Is everything a story?

In our page on Storytelling, we go over the story arc and other basic components of storytelling and on our example page, we link to a very wide variety of genre and techniques. When we read the news, we read the story that the journalist provides about an event. When we read a scientific journal article, we could say that the scientist is telling a story of the supporting data.

Does that mean that everything is a story?

What we are is the human experience, moments move us and shape us and stories arise around everything. Here are some articles for thinking more about stories and what makes a story.

• You've been lied to. What is storytelling? This animation shares the truth.

• Everything is a Story

What makes a story a digital story?

Digital stories are comprised of elements that you experience through the use of a computerized device.

Digital stories often include multimedia elements.

Digital storytelling is "the craft of bringing messages and ideas to life through a series of moving visual images, graphics, text, human voices, and music" ~ Wave One Group

"Digital storytelling is a short form of digital media production that allows everyday people to share aspects of their story. The media used may include the digital equivalent of film techniques (full-motion video with sound), stills, audio only, or any of the other forms of non-physical media (material that exists only as electronic files as opposed to actual paintings or photographs on paper, sounds stored on tape or disc, movies stored on film) which individuals can use to tell a story or present an idea." ~ Wikipedia

Digital stories are “short...multimedia tales told from the heart.” ~ Daniel Meadows, digital storytelling pioneer