Entertainment
Stephen King Tried To Warn Us About Toxic Fandom Decades Ago
By Brian Myers
| Published
Sometimes the terror inked from the pen of Stephen King strays from supernatural horror and personifies the worst in human nature. When the legendary author published Misery in 1987, he not only introduced readers to the human monster Annie Wilkes but also proved himself to be a sort of unwitting prophet.
The novel, and the 1990 film adaptation that followed, were grim predictors of fan behavior in the coming digital age. King’s work was a forerunner of what some social scientists refer to as “toxic fandom,” playing out on the page and on screen with chilling accuracy.
Toxic Fandom Depicted In Misery
For those who need a refresher, Misery follows romance novelist Paul Sheldon as he finishes the manuscript for what he hopes will be his first success in another genre. Shortly after leaving the remote mountain cabin where he was working, he loses control of his car on an icy road and crashes. He is rescued by the reclusive Annie Wilkes, who pulls his unconscious body to safety and takes him to her nearby house to recover. With a snowstorm closing off the area, Paul is stranded with Wilkes as she nurses him back to health. She reveals that she knows who he is and proclaims herself his “number one fan.” But when the final book in his romance series is read by Wilkes, her treatment of her snowbound patient takes a dark and twisted turn.
Annie flies into a mad rage when the principal character of the series dies at the end. During a long rant at his bedside, she tells the writer that no one knows he is there and that he is stuck with her. Determined that the latest romance novel will not be the final entry, Annie forces Paul to write a new installment featuring the same main character (aptly named Misery Chastain), while also coercing him into burning the only copy of his new manuscript.
Destroying A Life Is Fair Game
Annie’s treatment of her captive author turns savage quickly. She withholds pain medication as punishment and breaks both of his ankles with a sledgehammer in an act she refers to as “hobbling.” In the novel, her punishment is much more brutal and irreversable. As the story progresses, Paul discovers he is being held prisoner by a former nurse whose license was revoked after the deaths of infants in a local hospital.
No spoilers on the ending here. But what can be gleaned from Annie’s attitude and actions seems to mirror, symbolically anyway, the toxic fandom culture that exists across multiple forms of media and is prevalent in film franchises and the music industry. A rabid fan feels disenfranchised by the direction their beloved book series has taken and decides to assert herself to change the artist’s mind.
In the days before social media, Annie took a literal hands-on approach to fulfill this ideology, with devastating consequences. In the book and the film, the toxic fan is the maniac with the sledgehammer (or axe) and fairly easy to identify. But how do you recognize toxic fandom in today’s real world when you see it?
Toxic Fandom Could Be Cured By Touching Grass
Very Well Mind defines toxic fandom as a group of fans who “work to display negative and harmful behaviors, often online,” which often leads to targeted harassment of other fans, creators, and studios. While many fans consider their love and devotion to a particular film franchise or entertainer part of their identity, a toxic fan base dedicates itself to bullying others, mostly online, in an attempt to accomplish one of two things: assert authority over others and/or change the direction of the creator’s intent.
The last decade has been full of stories about the subset of Taylor Swift followers that turn toxic. Likewise, the worst offenders who have dedicated their adult lives to the Star Wars franchise reared their ugly heads immediately after the 2017 release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, taking bullying and harassment to new levels.
Some toxic fans, angered by the film, launched petitions to have the installment removed from the official Star Wars canon, arguing that it ruined earlier entries. Others demanded a total do-over. But the worst behavior was the sexism and racism that toxic fandom unleashed on the film’s co-star, Kelly Marie Tran. The Vietnamese American actress was harassed so relentlessly on social media by trolls that she left the platforms altogether. Her character’s entry on Wookieepedia was also edited by toxic fans with remarks that were horribly misogynistic, racist, and extremely vulgar. Tran quickly gained support from her fellow cast members and other celebrities, but the damage had already been done.
Stems From An Overly Entitled Sense Of Self
Toxic fans have no respect for the art or the artist. Rather than appreciate, or respectfully disagree with, what has been presented to them for entertainment, they allow their perceived fan superiority complex to take over rational thought and go into attack mode. While they aren’t literally taking sledgehammers to the ankles of writers, the actions they take online are just as violent symbolically. Threatening to derail an entire franchise because of an installment they didn’t feel was up to snuff, or because they don’t care for the casting choices, is ludicrous and speaks to the overly entitled sense of self at the core of toxic fandom.
