Daily Times

Human beings are bestowed by nature with the language they can speak, listen and devise strategies for better survival. The same language satisfies the human trait of telling stories with multiple hues and colors. Telling stories has not only been the job of professional storytellers but ordinary human beings are also born with a natural skill to be interested in speaking and listening to stories. A few human beings have proved better versions of storytellers, from the tales and fables of the old times to the modern ones. Sometimes the stories have been told orally, like in Africa and the Middle East, and sometimes, written versions have been appreciated. The post-war 20th century brought revolutions, including computer and information technology which brought ever-new skills and jobs for the semi-skilled storyteller named digital storyteller.

Digital storytelling is an art form that employs still images and voice to tell a story by anyone who may be able to use a computer and record voice, not necessarily a professional computer user. Digital media has given several digital artisans capable of telling stories by using just one picture. This has increased the possibility of searching, locating, and selecting images from the internet world, arranging and pasting these images in a logical sequence, and recording a voice accordingly. The interplay of both these things, managed by the computer user, creates a video story that is engaging and entertaining. This is made in just a few minutes and can be developed in a short time, money, and space.

Digital short stories are a fantastic source of teaching, learning, and interaction among young folks. Teachers also employ digital short story techniques to make their lessons easier, crispier, and well-received. It is also helping in developing resource material in many other fields, such as medical or bio-science, to convey a better message to the public. The digital storytelling technique is being employed to fictionalize facts. It is replacing traditional storytelling because it is a modern way of speaking and can easily find its audience through the spread of cell phones. While the storyteller creates a story through digital devices, he learns three things at least: firstly, the learning of language in which the story is being made; secondly, the knowledge, information, and skills required available online at the global level; and thirdly, one learns the cyber world being operated along with its ever-new developments. And when this learning takes place in groups, almost every group member acquires these skills. Suppose the copyright issues are taken care of; this is fascinating art for the artists and storytellers of the 21st century because this forum is self-rewarding. After all, one does not need a professional publisher or an extraordinary amount of money to do it. It also does not need the time and energy to go for editing or any creative genius required to create the story. It just needs tools of computer-based internet technology with a little bit of its usage, and everyone can become a storyteller. Besides, it does not need to wait for it to be launched and sold, one internet wave would carry the story within no time to the whole of the world, and the responses can also reach back the author in the wink of an eye. Besides these benefits, digital storytelling also involves socio-political stability and empathy because we want to tell our stories that need an audience to complete the communication process. As it was claimed that the telling and listening of stories provide a source of catharsis and ventilation of pant-up feelings, the telling of stories affords the opportunity of releasing these feelings rather as quickly as possible, and so, getting upset and undergoing emotional upheavals can be avoided by telling your story to the world on the wings of digits of the computer. The audience can be millions who would be able to undergo the process of catharsis. So, this mode of storytelling should also be given weightage, and peers in the field may come forward to help such imaginary artisans sharpen their skills to make their productions even better and attractively useful to provide the world with a new type of literature. This will bring digital literature to par with other developments of the 21st century in which life offers multiple engagements. Consequently, a large variety of arts is about to die and be supplanted by digital-based activities. Still, the art of storytelling can be saved by redesigning and refashioning storytelling in the same way as storytelling was first human voice-based. It traveled from longer to shorter stories in print. Now the time comes that storytelling should again undergo this new mode of storytelling, named digital storytelling, because it is the need of the day.

The writer is a professor of English at Government Emerson University, Multan. He can be reached at zeadogar@hotmail.com and Tweets at @Profzee