After Rekhta: A Narrative Study of Urdu Fan Fiction on Wattpad and TikTok Public Aesthetics, Digital Economy, and New Modes of Reading.

Abstract

This study examines the post-Rekhta transformation of Urdu literary culture, in which the production and consumption of narrative increasingly shift from print-based institutions to digital platforms such as Wattpad and TikTok. It situates Urdu fan fiction within the frameworks of public aesthetics, participatory culture, and digital emotional economies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines content analysis of 300 Wattpad novels, each exceeding 100 episodes, and 500 TikTok videos with over one million views, ethnographic interviews with 50 writers and 200 readers, and an economic analysis of platform systems including coins, gifts, and engagement metrics. The findings suggest that contemporary Urdu fan fiction functions less as conventional literary creativity and more as formula-driven narrative production shaped by audience interaction. Readers act as co-authors through comments and feedback that influence plot development. The study concludes that Urdu digital fan fiction reflects a participatory literary democracy grounded in emotional capitalism, challenging traditional literary institutions and redefining authorship, readership, and textual authority in the digital age.