Systems of Narrative: A Theoretical Unravelling of Interactive Digital Nonfiction and Its Currency of Engagement in The Ludic Century

Abstract

Storytelling is fundamental to the human experience. At its core is the need to communicate - to share our knowledge, ideas and perspectives in ways that feel tangible and concrete to others. Much like the way that the printing press led to a boom in the circulation of information throughout society, digital technologies have expanded our capacity to produce, distribute and consume media objects on a global scale. This expansion has rippled throughout various media industries, including mass media and journalism, where digitisation has made a significant impact on both journalistic practice and user consumption. While digital technologies have created new opportunities for innovation and convergence, they have also brought with them significant challenges relating to platform instability, news avoidance and atomised reading. While digital journalists have embraced adaptability and user engagement as key values of their practice, the highly saturated and diverse nature of news on the internet emphasises the need to distribute content using increasingly user-driven strategies. With topics like interactivity and gamification on the rise, there is currently a need to develop practical frameworks for interactive narrative design, geared toward interactive nonfiction as a category of journalistic storytelling. This presents a research gap, which this study aims to fill by investigating the conceptual and methodological bridge between interactive narrative and digital nonfiction as both product and practice. To do so, this study engages in a theoretical investigation that uses qualitative research methods to draw its conclusions. It uses a double-stacked methodology, combining a metasynthesis of extant principles and theories into a conceptual matrix that comprises (1) user engagement, (2) digital authoring and (3) system design as its core tenets. This matrix is then used to conduct a case study analysis of three instances of interactive nonfiction, with the aim to reverseengineer a conceptual paradigm for the design of interactive digital nonfiction as systems of narrative. Key findings suggest that interactive narrative operates as a procedural system, where ludic principles involving spatial and participatory storytelling instantiate meaning on both a semiotic and experiential level. In the context of digital journalism, these principles align with contemporary values of engagement, public advocacy and representation while also positioning the user as an active participant in the journalistic process. Ultimately, interactive and gamified formats can assist in addressing the challenges faced by newsmakers by harnessing user engagement as a valuable digital currency.