Fragmented Dissemination of Literature on Social Media in the Digital Age: Mechanisms and Cultural Implications

Abstract

This study reviews the fragmented sharing of literary content across mainstream social media platforms. Drawing on twenty relevant academic studies published between 2010 and 2025, the paper explores the driving forces behind literary fragmentation, how platform design reshapes literary texts, and its practical influences on public reading behaviours. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok structurally split complete literary texts into short, digestible snippets. People circulate these fragments for various purposes, including time‑saving reading, commercial profit‑making, and building online reading‑centred communities. Fragmented communication lowers the access threshold for literary works and helps literature reach broader audiences. Nevertheless, it also brings visible drawbacks. Isolated excerpts may trigger audience misunderstandings of original texts and promote superficial reading habits. Most existing research focuses on Western social media environments, while literary fragmentation on Chinese domestic platforms remains underexplored. This paper argues that fragmented literary dissemination cannot be simply judged as positive or negative. Its actual cultural effect largely depends on how audiences, content creators, and platforms use this form of communication.