Anyone Can Be a Writer

English professor's book explores how the internet has changed the publishing industry

Photo of woman next to the front cover of a book titled We the Platform
Aarthi Vadde’s book examines how digital platforms have reshaped not only the publishing industry but also the very idea of what literature is.

The following is a summary of a story written by Elizabeth Richardson on Trinity College of Arts & Sciences.

What happens to literature when anyone can write whatever they want, whenever they want, and immediately post it to an audience of millions of readers?

Aarthi Vadde's recently released book, “We the Platform: How the Internet Changed Twenty-First-Century Literature,” examines how digital platforms have reshaped not only the publishing industry but also the very idea of what literature is.

“We’re in this era of mass writing, where if you want to, you can make a free account and start expressing yourself in the world,” said Vadde, associate professor of English. This has created new challenges and opportunities for writers and publishers seeking to make their living from quality literature.

Her book traces key phases of Web 2.0, from early social media experiments to contemporary debates about artificial intelligence, and how major writers respond to them.

Vadde’s central argument is that the internet has democratized literary production, enabling far more people to write, publish and reach audiences without traditional gatekeepers. Blogs, fanfiction communities, and social media have created new spaces for direct interaction between writers and readers, often blurring the distinction between them.

At the same time, Vadde highlights that digital platforms introduce their own forms of influence and control. Algorithms, engagement metrics, and platform design shape what is seen and shared, so visibility is often determined by factors beyond purely literary merit.

Instead of viewing these changes as inevitably causing decline, Vadde sees them as a transformation. Literature, she argues, has broadened to encompass new genres and forms that reflect on the internet's participatory nature. Online writing communities foster experimentation and interaction, but they also demand new kinds of attention-seeking and reputation-building from aspiring authors.

Looking ahead, Vadde connects these web-based developments to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, which has turned mass writing into training data.

“The story of literature is much bigger than books; it’s the story of new writing technologies, interpretative communities,and power dynamics,” she says.

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