Lutz: Week one

 Electronic literature is a novel method of reading and telling a story, separated into loose genres like hypertext and interactive fiction. Katherine Hayle describes electronic literature as “‘digital born,’  a first-generation digital object created on a computer and (usually) meant to be read on a computer” (Hayle 1). For the most part, Rettberg agrees with this definition; however, he argues that “digital born” does not exist, rather, “Works of electronic literature are native to the digital environment – for the most part they could not easily be produced or consumed in print literary contexts” (Rettberg 19). As technology expands, so does our way of thinking. Inventing new methods of communicating stories is nothing revolutionary. In the wake of novel technologies, people are creating genres that were never before possible. Friedrich Kittler stated “Our machines are also shaping our thoughts” (Rettberg 30). For electronic literature, you need to have an open mind. For the last decade, stories that play out through text messages have grown in popularity. These videos often have AI voices reading the messages, tapping sounds for the typing, and the notification bell. This story could not have come about without the context of living in a world where we text to communicate. Electronic literature is ever-changing and pushes people out of their comfort zones to create and interact with media in unique ways. 

For my interactive piece, I chose to look at The Last Performance [dot org] by Judd Morrissey, as mentioned by Rettberg. I cannot seem to grasp what this project is and how it works. Given that it is from 2007, it could be that the website is no longer functional. Because that was unsuccessful, I looked up “The Unknown” by Dirk Stratton. This was honestly shocking. Although I am aware of some niche categories of electronic literature, I have never seen this type before. My understanding of the overall interface is minimal. When I took a screenshot, names popped up on the screen.