Wait, we are just starting with this story.
Storytelling as an art dates back to historical times. It was before we learned to and started writing as a species, that we picked up rocks and started scratching the surface. Even before that stories were narrated and disseminated orally. Can we make an estimate of how natural and old gossip is now? We have definitely come a long way since then for we know when to avoid that and tell stories for the better of everyone. Or so we think.
As the Digital Revolution rolled in, it was apparent that people would continue to tell stories. The society just got its share of new media options to do it on. We had audio, photography, video, and then everything was put together to give us a world full of iPods, iPhones, and then everything was history. I think this resembles the Divergent-Convergent model. How so? We diverged to get a variety of media options, began converging to bring those together, and now we are diverging, applying permutation and combination, to find solutions to our problems. What will be interesting to see is what lies next! We keep diverging and never exhaust the combinations at our disposal? Or start converging in the near future? To think of the possibilities!
At the core of all this talk about Convergence lies the human, and that must not be forgotten. We make these solutions possible for education, information, or entertainment, to name a few, of humans. How humans interact with the technology put together forms the foundation for making anything digital. Storytelling or not. Introducing interaction implies presenting the person with the choice and control of the digital realm, however big or small. The two do not ensure a good interaction experience but are a tiny step in the right direction. It is when we realize all the things that we may achieve the nirvana of immersion.
In this context, immersion would mean a person loses themselves in the digital realm. But is that really nirvana, even near to some ideal state, if there is any, or even a requirement can be a lengthy discussion during a tea break in the office pantry. Extremities aside immersion has opened the doors to not only a world full of opportunities for researchers, designers, and developers. It is helping us understand people better and let’s not forget it is giving the world a plethora of experiences to choose from and go for.
We are slowly experimenting and discovering multiple avenues for immersion too. With newer technologies and previously existent, both. Moving ahead from just using our fingers or eyes, people now have the opportunity to have multisensory experiences. Besides that, people are being asked to contribute giving way to collaborative experiences which are shared with everyone pushing the open source ideology.
Coming full circle, where does storytelling really fit into the whole scenario? Stories are how we see the world around us. Our goals, journeys, and how we share that in the society, all are bound by stories we listen and share. It is how we really immerse ourselves in the world around us thus the digital lives we lead are no different. Only through captivating stories can the converged immersions truly capture our diminishing attention spans and provide experiences that leave us wanting for more. But does that mean digital storytelling is any different than all traditional forms we have known? Is it really the advent or we are just shifting media in the process of advancing, and tomorrow it could be different?
Whether it is old, new, or renewed, the field is brimming with possibilities and if it’s not making you radiate with enthusiasm of what the future holds I don’t know what will.
If humanity can continue to intelligently exploit the findings of science and technology to reshape our future, the answer is simple:
‘Tomorrow’.
— Richard Fischer, BBC Future
References
- http://www.manifestoproject.it/bruce-mau/
- Miller, C. (2014). Digital Storytelling. New York: Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781135044459
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytelling
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive_storytelling
- https://archello.com/project/wonderwall-a-new-temporary-museum-inside-a-shopping-mall-in-lisbon
- 024d593fe2a24a0a8c0733d5d3ea6e6c.b6496.jpg
- http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160928-why-the-present-day-could-be-the-best-time-to-be-alive
- desk_flip.jpg
