What AI Companions Reveal About Data, Loneliness and Human Connection | Thetafan Intelligence

800 million people now have an AI companion. That number deserves a moment. AI companions are no longer a fringe technology. Platforms such as Snapchat’s My AI, Replika and China’s Xiaoice now collectively reach hundreds of millions of users worldwide (Snapchat’s My AI, with over 150 million users, Replika, with an estimated 25 million users and Xiaoice, with 660 million). For many people, these systems provide something traditionally associated with human relationships: emotional acknowledgement, conversation and the sense of being understood.

Political Analysis: Power Now Runs on Belief and Fandoms Sustain It | Thetafan Intelligence

If global politics feels louder than it used to, that’s because it is. Not louder in substance, necessarily. Louder in tone. Louder in symbolism. Louder in performance. Foreign policy no longer arrives quietly in communiqués and briefing notes. It arrives as spectacle, designed to be felt before it’s understood.

Once you notice that shift, a lot of recent geopolitical behaviour starts to make sense.

Japanese Young People See Oshikatsu Fandoms as Way to Enrich Personal Life | Thetafan Intelligence

The practice of oshikatsu, vigorously expressing fandom for a musician or other entertainer, or even a fictional character or inanimate target of support, is nothing rare in Japan, with nearly 30% of working-age people—and around half of those in their twenties—taking part.

Special Report: China’s Sports Fandoms - The formation mechanism of the “sports fandom circle” in the digital media era | Thetafan Intelligence

The rise of the “sports fandom circle” has become a significant phenomenon in the digital media era, reshaping the emotional and social dynamics of sports fan communities. This study employs grounded theory methodology to analyze web-scraped data from 40 selected accounts on major Chinese social media platforms [Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Bilibili] over a two-year period.

New Research Reveals Being a Fan is a Family Affair and Brands are Missing a Trick | Thetafan Intelligence

75% of families actively share fandom moments and in 89% of households, kids play the key role in discovery.

New research from Kids Industries (KI) has revealed that fandom is no longer a solo pursuit. Families today aren’t just consuming together – they’re actively sharing, shaping and spreading the fandoms they love across an ever-widening range of categories. These findings challenge outdated notions of how fandoms function - who drives them and how experiences are enjoyed.  

Fans Want More: The Post-COVID Surge in Sports Fandoms | Thetafan Intelligence

In a recent study by Momentum, 73% of self-identified fans said their interest in sports increased over the past five years. And while a pre-pandemic comp is missing, it’s noteworthy that a whopping 93% of the online survey respondents “believe fandom for their favorite team or sport will have a strong and vibrant community 10 years from now.” In comparison, 88% see themselves as “being a fan until they die.”

Scientific Report: Fan Biases, The Myth-Buster | Thetafan Intelligence

Fan Analytics: Creating and Harnessing Consumer and Cultural Passion | Thetafan Intelligence

The success of modern sports, entertainment, political, and other cultural categories is driven by organizations’ ability to create and manage fandom. This book explores fandom from a marketing perspective, providing a multidisciplinary framework for understanding, measuring, and growing fandom.

Podcast: The Science of Fandom: Why We Obsess Over Celebrities and Shows | Thetafan Intelligence

Thetafan Intelligence | Fans, Fandoms, Fanzines and Archiving Science Fiction Fannish History

How to spot the difference between innocent fandoms and fanaticism

The Dynamics of Online Fan Communities | Thetafan Intelligence