On Electronic Literature

 The Rise of Electronic Literacy

            As technology has progressed, so to has our method of communication. Just as there were changes as the world moved from a mode of orality to literacy, there have been an equal number since the transition from literacy to electracy. In particular, the multimedia format commonly used in social media platforms has given rise to evolutions in literature. This post will examine three new styles of writing – e-poetry, TikTok skits, and video essays – to determine exactly what ways technology has shaped its form and what this might mean for the future of literature.

            According to Leonardo Flores, a scholar in electronic poetry and the founder of the catalogue site I ❤️ E-Poetry, e-poetry is “poetry that arises from an engagement with the possibilities offered by digital media” (Flores). An important aspect that distinguishes this form is the method of integration by the technology used to process it; rather than being “marked by digitality, electronic literature is actively formed by it” (Hayes). For example, consider the following poem “Puddle” by Neil Hennessey.

            This poem is considered to be a concrete kinetic piece. Kinetic poetry is a subsection of e-poetry; it is marked by using the computer’s ability to display animation. In this case, the technology available advises the form of the piece itself. Being able to utilize animation, or in this case the gif format, allows for the denotation of the word to be visually understood in a way that would be lost if it were simply printed on a piece of paper. In simply reading the words “drip”, “dribble”, and “ripple”, this piece’s poetic meaning would be lost.

            Another form of electronic literature that relies heavily on the visual format are short video skits, popularized most notably by TikTok. TikTok is a social media app that has risen in popularity in recent years due to its unique 10-15 second video format; while other platforms have since adopted this novelty for their own usage, the impact of them all remains the same. While these types
of videos that are uploaded range from reactions to pranks to other short bits of entertainment, the constraints of the format have led to interesting new forms of literature. For example, take the TikToker AmericanBaron, who has risen in popularity due to his perfection of the subformat known as the “perfect loop.”

             Consider this video (alternate link) that explores the meta concept of the loop format. An important aspect of any perfect loop is that the ending and beginning match up seamlessly so the content in question can go on forever. This format lends itself heavily to the nonsensical; one can watch this video and feel a sense of insanity trying to understand where the video starts and ends, as it never ends and therefore never technically starts.

            This subtype is not limited to discussing the meta, however. The format also lends itself to the topics of existentialism and philosophy, both which Baron Ryan frequently touches on. Consider the working for happiness loop (alternate link), in which Ryan discusses where happiness comes from with an alien figure. In this video, Ryan explores the paradox of humans working unhappy jobs to not be unhappy.

While the video lends itself to the never-ending loop of existentialism, it also highlights another feature of the TikTok format: the use of filters to distort one’s appearance. The use of the alien filter provides a backdrop in the video in which humans must explain their behavior to nonhuman entities; in doing so, the over explanation highlights the absurdity of humanity itself. The filter technology likely provided inspiration in the creation of the video; without the ease of distorting one’s appearance, it is quite possible the concept might not have come to fruition.

The use of visual aids in driving home the point of one’s electronic writing is not limited to short video skits; another format that is enhanced through the use of visual media is known as the video essay. Unlike traditional academic essays which can cover a variety of subjects, the most popularized video essays tend to revolve around technology and multimedia itself. Take for instance, the YouTuber Sarah Z, who has written videos essays surrounding a multitude of internet topics, including “The Late Capitalism of Fast Food Twitter”, “Online Boundaries and Emotional Labor”, and “Tumblr's FAKEST Story: The Tale of Oppa Homeless Style.”

In the latter video, Sarah Z hyper-focuses on one of the historically most popular fake Tumblr posts; Tumblr itself is a microblogging social media platform well known for its original chain-text posts, often crafted together by multiple users. Due to the creativity of the site, it is common that posts take on a fictional, humorous lens. Consider the over the top style of the post in question.

During her exploration of the topic, Sarah Z spent an inordinate amount of time crosschecking usernames and origin sites. Her investigation led to an interesting outcome. Not only was the post in question fake, but it had never originated on Tumblr; it was actually a post doctored to appear that it came from Tumblr and instead was originally uploaded to r/ThatHappened, a subreddit dedicated to calling out egregiously fake posts and mocking the initial user.

What is more, it turns out that several of the most popular fake Tumblr posts were doctored by this reddit user, MechaMew2, in order to gain karma and mock the “cringe-worthy antics” of the communities his doctored posts centered around. In essence, Sarah Z’s video essay led to the exposure of a hate-content farmer.

Overall, it was the use of the visual media that allowed Sarah to make her argument in a clear, concise manner. For each twist and turn in the essay, Sarah was able to provide an accompanying visual aid so that the audience could easily follow along. Left simply to paper, one might become confused and overwhelmed at the sheer number of links needed to follow to keep up with her argument as it develops. The conversational tone of video essays, something often not acceptable in academic essays, also helps in the ease of consumption.

Just as the constraints of the video essay lead to visually-aided arguments about internet culture, so to the constraints of TikTok skits lead to existential perfect loop videos and the constraints of kinetic e-poetry lead to animated denotations. While each style of writing is unique unto itself, they all three share things in common: people desire easily consumed, visually aided forms of content. While it is still too soon to gather the full breadth of how the internet and technology will impact the future of literature, essays like this one, that explore the cause and outcome of new styles of writing afforded to us by innovation, allow for a peak into the future of where electracy might take us.