ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of ‘born digital’ literary works found on Twitter, including poetry and drama. It aims to present a discussion beyond the preoccupation with examples of literary outputs on Twitter as ‘short bursts of beauty’, to examine whether Twitter can support more sustained and immersive forms. The creativity in evidence on Twitter can be linked to the concept of the attention economy, as users not only have limited characters, but limited time to make their mark as their feeds and timelines are continually updating. Like many other social media platforms, part of Twitter’s function and appeal is built around the idea of users documenting their day to day activities. The social and ‘live’ aspects of Twitter as a storytelling environment therefore provide new opportunities for tracking how stories unfold, and how readers respond to narratives told in real time.
