PLATFORMISING STORYTELLING: SHORT FICTION, NEOLIBERAL IMMEDIACY, AND TWITCH STREAMING IN ROMANIA
PLATFORMISING STORYTELLING: SHORT FICTION, NEOLIBERAL IMMEDIACY, AND TWITCH STREAMING IN ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: Platformising Storytelling: Short Fiction, Neoliberal Immediacy, and Twitch Streaming in Romania. In light of the neoliberal ascent of platform capitalism, storytelling is undergoing an unmatched metamorphosis noticeable even in semi-peripheral cultures, including Romania’s. From a methodological standpoint, we examine these literary and cultural transformations by situating a particular case study within the ideological frameworks of neoliberal capitalism as it manifests on streaming platforms. Our case study focuses on reallyrux’s Twitch and YouTube series “Cine-i janghina?” (“Who’s the Asshole?”), where audiences submit allegedly autobiographical short stories based on preestablished themes, focused on multi-sided conflicts. The host reads and discusses the stories in live streams, playfully evaluating their style while suggesting that the show enhances her audience’s literary knowledge, thus positioning the series as both participatory entertainment and an informal workshop. Consequently, the study’s aim is three-fold: first, to analyse the interrelationship between the literary and the digital, in particular, platform-based content; second, to investigate the revitalisation of the short story genre through participatory digital practices in the context of the prevalent trend of creative writing workshops in Romania; and third, to assess the immediacy-driven nature of post-millennial storytelling and its broader ideological implications. By exploring the intersection of platform media, participatory culture, and literary production, this paper sheds light on the evolving boundaries of storytelling in the age of platform capitalism.

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