The Spacetime of Webtoon Storytelling

This paper analyzes the distinctive spatiotemporal characteristics of webtoon storytelling within the context of digital transformation. Webtoons, a uniquely Korean cultural phenomenon, have rapidly emerged as a popular narrative form consumed primarily through smartphone-based digital interfaces. While previous studies have largely examined webtoons from industrial or traditional narratological perspectives, surprisingly little discussion exists regarding the media-specific characteristics of webtoons and how this digital transformation of media reshapes narrative features as well as reading experiences. This paper provides a critical intervention by emphasizing how webtoons alter the spatiotemporal dynamics traditionally associated with comics. Unlike conventional comics, which depend on spatial arrangements of pages and panels, webtoons employ vertical scrolling to foreground temporal continuity. Building upon this shift from spatial to temporal narrative structures, this study extends its analysis to explore how the strategic use of repetition and variation within webtoon storytelling facilitates complex world-building narratives. These narrative strategies further enhance transmedia mobility and expandability. By investigating the interactive dynamics enabled by digital media’s blurred distinctions between reality and fiction, elaborate world-building, and active reader participation, this paper underscores the innovative narrative potential uniquely achievable through webtoons. Ultimately, it advocates for an integrated theoretical framework that incorporates media-specific characteristics and industrial contexts, moving beyond traditional narrative theories.