Volume V Special Issue III August 2025

Name of Author : Dr. Shveta Tripathi

Title of the paper : Viral Voices: Social Medias Influence on Literary Expression, Cultural Narratives, and Gender Identity

Abstract: Social media has emerged as a transformative force in reshaping the contours of literature, spatial representation, and gender identity in the 21st century. Platforms such as Instagram, Twitter now X, TikTok, Tumblr, and YouTube reshape literary expression, cultural narratives, and gender identity performance in the digital age. They have not only enabled the democratization of literary creation and dissemination but also expanded the scope of environmental aesthetics and nonbinary gender visibility. This paper explores the impact of social media on literary expression, cultural narratives, and gender identity. Through a critical analysis of existing literature and social media platforms, this study reveals how social media has democratized literary voices, challenged traditional cultural narratives, and influenced gender identity formation. It explores how these platforms influence literary expression through genres like Instagram poetry, BookTok narratives, and tweet fiction reframe the perception of physical and virtual landscapes through geotagging, filters, and aesthetic movements such as cottagecore and solarpunk and empower diverse expressions of gender identity via digital performance, hashtag activism, and queer storytelling. The findings suggest that social media has created new opportunities for marginalized voices to be heard, but also raises concerns about the commodification of identity and the homogenization of cultural narratives. A mixed method approach combining discourse analysis, case studies, and scholarly literature reveals that platforms promote microgenres, democratize narrative and identity authorship, and create contested spaces for gender visibility.

Keywords : Social Media, Digital Literature, Virtual Landscapes, Gender Identity, Hashtag Activism, Digital Humanities

DOI :

Page Number : 81-85