Putting the Trans in Transmedia — My Genderqueer Reflection and Personal Attempt at Explaining the Mysteries of Transmedia Storytelling
by aspen kobie
In my first year at Champlain College, I heard a few people talking about a course they referred to as Transmedia. When I first heard the term, I heard trans-media. My mind instantly went to Elliot Page, Laverne Cox, Indya Moore, Alok Vaid-Menon, Brian Michael Smith, Chella Man, and other transgender people in the media. I quickly learned that is not, in fact, what Transmedia means. I was slightly disappointed because, let’s face it, a college course on trans people in the media would be awesome. When I learned what the course really was — Transmedia Storytelling, and that I would be required to take it for my major, I felt a pang of panic.
Why the panic?
Let me explain. I went back to school for writing because I like books. I like reading them, and I like writing them. It is my sincere hope that one day I will get to say, I like when people read the books that I have written. We’ll see. My point is, when I thought about writing and storytelling, I thought about printed words on a page made of paper. The reality is, most writing I engage with is not on paper. I learned this well before my Transmedia Storytelling class, but embarrassingly late in the grand scheme of things. I’m a bit older than the average college student, considering my oldest child is also in college. I thought this might be a good excuse for my ignorance. Let’s face it, I didn’t submit my high school assignments on a computer. I hand-wrote them on paper and handed them to a teacher. But the truth is, now I read all the time on my computer. I think most people do — even if they prefer books. So, I am begrudgingly admitting not only that I think Transmedia storytelling makes sense for me to learn, but that I also enjoy creating it.
So What Is Transmedia Storytelling?
According to Andrea Phillips, an immersive experience designer and the author of A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling, the answer to this question depends on who you are talking to. One thing is clear, there are a lot of crossovers between Crossmedia, and multimedia. In his blog on Transmedia Journalism, Transmedia storytelling educator, Kevin Moloney, differentiates them by the way they involve three essential factors: channel, medium, and platform. The terminology used in Transmedia is not always obvious, but knowing the difference is key in recognizing Transmedia in action.
A channel is simply the means of communication, and the medium is the form or language in which you tell it. But here is where it gets tricky, the platform is the means by which the channel and the medium are supported. In class, my professor, Erik Esckilsen, shared a simplified example for old heads like myself. He gave the example of a painting: the paint is the medium, the image is the channel, and the canvas is the platform. A painting is one story, one medium, one channel. A painting on its own is not Transmedia.
Nor is the painting Crossmedia or multimedia. Because, the one thing these three media terms have in common is that they all use multiple mediums, or as Moloney calls them — media forms. Multimedia uses those forms to tell one story on one channel. Crossmedia uses multiple channels. Transmedia, on the other hand, covers more than just one story. It encompasses a whole story world.
That painting starts on its Transmedia journey once you self-publish that story you wrote about it. Partially because of that one five-star book review your mom wrote, but mostly because your friend was hilarious when they interviewed you about it on their YouTube channel (which is actually a platform). That interview was so popular that someone shared it on Facebook. Then someone else posted an image of the painting on Instagram because the dog in it reminded them of their dog that died. So someone knit them a dog that looked like it, and then everyone wanted one. So, they started selling them. The dogs became so popular that someone designed a video game about them and the painting they escaped from. Then someone created a song based on their experience playing the video game. A popular influencer eventually made a tikTok dance to it. That video went viral until the influencer was canceled because someone else tweeted about how the painter was actually a jerk who we shouldn’t be celebrating. In the end, a college student came along and mapped out a timeline linking all the events on their website.
This is all theoretical, of course, and completely dependent on how funny your friend’s YouTube channel is, but you get my point, this is a little of what Transmedia looks like these days.
Although it may be coincidental that the fictional YA Transmedia story I created has a transgender protagonist, it’s not surprising. All of the fiction I write has trans characters. As a trans nonbinary person, I write the characters I needed when I was young. By loving my own characters I process the mess of transphobia that has accumulated within me over my lifetime. I love the way transmedia provides a way to interact with the stories and become even more connected with the characters. For that reason, I created a story full of both platonic and romantic love and crushes. I created a place of belonging in my teenage stomping grounds of Philadelphia — the “City of Brotherly Love.” This project was a fun way to let the characters from my different works feel like they have a greater community. I hope the interactive aspects of the story allow people to interact with it to also feel a part of that community.
