Storytelling, Self, Society, Vol. 16, No. 2 (2020), pp. 153–156. Copyright © 2021 by Wayne State University Press, Detroit, MI 48201 Hill Introduction to the Special Issue Introduction to the Special Issue Looking to the Digital: An Introduction to Digital Storytelling Amanda Hill D igital media has profoundly altered the way we function on a daily basis. Creative, professional, and social practices alike have been affected, and the articles in this special issue showcase several ways in which this happens. As this special issue demonstrates, our engagement with digital media has transformed the way ordinary folk and professional users develop, tell, and share stories, challenging notions of narrative constraint, authenticity, and ethics. This special issue of Storytelling, Self, Society investigates some of the myriad ways digital media has specifically altered storytelling practices such as the development and presentation of identity, narratives of community and culture, and the development of works within digital infrastructures. The articles in this special issue interweave conversations about the affordances and opportunities of digital narratives, taking into account the ways in which storytellers deliver content and share their identities in mediated spaces. Additionally, in their own ways, each of these articles considers the social implications of digital media and the collaboration of storytelling and meaning-making practices therein. Some specifically use social media, like Facebook and Instagram, while others examine media such as video games, online learning platforms, and video creation. Yet, each article discusses the ways in which the narratives or works created using digital media affect multiple people, including the content creators themselves and the readers of such content. 154 n Introduction to the Special Issue Together, these seven articles help establish practices, techniques, and trends of narrative-making and narrative-sharing within the field of digital media. They consider the connection between private and public lives for media users, discuss how users craft identity and narrative to work within the limits and affordances of digital media and specific platforms, and reflect on how diverse audiences respond to the impact of digital stories. These articles affect and speak to wider trends within a sphere of digital storytelling practices, providing a glimpse into a vast universe of techniques guided by a combination of traditional storytelling factors and the affordances of new media. Throughout this special issue, the authors tackle the themes of authenticity, identity, and storytelling. We begin with Farhad Bahram’s examination of how digital technologies adapt artistic storytelling practices. In “Digital Storytelling and Creative Destruction,” Bahram asks “What is the function of storytelling in a world of innovative technology and information? Is it about the creation of a ‘new’ narrative, or destruction of an ‘old’ one?” Next we turn to two articles that address the different ways people work within the limits of the media to tell narratives of identity and culture. Anelise Farris considers the impact of disability in digital gaming, especially as it pertains to the creation of gamer avatar identities. In “The Player and the Avatar: Performing as Other,” the author surveyed diverse gamers and uses her findings to examine the ways these players create their virtual identities. The author then discusses the ways in which video games might be useful for fostering empathy and support for the disabled community. Adam Brown and Emily Wade then consider how authenticity and identity shape narratives of education between teachers and students. The authors push us to consider the ways professionals create online identities in their professional roles in their article, “Serendipity, Vulnerability, and Imperfection: Harnessing Live Video for ‘Authentic’ Teacher Performances.” Specifically, the authors move us into the realm of education. They discuss the ways in which educators shape “teacher identities” in digital platforms such as social media. Using in-depth analysis of educational theory and a thoughtful consideration of the concept of authenticity, the authors approach the performative aspects of teaching. Here, teaching becomes a narrative students and teachers play into. The authors propose that there are three key factors that encourage an understanding of authenticity in live streamed lectures: serendipity, imperfection, and vulnerability. Hill n 155 The remaining articles discuss social media user practices to create authenticity , identity, and narrative. The authors focus on practices of narrative creation through social...
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May 4, 2024
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