HYPOTHESIS: 

The personal narrative has lost the power to hold attention and to communicate emotion because it has become ubiquitous.

By taking the traits of flow and presentation from traditional narratives and combining them with the relationships and media of the modern narrative, I aim to develop new tools for individuals to create immersive stories.

       Author                    Narrative                 Audience

PERSONAL NARRATIVES

Stories people tell - a wedding video, a series of pictures and tales from a vacation or a tweet about a humorous incident at the bar last night.

Events and emotions are related, the author is not a professional storyteller.

IMPORTANCE

-Ubiquitous and easily recordable, they describe a cultural history.-They connect us with new or distant experiences-As a designer, I have the opportunity to invigorate a form of communication.

Author        Knowledge, Experience, History         Narrative      

LOSS OF POWER

Changing modes of production and new media have put the personal narrative in a position where it is less expressive and more difficult to follow.

Three factors have contributed: 

Ubiquity                       Purpose                         Format

1: UBIQUITY

Content creation and publication have become democratized

“Print extends the human body into the space of material production and self representation.”-Marshall McLuhan

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2: PURPOSE

They are created with the knowledge that they will be published.

The line between personal story and amateur publishing is blurred.

3: FORMAT

New personal narratives take advantage of new media, and are found on many platforms. Length and content are no longer limiting.

TRADITIONAL NARRATIVES

Homer’s Iliad, is exemplary of the qualities that make these stories immersive:

There is narrative flow and a presentation structure.

“... I use Twitter for really personal things … moments from my love life or … my cats or my family. And it engages lots of different people, so when these people are following you and suddenly you are talking about a torture case … they would suddenly be engaged in this as well.”

Mona SeifEgyptian Tweeter, Protester

NEW PERSONAL NARRATIVES

PROFOUND VS. MUNDANE

@jazzon104 it’s the violin track I think :) I love itSat Apr 2 :2519:15 2011 via web in reply to verdend

@MayaGowaily did she have a ponytail? :)Sat Apr 2 19:18:11 2011 via web in reply to MayaGowaily

U keep on asking me abt role of women in revolution. My mother & young sister r sleeping #Tahrir after bloody attack of #Egyarmy yesterdaySat Apr 9 19:33:28 2011 via Twitter for Blackberry

Blood on the street, #Tahrir square last night SHAME ON THE #EgyArmySat Apr 10 10:06:22 2011 via web

I aim to adapt the attributes of flow and presentation of traditional, professionally authored stories and combine them with the relationship

and media advantages of new personal narratives to produce tools for the creation of immersive personal stories.

IMMERSERe-imagining the personal narrative

PROJECT IDEAS:

•Adapt storytelling vocabularies and literary styles

PROJECT IDEAS:

•Adapt storytelling vocabularies and literary styles

•Structure non-linear or extended narratives by using hypertext

PROJECT IDEAS:

•Adapt storytelling vocabularies and literary styles

•Structure non-linear or extended narratives by using hypertext

•Intertwine media to produce sensory immersion

PROJECT IDEAS:

•Adapt storytelling vocabularies and literary styles

•Structure non-linear or extended narratives by using hypertext

•Intertwine media to produce sensory immersion

•Consider the importance of location specific experiences

PROJECT IDEAS:

•Adapt storytelling vocabularies and literary styles

•Structure non-linear or extended narratives by using hypertext

•Intertwine media to produce sensory immersion

•Consider the importance of location specific experiences

•Improve the formal properties of presentation