I think such a study would not reveal anything but rather mundane truths. > By that I don't mean Cosplayers or Manga fans, but rather the "tech" version of ner

I think such a study would not reveal anything but rather mundane truths. > By that I don't mean Cosplayers or Manga fans, but rather the "tech" version of nerddom - people who don't follow Manga, Anime, or Idols, but are fascinated with anything if it's related to Japan. For some reason, you are putting up a strong separation here that I am not sure actually exists in real life. People don't compartmentalize their hobbies and remaining interests into two separate buckets that have nothing to do with each other. I find it reasonable both that: - People who watch anime or read manga all day are more likely to notice, upvote, and share a story about Japan just due to the proximity of language. - "Nerds" as you put it are more likely to be into anime or manga in the first place. Given these two, it follows that nerds are more likely to share general stories about Japan without any of the much darker reasons you seem to posit. Similarly, I would also find it reasonable that someone listening to and practicing Euro-centric music all day is more likely to share stories that have a mainly Euro-centric context.