Last fall I wrote an article that combines two fields that I am deeply interested in — transmedia storytelling and futures studies. It is scheduled for publication in the Journal of Futures Studies in March. This abstract lays out the basic premise of the article.
Foresight professionals and the futures field as a whole faces a series of challenges in communicating about the future. Simply presenting data and having a “rational” discussion is not enough to shape perceptions about the future and move people to action. The rapid evolution of digital media technology and the emergence of transmedia storytelling present foresight professionals with a powerful new approach for communicating about the future. Transmedia storytelling is the use of multiple media – graphic novels, video clips on YouTube, blogs, Twitter, and enhanced e-books, for example – to tell one or more related stories set within a common storyworld. This article outlines some of the key principles of transmedia storytelling in order to provide a basic framework that foresight professionals can use when designing transmedia projects.
Further into the article I write:
Shaping the future means shaping popular perceptions of the future. Unfortunately, foresight professionals wield less influence than science fiction writers when it comes to shaping those perceptions. The works of H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and other science fiction writers created not just their own visions of the future but inspired several generations of readers to create a world based at least in part on these visions. Science fiction books, graphic novels, films, and television continue to shape popular views of the future. The disproportionate influence of science fiction is a testament to the power of storytelling.
While foresight professionals may have a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of how to vision, forecast, assess, and shape the future, it is the science fiction storytellers who have the most effective approach for communicating their visions of the future. Foresight professionals need to be better storytellers if they want to help shape the crucial conversations about issues facing 21st century society. The emergence over the past decade of transmedia storytelling gives the futures field an opportunity to address some of the communications challenges it faces.
Today’s complex media environment is changing audience expectations of how, when, and where information is consumed. Media convergence is driving the development of new forms of storytelling in which integrated narratives are presented across multiple media. Participatory engagement of audiences through games, remixing content, and original user-created content is increasingly common.
I’ll post portions of the article as they relate to transmedia storytelling over the next week or so.