2020s Trend of Fandom-Oriented For-Profit Apps
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Related terms: | Fandom and Profit, AI and Fandom |
| See also: | Archive of our Own |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Throughout the 2020s, an increasing number of apps began to be made which intended to make a profit off of fandom-related activities, most commonly — though not exclusively — fanfiction. Some apps were an alternative front or access points to platforms like Archive of our Own, where a subscription was requested for use of the tool, whereas other people leveraged the developing field of generative AI to create apps which they marketed as being able to write fanfiction.
Reactions to these apps are often mixed — both between different apps, dependent on their functions, and between different groups of fans. It has lead to increased discourse and tension within fandom spaces as a result, including increased discussions about how these apps are a result of fanfiction becoming more accepted and 'mainstream' — which some argue was a result of the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on fanspaces — has led to fandom becoming seen as a content mill by fans who just want more content, a gap which some of these apps seek to fill. Reactions to these apps have also been positive amongst some fans, especially in some parts of social media platforms like TikTok where adverts for the generative AI apps are often more favourably received than on platforms such as Tumblr.
Apps
[Some information and overview of apps, link out the articles for those with more substantial information]
Fan Reactions and Discussions
[different reactions and areas of discussion]
Positive Reactions and Negative Reactions
- There are people for and against each of the apps, and different apps have different discussion points, so worth exploring some of the view points for and against the for-profit apps.
Accessibility and Disability
One increasingly common claim for for-profit apps, particularly generative AI apps is that it makes fandom accessible to everyone and is an accessibility tool for some Disabled fans. The reaction to this is contentious and mixed, depending on the app and use case in question.
More creators of generative AI apps are both using accessibility as a reason for why they made the tool and using accusations of ableism in response to criticism of their app, leading some fans to believe that they are making both in bad faith to shut down criticism.
Fanworks as 'content'
- Some apps are marketing themselves on it being a positive that they are getting rid of/bypassing authors or are otherwise dismissive of authors.
- Some fans are discussing how fanfiction 'going more mainstream' has increasingly led to fanworks being treated as content rather than part of a community.
The For-Profit Issue
- How different fan spaces are navigating and discussing the use of apps to generate profit from fandom.
- But also how some of the apps, particularly the non-generative AI apps, which provide a service do require finances to run due to hosting - discussions of how some fans are happy to pay for the service of providing that tool.
TikTok
- A growing number of apps are being advertised on TikTok, taking advantage of TikTok trends, so I think something about that is worth discussing.
- Also a number of TikTok accounts discussing for-profit, AI, apps and fandom which could be referenced.