I saw, on YouTube, recently one of those videos wherein a chatshow host shows to some celebrity fanart and fanfiction about them. Firstly, this is always cringe-worthy at best. The celebrities always look really uncomfortable - and rightly so: they didn't particularly want to see it, and it inevitably brings up thoughts to them and the audience of what they're like in bed, how they are emotionally, kinks and the sort. To be honest, it's a bit like public humiliation really, as the show host brings up subjects that are totally not their, or the audience's, business. Secondly, it's rather humiliating for the artist/writer. They never asked to go on TV, and the nature of fanworks is often very personal and emotional to the creator, and while they're comfortable posting this online, where likely only like-minded and therefore less judgemental people will see it. Now it is forced down the throats of those (the wider public and the celebrities themselves whom feature in the works) who were never really supposed to see it, and then the creator is humiliated and laughed at for their work - treated like degenerates because of a creative hobby.
The internet has an implicit "don't like don't read" policy, and I find this fad among chatshow hosts to be a gross invasion of everyone's privacy. You wouldn't bring up specifics about porn and kinks on a chatshow, so why fanworks?
Furthermore, the whole nature of fanworks totally goes over the heads of the audience and celebrities. To those of you less than well-versed in the nature and motivation of fanfiction, this may come as a bit of a suprise, but fanworks are not actually about the canon material. When people write a 150,000 word epic about the journey of a serial killer and bookshop owner discovering their passion for BDSM, it doesn't fucking matter what character or person the writer uses to portray this story. The characters aren't the point. The characters are merely tools to help convey an idea, usually very personal and emotional, so that it's applicable to a wider audience that will appreciate it. Furthermore, by using non-original characters, the creator can assume a general knowledge of the character in the reader, and therefore can miss out a whole bunch of mundane, boring introductions which usually plague books. The writer can quickly get to the heart of a question or journey, explore (often taboo) ideas. Therein these works are much more interesting - not only because they're far more honest about human nature and desires (as there are less social repercussions to the creator), but also because they are usually written so quickly, without much editing, giving them a real rawness that can be fascinating. The pure honesty and freedom to post some really crazy shit, without having to worry about selling lots of copies, creates some of the most interesting writing around.
Fanworks allow people to unite in their differences and similarities, and explore ideas in a very creative way. The works also explore heavy topics, such as disability, mental health issus and depression - and by talking about these topics, it really helps young people feel less isolated and alone in their troubles. Furthermore, it has huge implications for feminism: namely, porn! There is very very little mainstream porn aimed at women. However, fanfiction allows women to not only take control of their sexuality - taking pride in enjoying sex, without shame, in the same when teenage boys do - but also explore different realms of opportunities open to them, in terms not only of relationships and sex, but also careers and ways of life. So, while staying indoors all day on your computer, isolated, isn't really the best way to be happy, if taken in moderation (as with most things in life), fanworks are actually brilliant for liberation and mental health. Furthermore, the online environment itself is also extremely positive, filled largely by very positive reviewers and fans of each other's work. Indeed, people actually make friends and fans in the community. The freedom and generosity to share one's thoughts is very valuable to society, I believe, uniting a previously-isolated minority.
I'll end with an extended metaphor to explain why, also, celebrities shouldn't flatter themselves or be creeped out by fanworks - back to this idea about how the works aren't actually about them. They are merely a convenience. When one sees a great painting of a beautiful man/woman, indeed one does appreciate the beauty of the model. However, that is totally not the point. People admire, to a much larger extent, the artistry of the painter themself. The painter indeed needs a model to showcase their own thoughts, emotions and talents, but the painting isn't about the model. Fanworks are the same: people who read fanfiction are admiring the thoughts and ideas of the fanfiction writer. And while the reader and writer certainly appreciate the original work (canon), that is totally not the point. Very often, characters take on whole new identities in fanfiction, across the board, because people are simply using the character as a partially-blank canvas - a sketch, to fill in, or a muse. On the whole, I think people don't read fanfiction to appreciate the canon, but to see the thoughts and creations of young writers/artists. To the extent that sometimes, people only watch/read the canon so as to access subculture beneath. E.g. most people who write for Teen Wolf think the actual canon is total shit, but instead provides an awesome set-up for their own creations.
