When something becomes popular, it's pretty common for people to question its "popularity." So when Reddit user u/The_real_garfield_ asked, "What is the best case of 'Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean that it’s good?'" over four thousand people provided their opinions on the matter. Here's what they had to say below.
1. "Cable TV. They should be paying us to watch commercials, not us paying them."
2. "Those damn Stanley cups. I got my wife one when they first became popular, and our generic ones keep ice [colder for] FAR longer."
3. "The whole uprise of 'pranks.' I love a good, harmless prank that’s fun for everyone involved, but a majority of what you see trending is just harassment."
4. "SMEG. It's a kitchen appliance brand known for its cute mid-century aesthetic that's super overpriced for its functionality and quality. I silently cringe to myself when people bring them up, or I see them in the wild. Even the brand name sounds gross. Did nobody ever make the connection to 'smegma' before they decided on a name?"
"I wish quality brands would pick up on the popularity and make appliances that look good and work well. I'll pay extra for a toaster or coffee maker that comes in a nice color and isn't a giant hulking piece of steel or whatever — but the choice is always 'cute but poor quality' or 'ugly but great and lasts forever.'"
5. "I never understood Twitter [now known as 'X']. The threads and replies are odd to follow. It should just un-collapse like Reddit. I never understood why people love it so much."
6. "An example of a phrase would be fast fashion. It's fashionable and affordable but often comes with ethical and environmental concerns."
"And the quality is shit. I placed an order with Shein years ago when they were new before the conversation around fast fashion began, and I ended up returning everything because the fabric was thin, cheap and felt oddly plasticky. The items weren't even worth the low price I paid for them."
7. "Starbucks. Burnt beans and crap chemical-filled snacks."
8. "The answer is 100% TikTok. I don’t get the appeal for it. From what limited I’ve seen of it, it seems like a bunch of shite."
9. "Headlights so bright that the owner is the only one on the road who can see anything."
10. "The Fast and the Furious series. The series had a few great movies early on (one, five, arguably three), but they have gotten progressively ridiculous since then. But even when it's bad, they got family."
11. "The hate for Taylor Swift. It's super trendy to hate on her, but the gal goes up on stage and actually sings and plays. That's already not common in pop music. She writes her own songs, [which is] also not common. She has single-handedly gotten girls who cared nothing about football into football. She also single-handedly got young people to register to vote in America. She's changed the world for the better. I get that people may not like her music, that’s fine. But there are people who straight-up hate her simply because it’s trendy, and that’s ignorant."
12. "The Twilight book series. I had to tell so many people who tried to get me into those that just because it’s on the bestseller’s list doesn’t mean it’s good."
13. "Sequels, prequels, reboots, reimaginings, etc. Just stop."
