Introduction
Adaptation is not a secondary imitation, but an autonomous creative act that has become a key cultural phenomenon in the digital age. Drawing on Linda Hutcheon's theory, this article explains how the democratization of media and interactivity are transforming our perception of authorship, ownership, and fidelity to the original. We analyze adaptation as a dynamic process in which context and the active recipient play a crucial role, and the practice itself becomes a tool for negotiating meanings in global culture.
Adaptation as a Creative Process, Not a Copy
In Linda Hutcheon's view, adaptation is a central mechanism of culture, possessing a dual nature. It is both a product (a specific work) and a process (an ongoing creative act). This approach debunks the myth of fidelity to the original as an outdated criterion for evaluation. The success of an adaptation does not depend on its adherence to the original, but on its vitality and ability to resonate with a new audience. The original is merely a starting point, not an inviolable canon.
The transformation of a work stems from a change in the mode of audience engagement. Hutcheon distinguishes three key modes: telling (literature), showing (film, theater), and interacting (video games). Transferring a story between these modes inevitably alters its meaning, as each medium operates with a different language and set of tools, making a simple copy impossible.
The Digital Age: Fans Take Control
Digital culture and Web 2.0 have democratized adaptation, transforming passive recipients into prosumers – active co-creators of content. Adaptation has ceased to be the domain of professionals, becoming a mass cultural practice. A key role is played by the "knowing audience," whose familiarity with the original shapes reception and provokes their own creative works, such as remixes, mash-ups, or fan fiction.
This grassroots activity gives rise to fundamental legal and social conflicts. It pits the traditional copyright model, based on the idea of a single author, against a culture of participation and remix. Fan adaptations, though often formally infringing on rights, are tolerated as a form of free marketing, creating a zone of tension between the logic of ownership and social acceptance of creative processing.
Adaptation Without Borders: From Transculture to Transmedia
The boundaries of adaptation are fluid, best exemplified by transcultural adaptations. The process of indigenization, or rooting a story in a local context, demonstrates how meanings are negotiated and how culture intertwines with power. This phenomenon can be a form of resistance or unconscious colonization. The allure of adaptation lies precisely in this interplay between recognition and difference, which breathes new life into familiar stories.
Today, adaptation functions as a transmedia strategy, where stories expand across multiple platforms, creating complex narrative universes. Ultimately, it becomes a philosophical metaphor for our era – a culture of constant flux, where humans must adapt to a fluid reality, and every story is an invitation to rewrite it anew.
Conclusion
Adaptation, stripping us of the illusion of permanence, reminds us of the constant renegotiation of meanings in culture. Thus, by blurring the lines between original and copy, do we not become a society of permanent adaptation, where identity is fluid and narrative is constantly rewritten? Perhaps it is precisely in this ceaseless transformation that the essence of contemporary experience lies.
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