Dialogic Creation of the Popular Canon and Social Capital on Twitter

Abstract

Although the literary canon has long been a subject of discussion, changes brought about by the rise of the Internet and social networks invite an overall rethinking of the mechanisms of its creation and, above all, of rankings that originate outside the Academy. The emergence of Twitter as a social network, characterized by immediacy and brevity, offers an interesting environment for examining the dialogic dynamics of canon creation (Fishelov) and social capital (Bourdieu) among its users. This article examines the correlation between the dialogues prompted on Twitter about new book releases and their sales figures and the dynamics of creating an alternative canon to that of the Academy. The research takes the form of a case study: the Dia Mundial del Libro, or Dia del Llibre in Catalan, which brings together the Hispanic literary ecosystem in Barcelona on the Dia de Sant Jordi.