Digital Criticism and the Characteristics of the Digital Critic

Abstract

This article examines digital criticism as a critical response to the transformations of literary creativity within digital culture. It argues that the literary text is no longer confined to printed words, but has expanded to include image, sound, movement, multimedia, and network-based interaction. The author discusses the legitimacy of digital creativity and relates its emergence to the growing use of computers, the Internet, and electronic publishing. The article shows that digital literary works require critical tools and competencies that go beyond traditional literary criticism. It highlights the advantages of digital publishing, including rapid circulation, lower cost, wider accessibility, and enhanced interaction between writer and reader, while also addressing the challenges of screen-based reading and digital reception. The article focuses on the characteristics required of the digital critic, such as technological literacy, awareness of audiovisual media, the ability to analyze interactive textual structures, and understanding of virtual reality and information culture. It concludes that digital criticism is an emerging field that requires both theoretical and applied awareness capable of linking literary creativity with technological innovation without premature final judgments.