Impact of Storytelling Through Social Media

A digital story is a personal narrative created from images and put into a video with music and your own voice. Digital storytelling is not about telling an isolated story rather than it is about sharing and connecting experiences and perspectives to a community. Therefore, it’s not only about telling a story. It’s about contributing and collaborating with others in a true experience. It is definitely not about creating media. It is about creating meaning. It is not only about the transfer of a particular knowledge. It is about the amplification of our voices. It is not about substituting analog stories. It is about transforming the old stories into something new and exciting. It is not about the tools. It is just about the skills that people have.

Digital storytelling, on the other hand is simply a short form of digital media production that permits people to share their points about the story on a daily basis. The media used in creating digital stories may comprise the digital equivalent of film techniques such as full-motion video with sound, stills, audio only or other forms of non-physical media that can be used by any individual to tell their story or present an idea. It narrates a simple, easy and creative ways by which an individual who doesn’t have any experience or an individual with a very little experience in the field of computer based filmmaking that need various skills to tell a story in the form of 2-minute short film with the use of extensive still images or shots and voice over. Later, these short films prepared by any individual can be streamed on various web based platforms and that too are broadcast on television.

For digital storytelling, a digital story teller can be anyone who has the desired skills to present several ideas, feelings, document life experience using story and various forms of digital media. People having a little experience in video production but have required time to attend various workshops and seminars so that they can develop a creative and unique story with some technical assistant and creative support from some experienced and professional facilitators.

Methods and practices used by people in Digital Storytelling

• It permits a competitor or a member to recite their personal stories, to grasp required digital media skills, to develop self confidence and self determination along with self esteem. Using several methods, participants are allowed to place their stories under the jurisdiction of the storyteller.
• Several participants find this digital based storytelling so exciting and fun for them. For people who think that education is not for them, it seems to be a way to reach people having such thoughts.
• It also helps to enhance language and literacy skills using storytelling and scriptwriting.
• It also helps people to incite them in boosting their skills and enhancing their chances to gain employment for them.
• It also provides people a way to engage themselves thoughtfully in this work.
• This digital storytelling seems to be used in various fields of education such as health education, education for teachers, etc. in order to develop a student’s professional identity.
• It also serves as a tool for students to build and enhance their self reflection so that they can create and share digital stories related to their practice experiences.
• Digital storytelling seems to be a practice which helps to encourage high order thinking skills, expands digital literacy and serves as the combining element that has the ability to transform the students into the true learners of the 21st century.
  The characteristics of a digital film for the digital storytelling is:-
• It should be a personal story.
• The film must be written, edited, and recorded by the filmmaker itself.
• It must be a 2-minute which is approximately equal to 250 words.
• The images or music used should be free from copyright.
• The photos or drawings used in a digital film must be created by the film maker. One can use almost 10 to 30 photos in their digital film.

Workshops for digital storytelling generally start with a story circle that creates a credulous environment and let each other through different activities. Digital storytelling tastes introduce several ways and inspire the material that is shared.
After this, all the participants are made known to the ethics of narratives such as narrator, voice and background. Here the participants also learn about the working of the camera, i.e. how the camera works and various techniques of the film.
The scripts which are short are written followed by the voiceovers which are then recorded. Participants simply take new and fresh photographs of the subject and objects or they can also scan the old photos that are available in the album. Several other people also create photos with the help of drawing followed by simple stop frame animations. They can also use computer based software animations such as adobe flash, etc.
Then the participants move for the editing process. In the editing process, the images and animation are combined with the voice overs. The results obtained are then shared in various forms such as group shows, exhibitions in public places or maybe online also.

On the other hand, social media storytelling is just an innovative way to engage more and more followers in addition to a brand’s product, value and purpose. Telling stories on social media suggests and helps an individual to tell their stories to a larger number of audience about their products, services, brand, etc. and whatever needed just to fascinate the audience.

Elements of digital storytelling:-

There are seven elements of digital storytelling which are as follows:-
1. The purpose of the view element focuses on the aim and perspective of the story. The aim of a story or narrative is also to inform the listener some of the specific ideas or phenomena or it could inspire the listener to action. These stories are first-person personal and contemplative or third-person factual and penetrating.

2. The dramatic questions are the key enquiry that holds the listener’s attention. This involves the inner conflict or problem the protagonist is trying to beat. By the tip of the story, this question should either be resolved or the listeners are provided enough information to resolve it themselves.

3. Each story should include a facet of emotional content that connects to its listeners’ feelings and evokes a response, whether visceral or subliminal. Some of the written narratives should effectively and efficiently convey feelings and expressions such as emotions of humor, empathy, fear, anxiety, solitude, and many many others. This element is challenging because it requires authors to deeply consider the perspectives of their listeners because what could even be interpreted as humorous to a minimum of only one person, could even be offensive to another person.

4. The narrator’s voice may be a gift that has got to not be taken for a pinch of salt, but rather recommended and nurtured as it is the vehicle that delivers the story’s message. It carries varying degrees of richness, context, character, and personality that may help in strengthening a story. Distractions like a background noise of ambient, repetition of several statements, and a low tone of voice can affect the overall impact of the story, no matter how well they are written. If an author has a thick and strong potential or mild speech impediment then this can also affect and increase and develop how the story’s message is interpreted. Successful mastery of the “Your Voice” element suggests the coed has practiced the art of oration and may effectively deliver a clear and attractive presentation.

