Technologically Mediated Storytelling: Challenges and Possibilities

The field of storytelling, and the ways in which stories are told, experienced and shared, has been radically transformed by technology. From the directions of interactive fiction, to the ways immersive experiences of stories can be created using virtual and augmented reality (VR/ AR) devices, to the use of social media, the landscape of storytelling is transforming through technology. This paper will discuss the journey of storytelling into the digital age and look specifically at how technology allows us to create new forms and expressions of storytelling. Interactive fiction changes the notion of authorship and reader agency, as it provides a game-like experience where the reader/user has narratorial agency with their choices influencing the outcome of the story. VR and AR transport our audience into an unfamiliar immersive environment, allowing a deeper level of emotional and psychological engagement. Additionally, social media (like Instagram, TikTok and Twitter) has become the new community storytelling space where audiences can follow real-time serial expressions of storytelling. This study uses research literature, case studies, and existing practices in the field of digital storytelling to show how technology has expanded storytelling capabilities and redefined the role of the creator and audience in the storytelling process. The implications from this study, demonstrate that technology is more than a space in which to tell stories, it is an active collaborator in designing contemporary narratives.