Re-Writing Pop Culture: Has Fan-Fiction Changed The Internet For Better or Worse?

Thank you to BRITA for supporting the podcast, helping us keep our deep dives going, and, of course, keeping us hydrated! Check out BRITA here: ⁠https://www.brita.com.au/turnonthetaste⁠ In this episode, we dive into why fan-fiction remains a central part of pop culture. To help unpack the intricacies of this space, we turned to some experts. We first spoke to Alessandra Ferreri, Head of Content at Wattpad — and then we asked you, our listeners, to share your own experiences and opinions. From these conversations, we explored two questions: Is fan-fiction positive or negative for fandom culture? And how does Gen Z perceive fan fiction? Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 3:47 Fan-fiction definition and its origins 6:16 The modern era of fan-fiction: the rise of fanzines & pastiches 7:51 Fanfiction goes mainstream: Digital fan-fiction platforms 9:10 The rise of Fanfiction.net (FFN) 11:12 The popularity of AO3 and Wattpad 13:45 Interview with Alessandra Ferreri, Wattpad's Head of Content 37:04 How fan-fiction impacts young people and how they perceive it 38:58 The positives of fan-fiction 43:36 The negatives of fan-fiction 46:49 Conclusions Find our podcast YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC18HclY7Tt5-1e3Z-MEP7Jg  Subscribe to our weekly Substack: https://centennialworld.substack.com/  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infinitescrollpodcast/  Follow Lauren on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmeisner_/