How Heated Rivalry Broke the Internet: Inside the Internet’s Biggest Breakout Fandom

This show created one of the fastest fandoms ever.

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Over the past few months, a series born from a niche, self-published Canadian romance novel became one of the biggest cultural phenomenons on the internet. In this episode of Power User, I dive deep into the explosive rise of the Heated Rivalry fandom and why it has the internet in a chokehold.

Fandom expert Allegra Rosenberg and writer Katherine Dee joined me to break down how the "subculture to culture" cycle that made the show a breakout hit. From its underground roots in hockey shipping and Tumblr culture to its overnight success on mainstream platforms like Threads and TikTok, we discuss the history of slash fanfiction, the "Fall Out Boy to Blackhawks" pipeline, and the "generational trauma" of fandom privacy.

We discuss the "Gateway Media" effect and how the show brought "normies" into the world of AO3 and shipping. We also discuss the clash between journalistic ethics and fandom privacy and what the show's massive success reveals about the future of media and fandom.

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