Telling Stories on a Social Network
I was thinking about our discussion of social networking sites yesterday and how they're largely used for useless things like poking people, whining about how your parents don't understand you, informing the world that you are currently eating waffles, and spamming other people with requests for energy packs so you can keep digging for treasure (on an unrelated note, if Joebob really did find the mother of all diamonds on Treasure Isle, I doubt he would save any for me). Surely these networking sites must be slightly more useful than that? How could I possibly go about using one to tell a story?
Then it occurred to me that people already do, in a variety of ways. I have several friends who enjoy role playing (no, not that kind) and do a lot of it through Live Journal. They pick various characters (like, say, Wolverine from the X-Men) and generate individual journals for them, using image editing software to create a profile image. The journals entries are done in character and are meant to complement their role playing on a message board. People involved can browse character journals as though the character was actually writing them and gain insight into that character's personal feelings on recent events.
A friend of mine also recommended the horror series The Dionaea House, once she heard what we were discussing in class. I haven't read any of it yet, but she tells me they utilize a main website in conjunction with a series of journals from the various unfortunate characters to tell their story.
I've even seen Twitter used in creative ways. There's another horror series on YouTube called Marble Hornets (the link leads to the wiki) that tells its story through video clips shot or edited together by the uploader. To complement this, though, the uploader also has a Twitter account that he posts on in character. As an example, at one point he posts to the Twitter account saying that he needs to return to visit an abandoned house. The next video he uploads to YouTube has footage him visiting the house. He'll also post about how he's feeling watched or that he needs to change locations immediately.
Horror stories seem to work very well in this medium. I would imagine that the anonymity of a social networking site actually lends itself to making these fake journals and Twitters feel more real to people. Reading about how Joe is terrified of what might be hiding in the next house over carries the same weight as Bob complaining about how he hates math tests. There's no body language or intonation of voice to get in the way. As far as readers know, and for all intents and purposes, they're interacting with a real person on the other end.
I wonder how successful something like this might be on other social networking platforms, like Facebook. It already provides you with a constant stream of updates about your friends. One could easily create a fake profile and make posts to walls, follow various pages, do status updates. People could friend this profile and see this kind of stuff on their news feed. Right in between Mary's new boyfriend and Bob's latest achievment on Treasure Isle, is Joe joining a group on occult rituals. It's a story that would literally update itself right into people's lives.
Possibilities, possibilities.
Then it occurred to me that people already do, in a variety of ways. I have several friends who enjoy role playing (no, not that kind) and do a lot of it through Live Journal. They pick various characters (like, say, Wolverine from the X-Men) and generate individual journals for them, using image editing software to create a profile image. The journals entries are done in character and are meant to complement their role playing on a message board. People involved can browse character journals as though the character was actually writing them and gain insight into that character's personal feelings on recent events.
A friend of mine also recommended the horror series The Dionaea House, once she heard what we were discussing in class. I haven't read any of it yet, but she tells me they utilize a main website in conjunction with a series of journals from the various unfortunate characters to tell their story.
I've even seen Twitter used in creative ways. There's another horror series on YouTube called Marble Hornets (the link leads to the wiki) that tells its story through video clips shot or edited together by the uploader. To complement this, though, the uploader also has a Twitter account that he posts on in character. As an example, at one point he posts to the Twitter account saying that he needs to return to visit an abandoned house. The next video he uploads to YouTube has footage him visiting the house. He'll also post about how he's feeling watched or that he needs to change locations immediately.
Horror stories seem to work very well in this medium. I would imagine that the anonymity of a social networking site actually lends itself to making these fake journals and Twitters feel more real to people. Reading about how Joe is terrified of what might be hiding in the next house over carries the same weight as Bob complaining about how he hates math tests. There's no body language or intonation of voice to get in the way. As far as readers know, and for all intents and purposes, they're interacting with a real person on the other end.
I wonder how successful something like this might be on other social networking platforms, like Facebook. It already provides you with a constant stream of updates about your friends. One could easily create a fake profile and make posts to walls, follow various pages, do status updates. People could friend this profile and see this kind of stuff on their news feed. Right in between Mary's new boyfriend and Bob's latest achievment on Treasure Isle, is Joe joining a group on occult rituals. It's a story that would literally update itself right into people's lives.
Possibilities, possibilities.
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