Heidi Blog 10

 I have always found digital and multi-modal work to be really interesting, both to read and to actually produce. In this class, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about different kinds of digital and multimodal platforms. A work I found particularly interesting is Motto. This platform is an interactive experience that combines horror, scavenger hunt, and interactive video to create an entire experience. Sites like this have been becoming more popular lately, and are vastly different from what I was playing on the computer as a kid! Additionally, VR software being used as a storytelling medium is being seen more frequently. As we have learned, VR has the ability to put someone directly into a different world and gives a pathway to more empathy for the person involved. Because of all of these aspects, I think multimodal work has a very bright future for storytelling and even news. 

As a journalism major and someone who hopes to work in that field in the future, I think VR and interactive stories should have more of a place within that world. While the work of journalists is extremely important, there are often criticisms of the writing being impersonal and not genuine (granted, for breaking news this is par for the course). There are some sites that use video storytelling quite frequently, such as VICE and Buzzfeed, which is definitely a start. I personally think news outlets could benefit from more interactive stories on their websites. I don't remember which story it was, but the New York Times had an interactive COVID storyboard and it was a very helpful source to see the exact case numbers in the country. Overall though, the future of VR is very bright and could be applied to so many things, even more serious news stories.