There’s an old adage in the newspaper business, that each response from a reader means there are hundreds of people who feel the same way but haven’t taken the time to write. With social media, that equation may have changed.

But either way, judging by my social media and my email inbox, the San Francisco Giants have a problem.

In the days since they announced the hiring of Gabe Kapler as the successor to Bruce Bochy, a flood of missives has arrived on my electronic doorstep.

Some simply say, “Ugh.” Others speak of sadness, of a feeling of betrayal, of bad optics, of a sense of an ending. Many are from women. Most are from people who describe themselves as “lifelong Giants fans.”

To say the Kapler hire is not popular is to say that rents in San Francisco are a tad high.

In the 3-Dot Lounge, colleague Bruce Jenkins wrote, “Don’t spoil the romance of spring training with thoughts of divorce.” But some fans are, at the very least, planning a separation.

“This is not the Giants’ organization that Bochy led and that gave us 3 World Series. I feel like our team has been hijacked. Lost its soul. Boycott time,” wrote Michelle Campillo from San Francisco.

Will all the people who say they won’t attend games really follow through on their threat? It might not be a hard call for many. For two seasons, the Giants have suffered attendance issues, with large swaths of empty seats at Oracle Park. The team has offered significant discounts to retain fans who have been contemplating giving up season tickets. It is becoming easier and easier to disconnect from the Giants.

Beloved Bochy is gone. Soon the last few familiar faces from the World Series era will move on. The team isn’t expected to be competitive any time soon. And a lot of people feel very, very bad about the Kapler hire.

The Giants know they have a public relations problem. They sent a lengthy letter to customers who complained, which says in part, “we, as an organization, understand your concerns and both Farhan Zaidi and Gabe have addressed them directly.” Regarding the assault allegations involving Dodgers minor leaguers in 2015, the letter goes on to say that the men acknowledge they didn’t handle it “the way they should have and have both realized that they should have persisted further for a better outcome. They also both recognize that they have a responsibility and platform to help educate and change the culture in our clubhouses — at all levels — and they are committed to going above and beyond what is simply the bare minimum.”

Is it enough?

“I feel sick and betrayed,” wrote Sarah, one of several fans who only gave their first name.

“Farhan conducted a Kabuki dance for the last month-plus,” wrote charter seat license owner Philip Lastreto. “Regardless of his protestations no other qualified candidate ever had a chance.”

“I don’t think I can give this team my time, attention, money or support as long as Kapler is the manager,” wrote Don Campodonico. “Farhan’s ‘we didn’t ask the right questions,’ is so wrong on many levels, and an indication of his lack of understanding, and only furthers the frustration. … Sadly, I find myself on the verge of saying goodbye to the Giants.”

Mike in the East Bay said he goes through extensive training as both a youth coach, and as a manager in his job. He wrote that he finds it unfathomable that the men now running the Giants didn’t seem to follow protocol as demanding as “the standards of San Ramon Rec League basketball. … At least I can finally cut the (television) cable.”

Steve Derne, a Giants fan in New York, is also cutting the cord, saying he would give up his MLB.TV subscription. Christina in San Francisco wrote, “We in the Bay Area respect leaders who are honest. What a knock to a leader like Bochy. It stinks!” Jim Sullivan said he can’t believe that Kapler is worth the ordeal the Giants are putting themselves through and lamented that all the “Giants’ goodwill is out the window.”

“Count me as another woman and 35-year fan who will boycott future games as long as he is the manager,” wrote Georgia Benedict, who signed her email “with regret.”

Ellen wrote, “Obviously, Zaidi doesn’t know much about the culture of the Bay Area or doesn’t care. I think our women (and some men) will see this hire as a snub to our beliefs.”

Marsha Basalla wrote, “This is a gross lack of judgement and tone deaf by the organization when it comes to women’s issues. I’m sure they would have swept it under the rug if they could have. Giants’ support for women rings pretty hollow. I will be spending my baseball ticket dollars elsewhere next season.”

“The Giants have always been kind of a family for the fans,” wrote Cayla. “That warm feeling. With these two now as heads of that family? It’s just not a family I can be a part of.”

I also received feedback from a man who is not a Giants fan, though as a Bay Area resident, a former player and friend of many of the Giants’ legends, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan is strongly connected to the team. He called to express frustration that a candidate with so much baggage would get the job, something he is quite sure would not happen if Kapler were a minority candidate.

Morgan spoke of his dismay at the lack of serious African American candidates for the open managerial jobs. A quarter-century ago, baseball put some effort behind its lip service embracing diversity. That seems to have gone the way of the stolen base.

“For years we were asking for a seat at the table, now we can’t even get in the room,” Morgan said. “I feel like we’ve come full circle. In a bad way.”

On many levels, the Giants have a tough road ahead.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion