Every detail matters. At least, that’s what fans of Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things” believed going into the show’s final season. However, once the finale of the beloved show was released, audiences were disappointed to find that the episode fell short of what they’d hoped for. Instead of letting go, some fans began compiling all the finale’s inconsistencies into one grand conspiracy theory: #conformitygate.

The general premise was relatively simple: The fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana had been completely mind-controlled by the show’s primary antagonist, and the real final episode would premiere Jan. 7.

Despite garnering enough anticipation to allegedly crash the platform, Netflix did not release anything new. What began as a coping mechanism turned into a case study in online reality distortion. The question does not lie in how this theory exploded to begin with, but questioning the state of media literacy and audience entitlement in popular culture and the media age.

Psychologist Michele Leno, writing for Psychology Today, wrote that “fandoms exemplify the life-altering potential of shared passions and communal support.” Without a doubt, online spaces like the one surrounding “Stranger Things” can have immensely positive effects with audiences. However, these same circles have their own Upside Downs. 

The problem arises when interpretation becomes conflated with ownership. Theories, meant to analyze the story, are distorted into expectations, which become demands, then public outcry and outrage.

Social media algorithms have tailored themselves to our every whim, and consumers have grown to expect that same level of personalization across all their media. We feel we are owed something by the story for our loyalty, even if that’s not true. Sometimes the writers simply don’t agree with the fans, or fail to produce something of quality. But in a world where the things we see online can be customized to our exact specifications, that dissonance feels unacceptable.

Within that context, #conformitygate starts to make a little more sense. The whole concept is main character syndrome dialed up to eleven. Fans were disappointed that the finale didn’t align with their vision of a happy ending, so they created a literal alternate reality where it did. 

The irony seems harmless when it’s relegated to a nonexistent secret episode. We all have our laughs and can go back to life as planned. Except, this mass denial of reality isn’t a one-off. It’s just the most recent one to go mainstream.

Step out of ’80s Indiana, and you’ll find the consequences can be far more severe. 

Take the infamous QAnon conspiracy, whose believers alleged a wide variety of horrific crimes regarding Democratic politicians and strongly supported the Jan. 6 insurrection. Despite their extremely radical beliefs, the group has racked up nearly 70 million tweets mentioning them or related relevant phrases according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. Politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene have even been elected in spite of open support of the group.

Greene’s extreme views won her favor in Georgia’s heavily-Republican 14th Congressional District, beating out her opponent with a 57% majority in the 2020 election. Her victory came in spite of the FBI’s 2019 warning that QAnon may pose a domestic terrorist threat. Conspiracies like these may start out digital, but they can have tangible impacts on our world.

QAnon and groups like it find their hiding places in the corners of social media. Algorithms feed believers the content they want to see over and over, creating an echo chamber where facts become negotiable.

This same process happened with “Stranger Things.” People saw the content, engaged with it and then social media spoon-fed back to them, like a demodog chasing its own tail. And while there’s a weighty difference in scale between fandom theorycrafting and radical political movements, they rely on the same systems to function.

If anything, #conformitygate shows us how easily seemingly nonsensical ideas can permeate our lives. How our otherwise rational beliefs can become diluted in the face of a more appealing alternative reality. Yes, “Stranger Things” is uniquely situated because of its popularity, but that doesn’t render the message irrelevant. 

No one is immune to conspiracy theories. That is the lesson to be learned.

That doesn’t mean we’re all doomed to wear tinfoil hats, of course. It simply means that we all have to be more mindful about how we engage with social media. Limiting endless scrolling helps prevent rabbit holes — and presents great benefits for your brain, too. Additionally, reading or watching other news sources can help diversify your perspective and strengthen your critical thinking skills. 

Unlike the “Stranger Things” finale, we’re not doomed to fail. We can make the necessary changes to pull ourselves out of our internet bubbles. Who knows? Maybe the real episode nine is the algorithm overlords we defeated on the way.