@ohheyitshonor
In reading “Electronic Literature: what is it?” by Kathrine Hayles one first defines, then refines their own terminology surrounding electronic literature. As Hayles describes in section 3, traditional literature only reflects one way in which the message conveyed is an art form, while electronic literature has both literary and digital sides, which” possess assets essential to cope with the complexities of the commercial interests that currently determine many aspects of how people live their everyday lives in developed societies.” ( par 47.) This description brings to life the potency of messages given through digital mediums and brings the deep understanding and contemporary digital practices together.
The piece I chose to examine was “Cruising”, a digital poem by Ingrid Ankerson and Megan Sapnar. One thing that struck me right away was the fact that both the writer (Ankerson) and the digital artist (Sapnar) were credited equally in the work. This is because the mixture of literature and visual arts is no longer separate when created on a digital platform. This piece is a “digital born” piece simply because of it’s integration of digital elements to enhance the literary meaning. As Hayles describes in the beginning of section 3, hyperlinks majorly differentiate digital literature from print because of it’s ability to transport you to a different text, page, or media instantly. These hyperlinks, in contrast to normal links, create a sense of structure present in all literature, but utilize multiple mediums to convey their message.
Overall, Cruising combines an interactive media with poetry creating a image within the poem otherwise left to the readers imagination to create.