What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.

Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egotism.

Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.

The associations of these words are probably e-readers, books in digital form, or futuristic digital or electronic literature that goes beyond words on paper. Digital literature is a special kind of literature. It is multimodal, meaning it is created from different types of data that we receive through multiple senses and in different ways. It is originally designed and intended for "reading" on a digital device, so it can include images, sound, moving elements, and more, which help us immerse ourselves in the story. An important part of its persuasiveness is interactivity. For example, the reader can lead the story or choose different endings, thus becoming an active participant in the literary experience.

The first Slovenian example of this type of interactive online literature: https://www.jaka.org/1997/int/int/prva-st.htm

Literature of the digital age is not just electronic literature. This is a broader term that encompasses a variety of literary activities in the current period, and it proves that human needs for art change, but they always remain present.

Fiction on social media

Social media is a place of very fast and dense information flow. It is not surprising that a space for sharing ideas, aesthetics, expressing opinions, and evaluating the likability of content has also become a space for art. In these online environments, there is no shortage of prose, poetry, or even literary criticism.

Twitterature

This is a special form of literature that was created and shared through the former Twitter network, after which it was named during its heyday. Mostly it's poetry or short stories, but some authors write entire novels through countless short posts. Posts were originally limited to 140 characters, so authors had to be very creative and innovative to write a literary work. Readers can participate in writing by submitting their own continuation ideas and hoping the author chooses their idea.

Instapoetry

Instapoetry are writings that authors post on the social network Instagram. Their important feature is their appearance - they are typically written in a typewriter font, lack punctuation and capital letters, and are decorated with simple drawings made of a few lines. Verses are usually short and concise, and the content is full of strong emotions and themes of relationships, growth, and identity, which makes this type of poetry more accessible to a wider audience. Therefore, readers are responding to the posts in the comments and sharing them on their profiles. The most successful authors (e.g., the famous Rupi Kaur with her work Milk and Honey) return their Instapoetry to the traditional form - a printed book, which rounds out the connection between different types of literature.

Slam poetry

It is a form of performance art in which the author and performer simultaneously recites their poem publicly in a way that captures the listener's attention - usually energetically, rhythmically, and with distinct emphasis. Themes of these songs are often discrimination, social criticism, identity, mental health issues, violence, injustice... The slam has traditionally been performed as part of competitions, where the audience played an important role in judging, and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have expanded the art form. Now we can watch videos where the creator performs their work in the comfort of their own home, in front of the camera lens on their phone. Poets raise questions and thoughts that touch many listeners, and the comments section then brings together like-minded people.

Booktok

... and also Booktube, Bookstagram are names for a community of readers and amateur literary critics on those social media platforma. Mostly, these are videos where creators recommend books, share their opinions about them, present their own literary works, and so on. For bookworms who follow or post this content, “being a reader” is a defining characteristic. Various nicknames have developed to represent belonging to this community, and there is also some competition and comparison. Readers like to boast about how many pages they read in a day, how many books in a month or year, and proudly show off their extensive home libraries. Although this is not a direct creation of literature, the popularity of these contents has had a significant impact on publishing and book sales.

Creating fans

Literature of the digital age, with its accessibility, allows anyone to try their hand at writing. Fanfiction is a genre of literature where fans use a character, story, or world from an artistic work and create their own text. It can also be about real people, about whom authors then write hypothetical scenarios and imagine them in other circumstances, relationships, and so on. Famous collections or sagas such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars are often chosen for such re-creation. Although the content of the text is not necessarily love-based, the motifs of pairing characters who are not originally in a romantic relationship are very popular in fanfiction. Platforms where writers share their stories are lively and full of records (e.g. AO3, Commaful). Some authors are so dedicated to their work that they regularly (e.g. weekly) add new chapters to the story, and readers then respond and express their opinions. As mentioned earlier with instapoetry, authors also publish their work in a collection, printed or digital book format. Authors of the original texts have different views on fanfiction - some are supportive and encourage writers to create, others are happy with the free advertising, and some strongly oppose it, claiming that it is a violation of copyright and a tarnishing of their work.

What, then, is the literature of the digital age?