When I first got started in all this, a few long months ago, I had very little skills with different online media platforms and part of our goal as students was to create something interactive. So naturally, my focus was on learning different interactive platforms that could support a story. I started with the interactive platform, Genially. The story I created can start anywhere, but to follow it somewhat linearly you need to start at its birthplace — Mica’s journal. Mica is a vegan trans-boy who has a pushy best friend and a crush on a skater girl. You can interact with it here on Genially, by clicking on the journal below, or through my website.
If you follow the story linearly, it will take you through an embarrassing attempt at a podcast intro on SoundCloud. The link will not be included here. But if you do happen to come across it, I would like to add the disclaimer that the voice actors, ahem, asked not to be named.
After that I had the pleasure of working with StoryMap JS Knight Lab, which I highly advise for all your virtual map-creating needs. It’s easy and fun and the watercolor maps are truly gorgeous. *edit 8/26/2023: While StoryMap was the most user friendly of the platforms that I used in an immediate sense, it didn’t allow for much manipulation. It also doesn’t seem to have the longevity, because I’ve noticed the map I chose will no longer be available soon.
Then came Twine. Twine is not easy or gorgeous to start with. Twine is an open-source tool for creating interactive web pages. There are a few versions of Twine. I used Harlowe which is supposedly the easiest. I am sure some people can make their Twine pages gorgeous and I hope to join them some day. But I have not, yet. Twine has been infuriating. It bullied me into learning to use HTML and what it means to embed source code. Then I had to set up a portfolio on Google Sites to host it because it doesn’t do that on its own. At least Harlowe doesn’t. I can’t speak for SugarCube or Chapbook or Snowman, which all have much cooler names. But it hasn’t been all bad. I am secretly proud of my new skills and the outcome of what I can create with Twine is fun. It’s a great format for creating games and choose-your-own-adventure stories. All in all, it’s a not-so-pretty win.
Once I completed the section in Twine, my story felt complete. The only problem was, at that point, it was mostly just one story. If you actually read this article instead of skimming it and clicking on things, you would know that one story = multimedia, and my project needed to be Transmedia. Like any good narrative, there was a b-story and even a c-story. And the entire thing was filled with links that extend the story. But it wasn’t enough for me. I felt like nothing I created really broke out of the story to stand on its own until I wrote a screenplay about a trans boy named Jesse and his cisgender boy crush, Jordan. They were both briefly mentioned in the Twine section of my story. Their story also overlaps with a novel I am working on, which overlaps with another story I’m working on as well.
But it still felt like I needed something else, something more interactive. I came up with two solutions. First was this anonymous survey that arose from a few confusing google searches and the questions my characters were facing about crushes. I hope you will fill it out. Even if you don’t have crushes anymore, I am sure you remember them. We want to hear about them. Just click it, you know you’re curious.
Then I realized, I also had this new profound wisdom to share** and my own story to tell about how I personally put the trans-media back in Transmedia.*** Hence, my newest platform — Medium. This will of course all be shared on social media (hopefully by more than just me and my characters). And there you have it. Now, I just need to get this published before my final is due.
**This is just a joke btw in case you thought I was serious about having profound wisdom.
***This feels like it would be a good place to plug Elliot Page’s new book.
Transmedia is everywhere (just like us trans folks :). If you don’t believe me,**** or just want to learn more, check out what the experts have to say about it:
Andrea Phillips
Henry Jenkins
Kevin Moloney
Stephen Dinehart
****Disclaimer: The materials above are only helpful for learning about Transmedia. If you don’t believe me about trans folks being everywhere — I’m thinking maybe just get out more and make some new friends. We’re like redheads or people with green eyes. We may not be all that common, but once you meet one you start to see more.
aspen kobie is a genderqueer writer finishing up their degree at Champlain College. They have been published in Ruby Literary Magazine and VTDigger. Their goal is to become an author who instills a sense of belonging and connection through their work. A New Jersey native, aspen now lives among the Green Mountains of Vermont. In their free time, aspen enjoys sitting by the lake, daydreaming, watching their dog fluff his bed and having three-person-dance-parties with their two daughters.