New Media’s Literary Expansion: Inherently Beneficial
Why do we read? Why do we
watch drama performances? Why do we memorize poetry? Why do we consume any form
of literature? On the one hand, we do it for entertainment. A comedy that
brings us laughter, poetry that helps us relax, a happy ending that helps us to
feel hopeful – it is easy to understand why we pursue literature that brings
about positive emotions. But what about the other side of literature – the works
that lay bare the tragedies of life? It is a bit more difficult to understand
why we choose to partake in literature that reminds us of the less than perfect
endings that exist, so why do we still do so? What do we gain from literature,
regardless of the positive or negative emotions that it can evoke from us? The
answer is quite simple for anyone who values literature in their life – it
allows us to see from the perspective of others, to understand complicated
situations in ways that our own personally limited worldview might not provide,
to gain greater empathy for others, and by the combination of all of these
things, to become better citizens of the societies in which we live. If this
result can be brought about by the consumption of literary works, then should
we really look down at works that are made available by the internet?
Fanfiction? We scoff. Poetry in YouTube videos? Sounds questionable. An amateur
posting their own work? It must not be of high enough quality if it is not
printed on paper. But the truth is that this condescending attitude toward
literature in new media is unhelpful to both the creators and consumers of such
content. Here’s the important part: new media has allowed literature to grow
and expand in new ways, and whether or not the literature made available is of
higher or lower quality is inconsequential, as absorbing literature at all is
beneficial to the consumers of it.
Since the internet’s
inception, it has been providing new platforms with which to share everything
in one’s life. The way people interact with their friends, family, and mere
acquaintances has been affected by the world wide web, so it is not surprising
that the way in which people create and share content is changing as well. From
vloggers to poets to actors, the internet has provided a forum for creative
growth and expansion. Naturally, a huge part of this is literary in nature.
Viewing three differing aspects of creative work, new media has allowed for
growth in the way creators present content, and in the way society views and
consumes said content, and this growth is inherently beneficial in keeping
literature an active part of people’s lives. This new media allows for the
creation of new genres and subgenres, new formats, and new levels of
experience.
One way new media has
expanded is in the rise of the amateur on new media platforms that allow
creators to publish their own work. This has allowed for the creation of new
genres like “fanfiction,” and has given bloggers, poets, and novelists new ways
to present their work to a relatively large audience without the struggle of
getting it in print. Does this mean that a vast amount of the work one
encounters on the internet will be of novice quality? Undoubtedly. But does
that mean it is inherently negative? No. If one views literature as a means of
becoming engaged in the lives of others, experiencing greater empathy for those
around them, and growing into a generally better citizen of the world, then any
exposure to even awful, unrefined, amateur literature proves beneficial for the
consumer of it. If people, especially the rising generation, are suffering from
a lack of literature in their lives, then the expansion of literary pursuits on
internet forums serves an extremely valuable purpose by bringing it closer to
our everyday lives and making it more accessible.
One example of the rise
of the amateur can be seen in Tyler Knott Gregson, a poet made famous by the
popular blogging site Tumblr, on which he publishes daily haikus on love, and typewriter
poems. While Gregson is an amateur in the dictionary definition of the word
(writing isn’t his day job) his work certainly merits the literary respect that
many published poets receive. Better still, this amateur has what many
published writers still seek – a large and engaged audience. Gregson’s
followers “reblog” his work and his daily poetry posts often easily reach
thousands of “likes” and “reblogs.” Do we look condescendingly at Gregson, as
he pursues what he loves and has succeeded in finding supporters of it? Some
people might, but looking from a broader perspective we can see the Gregson not
only succeeds for himself. Thanks to the unique blogging platform of Tumblr,
his work reaches thousands of people who might not otherwise be exposed to
poetry regularly. This means that the rise of this amateur is helping keep
people engaged in literature, which is always a valuable pursuit.
New media likewise allows
older content to be recreated in new ways, as seen in The Lizzie Bennet
Diaries, a modern day adaptation of Pride
and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, in which the story is presented in vlog
format on YouTube. The production provides audiences with a new way to connect with
a classic story, and teaches the same lessons as the original novel, along with
a few new lessons of its own. The audience consists of people who had never
read Pride and Prejudice and those
who have read it too many times to count. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was the
first of its kind, creating an entirely new subgenre that has yet to be named.
Not only is it a modern adaptation, it is also a fictional story conveyed on a
medium that was not created with fiction in mind. So do we look condescendingly
on this new subgenre of drama? Do we insist that this production is only
ruining the classic that is Pride and
Prejudice? Some might, but from a broader perspective one can see that The
Lizzie Bennet Diaries actually served to make many audience members more
engaged in the already classic story. It taught new lessons, had new focuses,
and ultimately presented literature in a way that made it accessible in the
everyday lives of its viewers.
While new media has also
allowed for genres to expand and subgenres to be created, it also allows
literature to be elevated to new levels of experience. This is most seen in the
expansion of performance poetry, which the growth of has been enabled by online
video sites like YouTube. Performance poetry heightens the level of immersion
of the listener by drawing them into the poem and allowing them to view the
full emotion of the poet performing their work. The act of watching a poet can
feel much more participatory than simply reading their words on a page, which
allows an entrance for people who might otherwise feel put off by poetry. Performance
poetry has also allowed for even more growth within itself, including poems
performed by more than one person. The expansion of traditional poetic genres
built by new media is beneficial in its access level for consumers. For many,
genres like performance poetry bring literature to those who would otherwise
not be willing consumers of it. The ability to simply share a link with our
friends makes spreading work that a person loves extremely easy, giving people
more ways to connect with each other. And if one considers the way poetry,
especially performance poetry, allows people to gain insight into the lives of
others, then it is easy to see how consuming this particular brand of literature
can help people become more engaged and empathetic towards those around them. Do
we look condescendingly at the idea that a poem in a YouTube video could be
worth our time? Some might, but those who take the time to gain a broader
perspective know that even amateurs who step onstage can bring something
valuable to the table. Not only is performance poetry now widely accessible
thanks to the internet, it is always widely accessible thanks to its own style
and platform. A teenager might think of poetry as “overly dramatic words with
senseless and pretentious spacing and indenting,” until they watch a video of a
poet that makes their eyes water or causes goosebumps to rise on their neck.
New media has brought
about the expansion and growth of literature in both expected and unexpected
ways. While some people may look at this growth with condescension, it should
actually be valued and praised. The growth of literary pursuits through new
media are beneficial to everyone because they have made literature of every
quality accessible to those utilizing new media, which is a number that will
only grow as the years pass.
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