Fans pioneered new internet platforms and features out of self-interest

Evidence

Despite their chaotic nature, stans contributed significantly to online culture. As Kaitlyn Tiffany noted, “Fans became, almost as a rule, the first to adopt new platforms and to invent new features of the internet—a habit molded by the fact that they were the people with the most obvious incentive to do so.” Fan fiction flourished; Fifty Shades of Grey, which originated from Twilight slash fiction, became a global phenomenon. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 535

Categorization

• SHARE: The Fifty Shades = Twilight slash fiction origin is the kind of pipeline fact worth a coffee-table mention.
• CANDY: Fifty Shades of Grey began as Twilight fan fiction — an easily tweetable pipeline fact.
• XREF: connects to: Fans’ free remixing generates profit that owners must consolidate into ownership — Crystal Abidin, Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame…, 173