The Screenwriter in the Era of Social Media and Smart Screen Devices

Abstract

In its century of existence, the screenwriting profession has gone through many changes in response to developments in screen technologies. This research aims to explore the relationship between the current era screenwriter and smart screen technologies (such as smartphones) with a focus on screenwriters’ professional use of Twitter. Additionally, the research considers if writing content for smart screen devices should be viewed as an extension of the established screenwriter identity or if screenwriting has been consumed into the more recent emergence of a multi-skilled, online content creator professional identity.

An explanatory mixed methods research design has been applied to collect data for this research. This has produced one of the largest quantitative studies of screenwriters ’use of social media, informing a subsequent series of qualitative semi-structured interviews with practicing screenwriters. The findings from triangulating these results show a generational divide in screenwriters’ interaction on social media, with younger writers using the platforms as a professional marketplace to engage with audiences. Established screenwriters appear uncomfortable with the new smart screen platforms, frequently due to the performative and public nature of posting messages as opposed to the privacy myth of previous screenwriter work. There was a fear of reputational damage from posting unpopular social media messages, which in the most extreme cases resulted in threats of physical violence towards the screenwriter. It was found that many established screenwriters used ‘secret’ social media accounts to express views which they deemed controversial to avoid reputational damage. This uneasy relationship with new screen types was found to be significantly exacerbated by a protectionist stance by screenwriting trade bodies and guilds resulting in a lack of guidance for existing screenwriters wishing to expand their employment opportunities into the smart screen arena. The implications of these findings are that the screenwriter identity has become fragmented between hobbyists (who accounted for 83% of all persons identifying as a screenwriter on Twitter), established screenwriters and content creators. Of those identifying as established screenwriters, nearly all relied on other, non-screen based, employment as their primary source of income as opposed to professionally expanding into income generation on social platforms. In not doing so, the professional screenwriter identity is at threat of disappearing through over saturation of aspirants making an unchallenged claim to the screenwriter identity on social media, and online content creators assimilating a role similar to screenwriting into their own portfolio of production skills, reducing the demand for a screenwriting specialist.

Date of Award	21 Oct 2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Monty Adkins (Main Supervisor)