Joe Lambert wrote that “our understanding of how the story is at the core of human activity has been a subject of fascination for academics and experts in the computer age” (p. 21). Digital stories as a voice in the media play a crucial role in delivering messages that appeal to all senses: the audience may read, see, hear and even experience the presented story. Moreover, the opportunity to see the story repeatedly creates the added value of digital storytelling within the media.
Unlike news, digital stories are personal and general at the same time. Digital stories are personal because they are presented from the standpoint of the author. Digital stories are general because they are appealing to the emotions of wide audiences.
Lambert outlined several types of digital stories: character and memorial stories, adventure and accomplishment stories, recovery and discovery stories, etc. The digital story differs from the story told by someone sitting in front of the camera and reciting events n a monotonous voice. Digital stories are an important part of media because they have a point or a purpose. In particular, digital stories follow the pattern of informing about the event or describing a problem that needs immediate attention. Digital stories appeal to the emotions of the audience and motivate them to take specific actions. For example, the story about abortion may appeal to the emotions of a young woman who may reconsider her choice of abortion in the future.
The unique feature that distinguishes digital stories from other types of media is an emotional appeal. Lambert argued that “a story that deals directly with the fundamental emotional paradigms â of death and our sense of loss, of love and loneliness, of confident and vulnerability, of acceptance and rejection â will stake a claim on our heart” (p. 52). Digital stories hold an audience’s attention because of the content presented emotionally. News, for example, is presented indifferently as the only function of news is to inform the audience about the events. Newspaper articles, on the other side, may include emotional appeal but the reader cannot see the story with his own eyes.
The readerâs acceptance of the story is limited to the words written on the paper. Digital stories gain the attention of an audience because they involve the senses of hearing and listening combined with emotional appeals. Digital stories are persuasive and function to change the thinking or acting pattern of an audience. Lambert defined digital stories as conversational media (p. 16). Humans, as Lambert explained, have memories of lots of little stories, singular expressions.
Such little stories are powerful enough to change the life of the person, shape his attitude towards something and motivate specific actions. These are the main functions of digital storytelling. Digital stories are valuable media assets as they deliver emotional messages about important events happening throughout the world and requiring immediate attention.
Benaszemski argued that “technology enables to develop and share an effective story, technology itself is always secondary to the storytelling” (p. 32). Media based on technology is new but rapidly progressing. While only 100 years ago television media was hardly imagined by people, modern generations enjoy the wide choice of media channels. Nevertheless, digital storytelling is different from other technology-based media because of its strong appeal to emotions.
This opinion is supported by Salpeter who argues that “individuals come to create personal stories about their grandparents, remember their childhood home, or pay tribute to a loved one” (p. 20). In addition, they create digital stories to help victims of violence. Authors of digital stories share their experiences with other people; engage and help viewers make conclusions about their own lives.
Digital storytelling is similar to the theater and public speaking as all share in common the elements of stagecraft (Lambert, p. 87). When a person speaks in front of the audience, there are several layers of meaning beyond the text itself. The hidden meaning is transferred through movements, tone, gestures, and language. The success of the stage performance as well as digital storytelling depends on the physical presence, speaking voice, the importance of the theme, and expected reaction of the audience. If the speaker is nervous, the audience becomes nervous as well. If the tone of the voice is not appropriate for the story, the audience will not accept the story and its meaning.
For example, the digital project ‘Invisible Children’ has a strong emotional appeal to the audience and the viewer accepts the importance of the presented theme from the first minutes of viewing. The speech is supported with vivid shots about the life of children in Uganda. According to the report âUganda: Seventh Poverty Reduction Support Operationâ released by the World Bank, Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world.
The World Bank initiated the project aimed to enhance productivity and competitiveness through the investment in rural development, effective delivery of social services, public sector management, and population growth. The digital project ‘Invisible Children’ is successful because it is built around an important issue. Moreover, the project has an honorable mission and the positive results have already been achieved: the project motivates the schools in the United States to be matched up with sister schools in Uganda to raise money for everyday needs (Soszynski).
Taking into account all of the above factors, it is justifiable to state that digital storytelling occupies a unique niche in media. Unlike television, radio, and print media, digital stories appeal to all human senses and lead to a specific change in actions and attitudes towards life and events. Digital stories are not news because they are rather personal and express the individual opinion of the author on the specific situation or theme of primary importance to an audience.
Digital stories are told by people about people. Media has an informative function, while digital storytelling triggers the real changes and motivates personal involvement. Undoubtedly, digital stories are informative in essence; however, the primary objective is to persuade an audience on the important issue.
References
Benaszewski, T. Digital Storytelling finds its place in the classroom. Multimedia Schools 9.1 (2002): 32-35.
Lambert, Joe. Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community, 2nd edition.
Salpeter, J. Telling tales with technology. Technology and Learning 25.7 (2005): 18-24.
School for School âInvisible Childrenâ. 2008. Web.
Soszynski, Nicole. NIU organization Invisible Children hosts benefit to aid school in Uganda. The Northern Star, 2007. Web.
Uganda: Seventh Poverty Reduction Support Operation (PRSC7). The World Bank: News and Broadcast. 2008. Web.