Transformative use of information technology in American literary writing: A pilot survey of literary community members

Information technology (IT) provides resources with which human actors can change the patterns of social action in which they participate. Studies of genre change have been among those that have focused on such change. Those studies, though, have tended not to focus on creative genres. This study is one in a series of studies meant to examine IT use in literature and the arts. The current study mediates between smaller, qualitative studies and future, quantitative studies with larger sample sizes. The results demonstrate that the conceptual framework developed in earlier studies is essentially valid, but needs to be modified for future studies. The pilot survey approach paid off both in modifications to the conceptual framework under development and in refinement of the research questions for future iterations.