Breaking the Cocoon and Forging a New Path: The Evolution and High-Quality Development of Mass Literature and Art in the New Media Context

Abstract

With the profound iteration of mobile internet, algorithmic recommendation, and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), the production mechanism and dissemination ecology of Chinese mass literature and art are undergoing a historic reconstruction. Situated against the macro-strategic backdrop of the "15th Five-Year Plan" in 2025, which explicitly aims to "prosper new mass literature and art under internet conditions," this paper employs theories of media empowerment, critique of the culture industry, and algorithmic culture to deeply describe and analyze three typical forms: amateur writing, micro-short dramas, and AI-assisted creation. The study reveals that decentralized new media technologies have dismantled the monopoly barriers of elite literature and art, endowing marginalized groups and non-professional creators with unprecedented rights to expression. This has catalyzed the emergence of new artistic forms characterized by "authenticity, popularity, and interactivity." These forms not only realize the inclusivity of cultural rights and the microscopic recording of the zeitgeist but also generate an industrial increment of nearly 100 billion yuan, becoming a vital engine of the digital economy. However, the absolute dominance of traffic logic has also triggered deep-seated crises such as the alienation of authenticity, aesthetic homogenization, blurring of ethical boundaries, and industrial bubbles, where "pseudo-authenticity" and "gratification tropes" are dissolving the public value of literature and art. This paper argues that the future of new mass art lies in a paradigm shift from a "traffic-oriented" to a "quality-oriented" approach. By upholding the subjectivity of creators, optimizing platform algorithms for social good, and implementing precise "full-chain" government support policies, a benign ecosystem balancing humanistic warmth and technical rationality can be constructed. This will promote mass literature and art from the periphery to the mainstream, achieving high-quality development that is popular yet not vulgar, and widespread yet refined.