Fan fiction has long been a coping mechanism for fans to live the fantasy of being with their idols. As early as 1998, fan fiction has been digitally available for fans to consume. The first fan fiction website, Fanfiction.net, was launched on the internet and nothing has ever been the same since. Then came the rise of Tumblr and Wattpad.
Usually, fan fiction is written in long narrative prose and could sometimes be akin to an actual book. Today, fan fiction has become more accessible through social media AUs (Alternative Universes).
Social media AUs is a type of fanwork where fans create or edit graphics that look like social media posts for fictional and entertainment purposes—wherein the accounts of their idols would interact with other characters that would create a narrative. It is basically storytelling but using the element of social media.
Social media AUS became extremely popular on Twitter, especially among K-pop fans. The micro-fan fiction is told in a form of tweet threads combining screenshots of fictional Twitter profiles, tweets, Instagram posts, and direct messages oftentimes incorporating fictional dialogues in it.
This type of fan fiction differs from the traditional one we were introduced to since social media AUs are interactive and some authors would create Twitter polls letting their readers decide how the story will progress and unfold.
From BTS to BLACKPINK and GOT7, fandoms have turned to social media AUs to cathartically consume fiction about their OTPs (One True Pairings). The most famous pairings seen on social media AUs are Taekook (Taehyung and Jungkook from BTS), Jenlisa (Jennie and Lisa from BLACKPINK) and JJP (JayB and Jinyoung from GOT7).
The proliferation of this type of fiction helps fans see their idols differently. They are able to envision different versions of their idols in a way that highlights that despite the stardom and the fame, they are all just humans like us. S