The new TV
Over the past decade the way we as a society consume content has changed dramatically with online streaming now almost entirely replacing the traditional television set and platforms like eBooks and audio book gradually surpassing print books in popularity. Whether it be due to the growing inpatients of society or digitals story telling’s accessibility simply fitting in better with busier modern lifestyles with features such as on demand content there is no denying that the platform we use to tell stories has changed(Shelby‐Caffey, Úbéda and Jenkins, 2014).
(Credit Comedy Central)
One such explanation behind the growing popularity of digital story telling is the ever growing library of content available to viewers. With platforms such as Vimeo and YouTube allowing individual creators to upload their own content, web series such as “Broad City” and “High Maintenance” have begun to shape not only digital story telling platforms but extending to more traditional mediums with both series going on to be picked up by HBO and Comedy Central respectively.
One consistent trend between digital story telling platforms such as Netflix and YouTube is their development of mobile apps allowing viewers to stream or even download content for viewing on their mobile devices, highlighting the trend of consuming content on mobile devices rather than more traditional stationary platforms (Rigby et al, 2016). Allowing users to consume content on the go viewers are no longer forced to commit to sitting at home in order to enjoy content, instead places such as bus stops or train rides now provide the perfect opportunity for individuals to enjoy digital media.
As YouTube and Netflix have done with video platforms, Sound Cloud and ITunes have done the same for podcasts. Hugely popular, podcasts have become the new radio (McHugh, 2016), with listeners now presented with series on almost any subject from film to sports, available on demand for consumption at home or on the go. Identical to the movement seen with video consumption podcasts have benefitted greatly from the emergence of mobile data allowing listens to stream content anywhere at any time so long as they have reception, allowing for an experience radio simply con not compete with.
Aided by an ever impatient society digital is the natural evolution of story telling, a clear example of the way media has adapted to the changes in modern technology over the past ten years. No longer are creators bound to a single platform but a whole new range of tools to share their stories with the public a progression that hopefully continues to allow indie creators to creatively express themselves free from the shackles associate with the outdated traditional models.
-Dylan Hartnett
References
McHugh, S.A., 2016. Video didn’t kill the radio star-she’s hosting a podcast.
Rigby, J.M., Brumby, D.P., Cox, A.L. and Gould, S.J., 2016, September. Watching movies on netflix: investigating the effect of screen size on viewer immersion. In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services Adjunct (pp. 714-721). ACM.
Shelby‐Caffey, C., Úbéda, E. and Jenkins, B., 2014. Digital storytelling revisited. The Reading Teacher, 68(3), pp.191-199.