The concept of storytelling of differing platforms is one which is still being fully explored, with new and constantly evolving theories and practices emerging. With new stories, reimaginings of old stories, and a myriad of other options, the storytelling method is one which is constantly evolving in the world of social media. Gilman (2014) proposes that the key idea surrounding storytelling on social media is;

“Whatever your technique, whatever your words or the platforms you use, the common thread through it all has to be to connect with people” (Gilman, 2014, pg.24)

Gilman suggests that the heart of the storytelling method remain, but merely the techniques and method of delivery is one which is evolving. Digital natives and social media users are finding new platforms to view and distribute content on, rejecting the traditional mediums of film and television, and the codes and conventions these mediums embody. Platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo provide opportunities for creators to connect quickly with their audiences, receive feedback and understanding their audiences more deeply than they ever have before (Stangherlin, 2015). Creating both non-fictional and fictional content, filmmakers are adapting to the needs and wants of the audiences, creating shorter, more episodic content, rather than feature films.

Poletick (2014) proposes two features of social media storytelling which differentiate it from more traditional storytelling methods, as being a) relative unknowns making content, and b) excellent user engagement. These two elements help provide some insight into how storytelling on social media is being made, as well as the producers of this content, and the implied audiences.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012-2013) was a YouTube based adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, originally published in 1813. While Pride and Prejudice has undergone several retellings, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was the first to reimagine it on social media for contemporary audiences. Over 100 videos, ranging between 2 and 8 minutes each retold the story, with some updates to reflect the contemporary trends. Alongside the YouTube videos, each of the characters had their own Twitter and Tumblr, allowing fans to interact with them. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries can be seen as an incredibly successful example of using YouTube, and other social media platforms to tell a story, with McNutt (2014) describing it as “a turning point in an ongoing narrative of the medium’s development”.

The concept of linked microcontent across a multitude of platforms (Alexander & Levine, 2008) allows for “conversations that occur across multiple sites and with multiple connections in between” ( Alexander & Levine, 2008, pg. 42). The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2013-2014) embraced this concept, producing connected content for a variety of social media platforms.

Hole Quest
In August 2015, writer Ryan North found himself in a skate bowl while it rained, equipped with only his dog, an umbrella, and his mobile phone. Using Twitter, North asked his followers to give him advice on how to escape. Given the inherent interactive nature of Twitter, North was provided “endless tweets with advice on how to escape” (Brait, 2015) from a wide variety of people.

Subsequently dubbed ‘Hole Quest’, North used Twitter to solve a real time situation to a real world solution. Through this, he created a narrative, with a beginning, a middle and end, as a homage to “classic adventure games” (Polo, 2015). Vivienne and Burgess (2013) propose that an event such as ‘Hole Quest’ is a key example of how the “practices of selection, curation, manipulation and editing of personal photographic images” (2013, pg. 279) can be manipulated into the a creation of a story.

The rise of photography based social media (e.g. Flickr, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat) has allowed media creators to produce “new forms and practices of public life” (Vivienne and Burgess, 2013, pg. 281). In the example of ‘Hole Quest’, North was able to utilise his existing audience to create a cohesive narrative which differs wildly from the traditional storytelling method.

Goa Hippy Tribe
Starting in 2010, filmmaker Darius Devas collated a collection of video, image and text based stories from over 20,000 people who lived in the hippy tribe of Goa in the 1970’s and 80’s (SBS, 2015). Predominantly using Facebook to reunite these people, Devas was able to reconnect with a large group of people and provide a place for them to share their joint experiences.

Eventually culminating in a website with old and new artefacts, Devas’ project is an interactive example remediating personal and group memory. This concept ties in closely with Van House, Davis et al’s 2004 essay “The Social Uses of Personal Photography: Methods for Projecting Future Imaging Applications”, which proposes three ways of understanding the social purposes of photography as being;

• constructing personal and group memory;
• creating and maintaining social relationships;
• self-expression and self-presentation

Goa Hippy Tribe is most closely related to the first two of these uses, constructing personal and group memory and creating and maintaining social relationships. By allowing participants to share their personal text, images and video, Devas reimagines the concept of personal photography and creates an interestingly formed narrative of 1970’s Goa.

The concept of constructing personal and group memory ties in closely with the Goa Hippy Tribe (2010) project. By using a social platform such as Facebook, and being able to upload, share, and tag people in photographs allows the members of the Goa tribe to “[create] a narrative of one’s own life, and of a group or family” (Van House Davis et al, 2004, pg. 6).

In the Goa Hippy Tribe, participants were encouraged to share photos and videos in order to reconnect with people, which ties in closely into Van House, Davis et al’s concept of creating and maintaining social relationships. It provides a way of representing and supporting “a sense of shared history and shared identity”, as well as creating “personal and family histories” (Van House, Davis et al, 2004, pg. 7).

All three of these examples demonstrate the nuances of social media storytelling, and how it differs wildly from the traditional storytelling method seen in television and film. Using a wide variety of platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, social media storytelling is a method which is still currently in development. Trends in social media storytelling can be understood as shorter content length, greater interactivity between platforms, and more power given to the consumer in terms of how they view the content.