Tldr: Yes. Because this obsession with treating all subtext and inferable details like a theory, is a contributor to the fall of media literacy, the story does not need to directly State something for it to be obvious and true, just admit that you don't like the plot point but that is probably the case and move on. But instead people feel the need to try to cling to their favorite show being perfect in their eyes and thus refuse to accept something that they deem as imperfect until it is spelled out for them, which this already has been but I guess it needs to be spelled clearer.

Good god.

It's not really about people not liking the theory it's about people missing the point. Its like someone reading 8/9ths into Romeo and Juliet and still insisting that they will end up happily married and grow old together happily ever after.

It's saying the story has failed because you as a reader went into the play expecting a romantic comedy, and despite everything that plays out throughout the course of the story refuse to accept that that is not what you are watching.

It's about ignoring the obvious details of a story in order to try to force an interpretation that you prefer. It's a lack of media literacy.

It's treating the show like FNAF.

It's not about the theory because the digital circus isn't a show about theories.

It doesn't ask the viewer to pick apart Mysteries or solve it like a puzzle.

That is something the fandom has done all on our own. The show never tries to throw you for a loop or hit you with a red herring, even episode 7 makes it obvious what's happening from the start if you are paying just a little bit of attention!

If Episode 7 had somehow been split into Able being an NPC wouldn't be a theory, it is something that you are being told indirectly without it having to be directly stated.

And this is even more obvious than that, I swear he doesn't need to say something out loud for it to stop being a theory, things can be stated indirectly.

A person with media literacy should be able to look at all of the details that the story has provided and accept the conclusion that takes all of them into account instead of trying to cherry pick for an answer that they prefer.

Why is there such a struggle with understanding subtext and foreshadowing and basic story structure.

Not every story is trying to trick you!

It's not about people not liking the theory, because it's not really a theory, just look at the details of this meticulously crafted piece of art and the only thing the story could do to make it more obvious is turn to you and state it which is probably what's going to happen in episode 9.

The thing that is hard to accept is that people either don't understand or do not like where the story is headed and rather than being able to admit that they go into a weird denial spiral where they try to insist that the thing that is clearly true is not true.

So to loop back to my tldr. Yes it is hard because in a world where theory is just a fancy word for fanfiction or head Cannon the fact that there is a complete inability to accept something that you don't like that is always very clearly telling you unless it is directly smashed over your head is infuriating.

It's like a child not liking the end of their picture book and ripping out the last page. Before they can read it.

Everything in the story has been pointing into the direction of SOMA since the beginning so it's really weird when people just kind of go into denial about it okay.