honestly, i don’t think nct’s popularity is declining as much as people make it out to be.
yes, if you only look at the numbers, the drop looks huge but people also forget that nct peaked during 2020 right in the middle of the pandemic. everyone was stuck at home, had way more free time and spent hours online. naturally likes, views, streams and overall engagement were much higher.
now it’s 2026 and people have grown up. they have full time jobs, university, families and responsibilities. most nctzens around me don’t even keep up with fandom discourse on twitter anymore or stay up for every album rollout. some still buy albums (while others have outgrown collecting) most don’t mass stream anymore because they’re simply busy living their lives.
but the moment a tour is announced? they’re there. they buy the tickets. to me that’s a much stronger indicator of a loyal fanbase than inflated social media numbers. you can lose views, likes and chart positions but consistently filling arenas and stadiums years into your career says a lot more about longevity.
if anything, i’d rather see a fandom mature alongside the group than be chronically online chasing numbers forever.
watching xmen fans argue about the new 97 episode but my favorite character just had her mcu debut, is being praised back to back to back by viewers, and is rumored to be the next lead of the mcu
they claim to be ot8 but whenever an issue with ys or jh arises theyre suddenly silent. and when yeoddongies/ribos bring up the issues they start attacking them, calling them all solo stans just because they want their bias to be treated equally as the other memebers??
Frenzy heard about Magneto while he was under trial, and during his rule on Genosha she was an ambassador. She eventually joined the X-Men and during the Kakoan Age she became ambassador extraordinary for the Galactic Council.
I’ve done retail, food service, and now I’m in hospitality. The common theme is that younger ppl are awkward and/or barely speak but that older crowd is just MEAN and arrogant for no reason. They walk in every establishment already irritated and make it everyone else’s problem