From Page to Pixel: Digital Storytelling and the Transformation of 21st-Century Literary Culture

Digital platforms have significantly altered contemporary reading and storytelling practices. Literary engagement today increasingly occurs through microfiction, Bookstagram posts, Wattpad narratives, memes, and short-form video reels, all of which prioritise speed, visual appeal, and emotional immediacy. This article examines how such platforms reshape literary culture by encouraging fragmented consumption while simultaneously expanding participation and accessibility. Drawing on theories of attention economy, algorithmic culture, and participatory media, the study argues that literature is not undergoing simple deterioration but a structural transformation. While mass audiences gravitate toward compressed digital forms, elite reading communities continue to sustain long-form literary traditions, revealing a widening cultural divide in 21st-century reading practices.