those forums were “communities of consumption,” a term that academics have used to describe the diverse groups of people that congregate online around a particular shared pursuit, whether swapping product tips or discussing avant-garde literature.
