The article explores the transformation and representation of folkloric genres in the context of contemporary media culture. The study focuses on genre patterns of Kazakh folklore disseminated through YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, with special attention to the transformation of family-ritual folklore. The digital heritage of folklore reflects the emergence of new media genres – such as videofolklore, storytelling, and challenge formats – within modern media communication. Moreover, the digital representation of traditional musical and poetic forms (for instance, videos combining kyui and poetic recitation) demonstrates the revival of folklore’s performative nature in media formats.

Theoretical analysis was conducted on the concepts of digital folklore, postfolklore, media text, representation, and genre transformation, based on the works of S. A. Kaskabasov, Zh. Rakysh, B.T.  Nuriman, Zh.T. Saltakova, M. Alekseevsky, T. Blank, G. Flinterud, A. Fiadotava, T. Pushkareva, M. Ekici, and E. Temizkan. The results show that traditional folklore genres are being renewed online on both semiotic and structural levels, while their multimodal realization expands the mediacultural function of folklore.

The scientific significance of the study lies in the systematic analysis of folklore’s transformation within the media-cultural environment. Practically, the findings can be used in education, media literacy, and the promotion of national cultural heritage. Digital representations of folklore support the reinterpretation and semantic enrichment of national culture in contemporary society.

The value of the research lies in revealing the interaction between traditional heritage and digital communication and in rethinking the transformation of folkloric cognition in media culture. The findings show that folklore today functions as an active socio-cultural phenomenon within the interactive media environment.

ULYKPANOVA A.ZH.

PhD doctoral student, K. Zhubanov Aktobe regional university, Aktobe, Kazakhstan.

E-mail: aliya.ulykpanova71@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3316-7112

EKICI M.

PhD, professor, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey

E-mail: metin.ekici@ege.edu.tr, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9400-8462

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folklore, media culture, digital space, post-folklore, representation, transformation, genre modification, content analysis