Blog #10 - Anya

Honestly, before this class I had never realized how digital storytelling can take so many different forms. I never realized it could be used in a journalistic approach like with Clouds over Sidra, or to create a personal narrative that is interactive. Also, I never considered how nonfiction writing could be more than just a personal essay that is typed onto a screen. Seeing how external media and other visual elements can help capture readers from projects like Motto or Agence, makes me realize how storytelling can almost be an active form of viewing rather than a passive one, like just scrolling through text on a webpage.

When I was viewing Motto, for example, I found it interesting how easy it is to participate as a viewer if you chose to. It’s funny how some might willingly just take a photo of their toes just because words on a screen told them that they could. It makes the project seem personable and approachable somehow. It’s like there are no strings attached, there is nothing to lose if you take a picture of your feet because it's anonymous. Overall, I feel like the project serves as a reminder that we are all humans doing our human things like “making splashy digits” or taking pictures of the world around us.

I think the future of digital writing will be constantly evolving, just as technology seems to do the same. For example, when I was watching the creator of Agence explain the creative process, at one point I forgot that his project is just a really immersive movie and not an actual robot (lol). I found it interesting how collaborative the project was and how he brought on many types of people, like software engineers, to make the project happen. It seems like his project is more of a “what type of adventure you will get today” rather than a “choose your own adventure” type of narrative.

Overall, I think the future of digital storytelling and writing is something to look forward to. It connects people and their stories together in a way that is unconventional yet still familiar because I think people naturally want to connect with others (like an empathy machine). I look forward to seeing what else will become of technology and digital writing because without it I would not have been able to share my own personal stories. It is something I never expected especially since I am always excited to hear other people’s stories that sometimes I forget to tell my own. I am glad that my experience in creating my own work has been just as exciting as hearing other people’s work too.

Also here are some instagram pages that I follow that kind of relate to storytelling and writing:

https://www.instagram.com/depressingfridgepoems/

https://www.instagram.com/thedogist/?hl=en (it's like Humans of New York but with dogs)