ETYMOLOGY
The term's evolution mirrors gaming culture penetrating mainstream internet discourse. In 2021, fans of a pop idol jokingly used 『let's kaituan』 (let's team fight) when organizing mass comments on Douban. It went viral after esports streamer PDD complained on live stream: 『Haters are kaituan-ing my fan forum better than pro teams coordinate』 in 2022.
Modern kaituan follows a 3-phase pattern:
Influencer fires the first shot (initiates engagement)Fans amplify through reposts (DPS phase)Random netizens join the fray (AOE damage)A landmark case was the 2023 academic scandal of a TV actor. What began as minor rumors exploded into 200k+ reposts after a KOL tweeted 『Synchronize watches - kaituan at 8PM!』
Example: 『Check Weibo! Those gossip accounts are kaituan-ing the idol trainee again, this time over fan meet DM leaks.』