Most anyone who has followed a film series, a TV show, or a musician has felt some level of disappointment along the journey. Die-hard Seinfeld and Game of Thrones fans can bond over their hatred of their respective finales, early Metallica fans are still fuming about how 1991’s The Black Album took the band in a direction they hated, and, to be quite honest, the powers that be behind the Police Academy films really should have stopped after the third installment.
What separates a normal fan from a toxic one is how each reacts to and acts on disappointment. A normal fan will still love the remainder of the art and move on. The toxic fan will make that disappointment part of their identity and refuse to let it go.
In the end, it’s all just for entertainment purposes. Why take any of it so seriously?
Entertainment
How to watch South Korea vs. Czechia online for free
TL;DR: Live stream South Korea vs. Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is kicking off with a number of really interesting matchups, including South Korea vs. Czechia.
Group A is difficult to predict, with Mexico and South Africa also vying for a spot in the knockout rounds. There’s not much to separate these sides on paper, so every team will be desperate to start with a positive result.
If you want to watch South Korea vs. Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is South Korea vs. Czechia?
South Korea vs. Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off at 10 p.m. ET on June 11. This fixture takes place at the Akron Stadium.
How to watch South Korea vs. Czechia for free
South Korea vs. Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is available to live stream for free on ITVX.
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ITVX is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream South Korea vs. Czechia for free by following these simple steps:
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Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
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Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
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Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
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Visit ITVX
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Watch South Korea vs. Czechia for free from anywhere in the world
$12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream South Korea vs. Czechia (plus more World Cup fixtures) before recovering your investment.
If you want to retain permanent access to the best free streaming services from around the world, you’ll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.
What is the best VPN for ITVX?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on ITVX, for a number of reasons:
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Servers in 105 countries including the UK
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Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
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Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
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Fast connection speeds free from throttling
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Up to 10 simultaneous connections
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30-day money-back guarantee
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with money-back guarantee).
Live stream South Korea vs. Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for free with ExpressVPN.
Entertainment
The Roborock RockNeo Q110H robot lawn mower just landed at Amazon, and its on sale for just 1 week
Table of Contents
Roborock makes some of Mashable’s favorite robot vacuums that efficiently keep our floors clean indoors. But the brand knew some robots prefer a life spent outdoors. As of June 10, the Roborock lineup of robot lawn mowers has a new model, and it’s one of the most affordable options available.
$1,169
at Amazon
$1,299
Save $130
The Roborock RockNeo Q110H just landed in the U.S., and it’s exclusively sold at Amazon. The normal list price is set at $1,299, but it’s on sale from June 10 through June 16 for $1,169, which takes 10% off. Even at full price, the Roborock sits as one of the more budget-friendly models.
The new Roborock RockNeo Q110H is designed for yards with about 0.25 acres of grass.
Credit: Roborock
Standout features of the Roborock RockNeo Q110H
The Roborock RockNeo is designed to mow lawns that measure about 0.25 acres, and it can handle slopes of up to 45 percent. Roborock also mentions this model excels at keeping the mow even when dealing with odd terrain, thanks to the floating cutting deck that adjusts automatically. Plus, Roborock found it’s capable of climbing over obstacles like tree roots or paving stones that measure up to 1.57 inches tall. The large diameter wheels also help with its ability to handle any terrain.
Toys, sticks, and tree roots should be no issue for the RockNeo.
Credit: Roborock
It also comes with real-time obstacle avoidance. If the kids leave toys in the yard or the dog prefers to take all tennis balls to a weird spot, the RockNeo Q110H will avoid mowing over any items left behind. You can also choose specific areas of your yard to create multi-zone management. Keep the front lawn cut short for looks while letting the back get a bit longer for a bit more cushion underfoot this summer. You can also select your desired cutting height.
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The Roborock RockNeo Q110H comes with an IPX6 waterproof rating, so a bit of rain won’t do damage. When the robot detects rain, it’ll automatically return to the charging station, ready to resume mowing when the weather improves.
