Blog 10- Mia

 Throughout the semester there were many examples of digital works like Motto, Agence, and V[R]erses that reflect a trend towards interactivity and connectivity with the audience. Motto, requires users to become a part of the story taking their own photographs or videos to be incorporated. This turns them into more active agents of the story and gives them a sense of control. By using your own content, it also adds a level of realism to the story–regardless of the content–and evokes empathy and understanding. Agence also operates similarly connecting story to viewer, however, this program reminded me more of a video game. Users are encouraged to interact with creatures (The Agents) and influence their lives. V[R]erses on the other hand, allowed viewers to experience the writing in 3D and utilized collaboration by different digital literature authors. 

I think that based on these works, and others looked at over the course of the semester, digital and multimodal writing and literature will only increase in popularity–especially given our dependence on technology. While I don’t think this genre will altogether replace traditional print media, digital writing–especially those works that are free–allows for exposure to a large audience. Many people today have some form of smartphone and/or a device such as a laptop. This gives them freedom to read/watch the content anytime, anywhere. Even with print media, I know several of my friends elect to read books from their phones or laptops for convenience. While I generally like the physical, print books better, I can see the appeal. As previously mentioned, I also feel that digital works tend to allow for more interactivity and as a result can connect deeper with the reader. Tools such as VR or adding multiple senses (visual, audio) create more immersive works and make it easier to envision yourself in the story. 

Because of how expansive and varied the genre of digital writing is, there are examples of it all around us between apps, social media sources, and the internet. When I was younger, I had an app downloaded called Episode which were stories told through playing a game. Similar to a choose your own adventure book, players had a limited, set number of actions/choices they could make which would influence the story. At the time I only recognized this as a game, but thinking back, it blended a story with its digital platform. Today, aside from classes, my exposure to digital works is often through social media.