It’s beach read season, and for some, that means a return to Cousins, the fictional seaside town where the teen angst of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” series plays out.
Based on the beloved young adult novels by Jenny Han, “TSITP,” as it’s popularly dubbed, follows Belly Conklin as she navigates a romantic tug of war between the dashing Fisher boys.
But it’s not all splashy summer fun — series creators issued a foreboding warning this week, imploring fans to refrain from online harassment.
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“Cousins is our safe place. Everything is good. Everything is magical,” the official social media accounts for the Prime Video series, which is returning for its third and final season, posted July 14. “Let’s keep the conversation kind this summer.”
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“We have a ZERO tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech,” the statement continued, offering a “community guidelines” rulebook. “If you engage in any of the following you will be banned: Hate speech or bullying. Targeting our cast or crew. Harassing or doxxing members of the community.”
The warning comes as “Love Island USA,” another series that often inspires rabid online discourse, wraps. This season of the reality show was widely viewed as a case study in modern cyber harassment.
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While some internet sleuths dug up legitimate concerns surrounding the “islanders'” past behavior, others took their dislike for contestants to extremes, harassing them and their family members online.
The show had to issue several warnings throughout airing to remind viewers that the “islanders” were real people, trading the perils of public consumption for a shot at love (and, let’s be real, internet fame). Nevertheless, their shortcomings are not a reason for a torrent of digital hate; the series argued.
The creators behind “The Summer I Turned Pretty” appear to be trying to get ahead of the curve, before their fandom devolves into a mud-slinging mess. That the show revolves around a love triangle that has inspired passionate debate since its first episode only adds fuel to the fire.
Much like “Twilight,” fans take pride in labeling themselves “Team Jeremiah” or “Team Conrad,” – but unlike the popular vampire series of the mid-aughts, “TSITP” is premiering against the backdrop of an increasingly opinionated, siloed and cruel digital landscape.