A worthy app companion
The Roborock app for robot vacuums is excellent, and the robot lawn mower follows suit. From the app, you can set a desired mowing schedule, set zones within your yard, and select cutting height. You can also take a glance at real-time mowing progress to see which areas have been completed and what the mower is currently cutting. This screen also shows remaining battery life.
Use the Roborock app to set mowing schedules and view real-time progress.
Credit: Roborock
When it comes to mapping, the Roborock uses full‐band RTK and VSLAM. Together, the robot should be able to keep its navigation wits steady without getting lost while mowing under trees.
If you’re considering making the upgrade to a robot lawn mower this summer, the new Roborock RockNeo Q110H could be an excellent pick. Grab it while it’s on sale for its introductory launch in the U.S. through June 16. No need to wait for Prime Day on June 23 to get this one on sale.
Entertainment
New safety rules for under-16 Snapchat users
Snapchat is rolling out new content-sharing protections for 13- to 15-year-old users.
The platform announced Wednesday that younger teens will get a “friends-only” experience for their Spotlight posts. That public feed consists of vertical videos short-form similar to Instagram Reels or TikTok.
The new rules make Spotlight content posted by 13- to 15-year-olds visible only to the user’s mutually accepted friends. Previously, under-16 users could post to Spotlight, without attribution to their profile.
“This allowed teens to participate, while helping to protect them from potentially unwanted contact that can come with public posting,” the Snap Company said in its announcement.
Under-16 Snapchat users will have a dedicated profile space for certain content.
Credit: Courtesy Snapchat
Now younger Snapchatters will get a space on their profile for creating, saving, and sharing Stories and Spotlight Videos with only their mutually accepted friends. Teens ages 16 and 17 can share content publicly with some safeguards.
“This new experience is designed to encourage creativity and self-expression within a trusted audience,” the company said.
Age checking on Snapchat
Currently, Snapchat relies on self-attested age and age inference, but safety advocates generally say social media platforms need high-quality age assurance to ensure their safety measures are effective.
When Mashable tested Snapchat’s age attestation prior to the announcement, we found that Snapchat defaulted user age to 18 years old.
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With the new policy, if Snapchat determines a user is under 16, despite their stated age, that minor will be shifted into the friends-only sharing setting. That change will appear in the Snapchat app if they choose to post a Spotlight video.
Snapchat safety concerns
Last week, the advocacy groups Heat Initiative, Anxious Generation, ParentsTogether Action, and Design It 4 Us published the results of a survey of teen Snapchat users, alleging that the platform’s safety measures aren’t effective enough.
A third of the poll’s 1,016 respondents said they’d seen or received unsafe content or messages in the past week. More than half said they’d had at least one such experience in the past year.
The top three types of dangerous experiences reported by up to a third of teens were unwanted contact, bullying, and sexually suggestive content and messages. More than 40 percent of respondents who’d received unwanted messages believed the sender was an adult.
A Snap Company spokesperson told Mashable that the report “does not fully reflect the significant investments Snap has made to help protect young people.”
In the blog post Snap published Wednesday, the company noted that it works to prevent the delivery of friend requests from potential strangers, and that the platform doesn’t allow teens to be messaged by anyone they haven’t added as a friend or who’s not in their phone contacts. Additionally, when teens accept a stranger as a friend, Snapchat is designed to send warnings when minors begin chatting with that user.
“After years of advocacy by parents, kids, and experts, it’s encouraging that Snap is finally making some changes to try to prevent young children from posting in adult spaces, which has put kids in danger on the platform for years,” Brooke Istook, president and chief strategy officer at Heat Initiative, said in a statement to Mashable.
Istook added, however, that “fundamental dangers for kids that are baked into Snapchat’s design” remain unaddressed, including the facilitation of unsafe connections between teens and adults and the algorithmic recommendation of unsafe content.
Snapchat has been the target of youth safety activism and the target of legal action, like many major social media platforms. In January, Snap settled a lawsuit brought by a teenager who claimed that Snapchat’s design features, like algorithmic recommendations, led to addictive use and mental health harms. Soon after, Snap introduced new parental controls for teens.
UPDATE: Jun. 10, 2026, 8:27 a.m. PDT This story has been updated to include a statement from Heat Initiative.
How to watch South Korea vs. Czechia online for free
The Roborock RockNeo Q110H robot lawn mower just landed at Amazon, and its on sale for just 1 week