5. A digital story should not be more than three minutes. With this in mind, a written narrative should not be to any extent further than one and half pages double spaced and fewer than 400 words. If the narrative is to extend further than three minutes span of time, then the author takes the danger of losing the listener’s attention. The art and craft of editing and revising are needed in such a way to economize the salience and unique features of a narrative.

6. Pacing is connected to the inflection, cadence and clarity of an author’s voice. The simplest practice is to record the complete narrative in one take, with none of the interruptions or digital edits. Authors should pause for each comma, semicolon and period that they read while seeking adequate breath control when recording narratives. They ought to infer inquiry when reading a sentence with some signs such as question marks along with project excitement when reading a statement along with an exclamation mark. To master the pace of a digital story requires both patience and practice, yet, most importantly; it requires authors to listen to, and feel comfortable with, their own voice.

7. A digital story’s soundtrack can include music or other sound effects that amplify the emotionality of subject matter or support the story line. However, this element should be approached cautiously as musical soundtracks add an additional layer of information that can be distracting as it competes with the audio of the author’s voice. Moreover, issues concerning copyright and attribution affect the use and appropriation of a soundtrack. It is advisable that authors, especially those with limited digital storytelling experience, ensure that their “Gift of Your Voice” element is flawless before proceeding to add an additional soundtrack.

Types of testing that an individual can use for measuring their storytelling

A/B testing:- This method involves creating two different versions of your story with slight variations. You then release multiple and monitor them to see which performs better.
Focus groups : This involves recruiting people from your target audience to view your campaigns and share the review back. You can bring in volunteers or offer to pay participants for this.
Once an individual understands how their digital storytelling can impact their marketing, it’s easier for them to work effectively and efficiently. Technology hasn’t changed the need for stories. It has provided new different mediums, formats, and platforms you can use for this technique for the marketing strategy.

How to Build Great Digital Stories :

• Know your brand story

Determine what does your organization signify, what are the brand value, what’s the aim. This can be usually developed within the early stages of the corporate, but marketing teams must know this definitively upfront. Using this information, marketing can develop consistent narratives that help to showcase their values. Company values are what help guide marketing voice, style, and creativity. It can influence everything from expressive style, design, advertising, product innovation, partnerships, and far more.
Paying attention to customers, prospects, and employees about the corporate brand, products, and services. While copying your competition directly isn’t an honest look, you continue to monitor how they position their brand and where the marketplace goes.

• Find your audience

Your digital storytelling won’t add your company’s favor if you’ve got no clue about the audience you’re targeting. Things like what their pain points are, what interests them, where do they appear for information online, how do they consume information, etc. you have got to come up with a brand story with long-time value, so you’ll concentrate on the buyer to the worth your company brings to them beyond a fast solution. Create content that audiences can glean value from whether or not they need never used or purchased what you have got to sell. Your values and mission are important to the story, you’ve got to create trust and build fans whether or not they aren’t purchasing your services or product immediately.

• Connect with customers more often

Your customers are paying for your product or service and are trusting your brand. This provides you the proper opportunity to be told what resonates with them most and where you would possibly be missing the mark. Gather all the insights you’ll be able to, whether good or bad and use that to assist and amplify your storytelling efforts to draw in more positive attention. Usually, everyone incorporates a unique taste. Brands that look outdated, communicate sort of like a monotone top-down robot that doesn’t resonate with audiences as they could have within the pre-digital pre-social market.
Organizations have pivoted to humanize their marketing by casting the customer-user-prospect front and center because the protagonist of the corporate values.
In a sense, you may call this strategy “inductive branding”, starting with specific human experiences, and letting the audience infer the overall principles of your brand. Besides having your marketing team write, create, and share more sort of a soul. It means getting involvement of more and more customers, executives, and employees.

• Humanizing with employee advocacy

A great thanks to get employees involved is to include them in company announcements, videos, social posts by utilizing an employee advocacy program and strategy.
Now your employees are making and sending their unique thoughts and insights, engaging with their trusted social network of family and friends which helps in reaching more and more audiences than most general brands using the company’s social profiles alone. Employee advocacy could be a good way to urge your people more involved, humanize your marketing, and improve digital storytelling.

Digital storytelling workshops typically begin with a story circle, creating a trusting atmosphere and reaching to know one another through different activities. Story prompts are given eliciting concentrated thoughts and ideas on the foremost powerful elements to be developed from a lifetime of memories. Storytelling exercises introduce and identify methods and encourage the sharing of various materials. Participants are then introduced to the various ideas, methods and principles of narrative such as narrator, voice, background, etc.. They also study tricks and film technique. Short scripts are simply written, followed by which the voiceovers are recorded. Participants scan photographs from albums or take new photos of individuals and objects. Others make images through drawing, make simple stop frame animations or computer software animations like Adobe Flash. Participants then move to editing. The imagery and animation is constructed into a movie editing software where it’s combined with the voiceover. The results are then shared within the kind of group shows, exhibitions, public spaces or online.

Digital Storytelling is the method of using computer-based techniques to tell stories. After traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. Digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. Telling a story is an essential part of our humanness. It allows us to feel part of the community that knows our story, and it fosters empathy for those that surround us.