tinhatting en · NOUN
Etymology
From tinhat + -ing.
Meanings
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(slang, uncountable) The act or practice of promoting a conspiracy theory within a fandom space, especially with regard to shipping or a speculated celebrity relationship.
However, when RPF tips into tinhatting, it rightly raises concerns about the blurred line between fiction and reality.
2019 August 12, Stacey M. Lantagne, “Tinhatting the Constitution: Originalism as a Fandom”, in Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review, volume 2, number 1, page 38:What the fans do not realize is that tinhatting happens to hurt and harm the very same people that they so adore.
2022 August 14, Shweta Basu, “The Xiao Zhan Controversy and the Case of Misplaced Fan Activism”, in The Phoenix Papers, volume 5, number 1, page 60:The casual ableism in the label is rampant across fandoms; tinhatting is not exclusive or original to TJLC.
2025, Katherine Anderson Howell, Disability and Fandom, page 86: