Digital Media Effect On Writers
As the digital world turns each rotation births new and exciting modes of expression. Doomsayers cry the sky will be falling. Guy Patrick Cunningham, (2012) calls it “fragmentary writing.” (http://www.themillions.com/2012/01/fragmentary-writing-in-a-digital-age.html/). I agree. Text messages and tweets are fragments of full sentences. A Japanese poetic form, haiku, is similar in nature. Haiku form evokes emotions. Haiku is linear. Haiku is concise.
“As the wind does blow
Across the trees, I see the
Buds blooming in May”
One can see the similarity of haiku to texts and tweets. The trend of utilizing mobile cell phones for viewing content, including books, has increased. Mobithinking.mobi estimates users at 6 billion worldwide. Entire books and even comic books are digitalized for cell phones. 2011 estimated sales of cell novels and comics combined are $108.3 million and growing. (http://www.publishers.org/press/30/). This new media is a boost for writers. With increased distribution possibilities, digital marketing is becoming huge. A prediction at ineedhits.com states, “mobile ad spending will jump to $20.6 billion by 2015.”
It is believed that the cell phone novel originated in Japan. This supports the idea of continuing the haiku tradition. History reinvented to accommodate new generations. As usual generations may clash at new ideas. Writers who refuse to run with the tide may find themselves out of work. Personally, I don’t like digital ebooks but I would prefer reading on a © Kindle with a larger screen over trying to read anything on a cell phone. However, I will not hesitate as a writer to jump on this financially lucrative venture. Book publishers and filmmakers are discovering Novelists. Hard copies have sold in the millions and anime films are popular in Japan. I believe this trend will occur in the United States.
At (http://www.textnovel.com/story/The-Cell-Phone-Novel-Manual/) their wonderful statement “many other young aspiring authors, each inspiring another, began to join the movement creating a new wave of innovative literary technique, awakening a new passion to write and read in teens all over the world” is in itself inspiring. For an interesting view on Comic book novels watch this video: (http://youtu.be/lJRvWLrCS8Q/)
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