The Fanfiction Boom Is Reshaping the Power Dynamic Between Creators & Consumers

Once exiled to obscure corners of the internet, fanfiction - amateur fiction based on characters from preexisting works or real-life celebrities - has lately become a force driving popular culture. As Proulx realized, fans these days aren't satisfied to just sit back and consume. They want to participate. They want to create. And they don't want to wait for anyone else's permission to do it. Millions of fanfiction stories have been uploaded onto vast online archives where other fans read, rate, and comment on them.