Divergent Streams

 To end the book, the final chapter focuses on touch interactivity, varied forms of e-lit and how they may evolve, and what could come next for the virtual literature space. Looking at what comes next is less about guesswork and instead about embracing a mindset of change and growth. Rettberg makes it clear that the element of fun, playfulness, and sort of whimsical approach is what makes innovation in E-lit occur. Glancing back at all the varied kinds of media and dozens of different projects we've seen in this course, I'd have to agree. It's pretty safe to say that no two pieces were alike, and the boldness and playfulness of the creators is what pushes people to innovate and try something risky and new. I'd said last week that the Network Writing was a daunting task because cooperative creation seemed like a recipe for disaster- maybe now I'd admit that exact disastrous possibility is what can make a piece so special (though I'd still worry). 

Touch interactivity is a bit different, but interesting in its own right. Personally, my initial reaction when thinking of touch-to-move gameplay is "mobile games" or little things you'd play on a phone to pass the time. It's dismissive in a way, but that was where my mind first went. What I didn't expect out of this week's materials was to come away with a better perspective on this form of media as a whole; touching what you're interacting with, even if it's through cold glass, gives an undeniable tangibility and a palpable quality to the content itself. Far Away from Far Away was undoubtedly enhanced by this tangible quality when telling a personal story of growing up in a rural and disadvantaged area- I'd argue that this is another medium which is better-paired with this level of interactivity, like some of the text-interactive works we've looked at previously. 

If the absurd breadth of projects and sites we've looked through in this course has shown me anything, it's that I have no idea where E-lit will go next, but maybe that's a good thing! Someone more creative than me can sit up one day and make that decision for themselves.