In the past, there wasn’t much to do at night other than gaze at the stars and talk. People were bored, so they started coming up with stories. Some of these stories were better than others. Those stories were so immersive that they lost track of time while listening.
They could imagine themselves in mortal peril to a degree where their adrenaline levels would go up, and their hearts would start pounding. Others could hear the melody described or feel the taste of the feast presented in a story.
Then, we learned how to write, paint, and sculpt. We didn’t take long to learn how to print, take photographs, and finally record. However, one thing that all of these methods still had in common is that they were used for storytelling.
Today, we live in the age of VR and AR, interactive videos, and 4K streaming. Still, even in modern content formats, if you carefully follow the thread, you’ll trace it back to its source in oral traditions.
With that in mind and without further ado, here’s a brief story about the evolution of digital storytelling how it started as an enhanced version of oral traditions and became the sensational multimedia experience we have today.
1. The birth of oral tradition
One of the main influences that digital storytelling draws from oral traditions is the importance of repetition and reliance on memory. In the past, people understood that memory was fragile and that the only way to remember a story was to hear it more than once.
This is something that early digital marketers understood well. While writing, they heavily relied on keywords and focused on its distribution. The keyword carried the main message of the text.
Imagine telling a story to a person with the knowledge that they’ll remember just one thing from the entire story. How would you ensure that they remember the most important thing? By repeating it over and over again.
Keep in mind that most people need to take notes. A lot of people are not even saving and bookmarking things they like. Doing this is so easy but people still don’t use them. So, the only way for them to find something you’ve recommended is to memorize it.
2. Early literacy
Written narratives were always superior to oral ones. Sure, they might not be seen as equally immersive, but this is only the case if the narrator is really gifted. The written narrative is always the same. It doesn’t change with retelling, and it doesn’t depend on the performative skills of the narrator. It’s there for the reader to consume as they like.
Now, the biggest lesson that modern digital storytelling takes from this era is the fact that written narratives heavily depend on literacy.
Sure, people online can read your text, but can they read your text? Do they understand the words that you’re using? Your narrative will always fall short if you don’t adjust your vocabulary to your audience.
In the days of early literature, it wasn’t just about who could read but who could afford books. So, the means matter as well. What kind of a device do people consume your content through? If you don’t optimize for mobile users, you’re losing them as a demographic.
According to specialists from NTC studios, the lack of expertise needed to create this audience-specific content is the main reason people turn to professionals. The production value in the digital world needs to be high since the expectations of your audience are high.
3. Visual revolution
Soon, people realized that storytelling is not just verbal. In fact, this is not completely honest either. When you think about it, cave drawings were the medium that told the first stories, not clay tablets. In other words, one could go as far as to say that this visual storytelling has predated literature for tens of thousands of years.
This is where people used images to create narratives. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but they also say that, for a human, it takes 60,000 less time to absorb visual information than a verbal one.
Why do you think blog posts use featured articles? Because they speed up the skimming process. You enter a post and see an airplane wing, and you know that it’s about travel. You see a piggy bank, you know that it’s a finance article.
A photograph taken with a high-end camera can easily send a message and show that you mean business.
Symbolism and allegory in storytelling are quite sophisticated, but they can be used to simplify the message you’re trying to send, especially when creating infographics. A light bulb next to a percentage or a Wattage clearly represents the amount of power your household is spending. You’re sending a message in far fewer words.
4. The present-day
The difference between writing an essay and writing a blog post is not that big when you come to think of it. It’s the same format, the same form of expression, and you’re doing the same verbal tricks in your attempt to captivate the audience.
However, now we’re sailing in uncharted waters. We have access to mediums that never existed before. The very existence of things like VR changes the field in its entirety. It’s a shift that’s almost as big as switching from oral traditions to literature.
Now, the majority of people don’t see it that way because they understand that the majority of people still don’t have VR devices. Do they assume that as soon as literacy was invented, everyone had a stacked bookshelf in their home or that every settlement had a library?
Modern multimedia narrative gives so many options and a chance to create an experience that’s as immersive as never before. Still, using these resources takes skill.
Wrap up
The last thing you need to understand is that while narrative formats evolve, the concept remains the same. You’re telling a story, and you want people to pay attention and memorize what you’re saying. With more immersive formats, this should be easier to accomplish; still, don’t underestimate old techniques and assume that they’re obscure and outdated.
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