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When pen encounters keyboard
(chinaculture.org)
Updated: 2010-04-28 17:32
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Have you ever posted a blog on the Internet? Or browsed some pieces of famous novels online? If you do, congratulations! You might be part of history in the making-- online writing.
Over recent years, with the growing development of the Internet, blogs, and online writing have become a popular entertainment for the everyday person. Everybody is able to express their thoughts without hindrances. To date, it has penetrated into every corner of society and with it comes the so-called online literature. Nevertheless, there’s still no definite or authorized definition on this rising yet controversial phenomenon. Some argue that online literature is grass-roots literature on the Internet epoch as it has broken free from the pressures it gets from publishing houses and limitations of traditional writing—what you need is but one computer, thus offering a free platform for a greater number of writing enthusiasts, such as Baby Anne and Pizi Cai who became Internet super stars. However, it’s also not without criticism. Professor Xiao Ying of Tsinghua University pointed out that online literature shouldn’t be categorized into the range of literature in the real sense; as online writers, most of who were forced to focus on the quantity of their works, actually were “farming words and reputation”. Li Ao, the famous writer from Taiwan, China, insists that online literature is a bubble of words that forms nonsense.
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As a matter of fact, online literature does invigorate the cultural markets and at the same time give readers more choices. It brings fresh air and bridges serious literature with the modern youth, providing some food for thought to those born between the 1980s and the 1990s. Besides, with a computer alone, writers are allowed to freely explore their talents and thus produce an increased number of works, facilitating the progress and diversification of literature. More to the point, they can survive the competitive society with the money they earn by composing online writings. Although it is still has to be seen whether online writing will thrive or not, one point is clear: the opportunity for it to move forward remains strong.
However, the fate of online works is largely decided upon the number of hits it receives. So some problems have arisen among those online writers, such as pornography and plagiarism, thus, tarnishing the reputation of online works. Some of them, namely “fast-food literature”, rely on marketing operations as they have turned into a sacrifice of commercial capitals.
On the same topic, the renowned writers, in either both pen or keyboard novels, are also divided in their beliefs. Some hold that it’s necessary to launch a major reform on the online writings if we want to see a thriving cultural sector. Others consider it as a free and non-commercial platform, which is bound to nurture exceptional works and writers.
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Although the relationship between online literature and traditional literature still puzzles the public, it can’t be denied that the former is born out of the latter which is then diversified by it. Both of them can and must progress together so that they can profitably share a common ground.
Fortunately, online literature has been a major part of the new cultural industry chain, as evidenced by a large amount of online writings being adapted to films, TV plays and even online games, which certainly brings forth the increasing annual profits. But, there’re many problems left to be solved. For instance, due to the virtual nature of the Internet, it poses a great challenge to the protection of the author’s copyright, especially with laws and regulations still expecting to catch up.
Translated by Wang Yumeng