The above are just a few of the phenomena of literature in the digital age that we perceive as popular. This doesn’t mean that traditional forms of literature are erased. Technology opens up opportunities for connection - an important element of all these forms is the response of followers, comments, and involvement in creation. Online reading clubs and reading challenges are also being formed. Reading and writing are surrounded by intense emotions of anticipation, excitement, pride, hope, but also frustration when the author is late with a new publication or changes the story in an unsatisfactory way.
We can even talk about the democratization of publishing literary works. Nowadays, authors have easier ways to share their work that a publishing house would not accept and publish. This means that the diversity of characters, stories, and messages is increasing. The likelihood of encountering people from different countries, backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual identities and orientations, disabilities, beliefs, etc. is higher online than in a local bookstore. At the same time, the internet is an environment of great and demanding competition. Work must find its place and its audience in the era of hyperproduction and intensive marketing techniques. On the one hand, we talk about increasing diversity, but on the other hand, we also see strong recurring motifs that are currently popular among readers. Literary works must follow trends in order to be noticed more quickly.

Good or bad?

Although we have presented many positive aspects of online literature, it is important to point out the differences with traditional literature that concern us. The content can mostly be found with a few clicks in less than five minutes. Accessibility is great for reducing differences between people with different reading abilities, but it also encourages us to reward quickly. When we don't like a book, we borrow or stream the next one online. We don't have to put in the effort to select, return, and re-borrow or purchase, and the result is guaranteed as long as we have a signal. We also get used to multitasking - while listening to an audiobook, we go for a walk, wash dishes, tidy up, run, get around... to get even more stimuli at the same time, we set the playback speed to double. Or we listen to a deep, expressive song for 30 seconds, like it, and swipe to the next video. We can boast about how many books we read in a month or a year, but we run out of peace while reading when our brains finally relax and let our imagination run wild. Literary culture has turned inward and outward - from dreaminess, romance of slow walks through the library and deep reflection on what we've read to the numbers that determine how successful readers we are. We set goals for how many pages to read per day, because otherwise we no longer know how to read. When using screens to read literature, we are just a click away from other content that can be more passive. Our focus is interrupted by notifications or messages, and we quickly switch to another app. We are not to blame for this. It is difficult to use one device for quick correspondence or absorbing intense video content and at the same time calm, focused, even slow reading. Just as it makes sense to separate the space for work and rest, we will be able to read more easily and with more positive effects without a phone or computer in our field of vision.

Conclusion and opportunity

Literature is changing, and it makes sense to adopt new forms that may be more interesting to younger people. As James Patterson said: "There's no child, that hates reading. There are children who love reading and children who read the wrong books."

Finally, we'll add an idea on how to incorporate literature into your family life. Once a week, (month, quarter, etc.) set aside time for a family literary evening. Every member presents a piece of literature that he or she read. It can be a book, a poetry collection, an article, or a short text. Don't limit the choices - accept different lengths, forms, languages and genres. Read or listen to a part of your chosen literature and share your experience. You can express what you think about the work, how you felt while reading it, who you would recommend it to, or anything outside of the classical framework. Don't try to make the meeting too formal; the purpose is just to spend time together in a pleasant way.

Appendix
Buy an e-reader for the child? Is that a screen?
From a technical standpoint, an e-reader is a screen, but it is not a typical example like phones, tablets, and computers. A key feature of e-readers is the absence of blue light, which disrupts our sleep patterns. E-readers are therefore also appropriate for reading right before sleep. The other important quality is limited access to the internet. This depends on the individual brand or model, but generally, it is a device that is used offline, i.e., without an internet connection. In most cases, it is impossible to stream video content or upload images and photos. Quick page switching is also eliminated, as the content loads much slower. We know that colors grab our attention, but the e-ink in readers is usually just black. To sum up, this is a screen that is much less interesting and addictive for the brain than other screens. We recommend visiting libraries and bookstores more than buying an e-reader. When the child develops this habit and a passion for reading, we can consider buying a book as a reward or gift. Then comes the learning process of how to use the device, how to get books, and so on. Be careful - e-readers can also be a source of excessive use, for example reading long into the night.