At its height, these people usually exist, but are typically not very vocal. Sometimes caused by people saying that It's Popular, Now It Sucks! too much, but not always.
Simply mentioning that someone likes it online, even if meant completely sincerely, is considered trolling. Not just for the thing itself, as the people who like it often become the subject of nasty, highly-specific stereotypes. The final tell-tale sign is indifference, ridicule, or even downright hatred. Sometimes, it just takes a change in sociocultural attitudes for the thing to fall out of favor. Soon, small insignificant flaws become regarded as unavoidable and unforgivable sins. It got so much publicity and so many bad imitators that there was plenty of time to notice each and every flaw and dissect them under a microscope. It was overexposed until people got bored. It was talked about everywhere, with no water-cooler conversation avoiding the subject. But at some point, it just got too popular.
Whatever it was, this thing got very, very popular.
At some point in time, there was a thing-an individual work, the body of work of a particular creator/performer/artist, an entire genre, a trend in an art medium, etc.
