Problems of typologizing literary texts and models of their transformation as conditioned by technological and sociocultural changes in contemporary digital society

The study focuses on developing a typology of literary texts that are undergoing transformation under the influence of technological and sociocultural factors of the digital age. It aims to overcome terminological ambiguity and offers a systematized framework for analyzing both traditional and emerging forms of textuality. Its theoretical foundation is informed by works in text theory and philosophy by M.M. Bakhtin, key tenets of poststructuralist critical and philosophical theory (J. Derrida, J. Kristeva, G. Genette, J. Baudrillard, M. Foucault, R. Barthes), as well as research on electronic (hyper-)text (E. Aarseth, R. Simanowski, E. Schmidt, M. Wiesel, T. Nelson, O.V. Dedova, S.A. Kuchina, among others). The primary methods employed include comparative analysis, systematization, and typologization. In light of the terminological inconsistency prevalent in digital text studies, a typology based on four criteria is proposed. According to the mode of creation and presentation, texts are classified into paper, digitized (static digital copies of printed originals), and digital. The latter is further subdivided into electronic (e-books), networked (existing within and utilizing online infrastructure), and virtual (operating in VR/AR environments). Based on structure, texts are categorized as linear and non-linear (hypertexts), with the latter distinguished into electronic (classical) and networked (contemporary) hypertexts. Regarding the mode of reader-text interaction, three types are identified: passive, collaborative (formed through collective reader creativity), and generative (text produced by AI algorithms in dialogue with the user). Finally, based on the number and interaction of semiotic codes and sign systems, along with the nature of reader perception, texts are classified as monocodal, polycodal, and multimedia. The proposed typology enables a systematic description of the evolution of the literary text from a static artifact to a dynamic, processual, and interactive phenomenon. It demonstrates that the technological specificities of text creation and functioning (primary factors) are interrelated with new sociocultural practices of reading and co-authorship (secondary factors). Constructed in this manner, the typology can serve as a foundation for further in-depth study of the sociocultural aspects of text existence in the digital age, when criteria such as the degree of interactivity, semantic depth, functional capacity, type of reader reception, and mode of presentation may come to the forefront. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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