>>713376185 (OP)
I think some people just want to feel like they're part of something, without the "homework" of playing the game or watching the show. It's easier to laugh at and repost memes of the funny lolrandom catgirl, or Vergil sitting in a plastic chair, than it is to learn a fighting game or watch a lengthy anime. It's a commitment of 5 seconds versus multiple hours, regardless of whether the source material is more fulfilling. They're probably also more interested in the social aspect, such as "Fandoms" and streamers of said media, and being part of the in-group.
I also feel like a similar phenomenon is behind the popularity of streamers and those particularly lazy forms of video essay where a guy just explains the plot without adding much. You don't have to think about the game or get good when there's someone to just explain at you what's happening. It's laziness, for lack of a better word.
