This document discusses transmedia activism and its use of storytelling across multiple platforms to create social impact. Transmedia activism allows for decentralized authors to share assets and create entry points into issues to build community. It provides a framework to use narrative and social action to raise issue awareness, engage communities, inspire action and create change. By collectivizing ownership of narrative, transmedia activism breaks down barriers and allows people to work together towards social challenges. Examples provided examine using local voice and arts to reconnect audiences with causes and motivate advocacy or action. Risks include intellectual property concerns, technology over substance, and ensuring narratives respect community perspectives.

1. Transmedia Storytelling and
Community Engagement:
Transmedia Activism
Lina Srivastava | NYWIFT
April 2012

2. Transmedia
technique of extending a core story
across multiple platforms and formats
through
coordination strategy
integration design/architecture
immersion content
Transmedia Ac-vism

3. Transmedia Activism
Framework for strategy to
- Create social impact
- Influence perception
- Build community
through storytelling by
decentralized authors who
share assets + create entry points
into issues and solutions
across multiple forms of media
Transmedia Activism

4. Using Transmedia to Create
Social Impact
Actionable Content
Issue Awareness  Engagement  Action  Change
Story Universe
Transmedia Activism

5. Why is This Important?
+ How to Tell a Story
+ How to Tell a Story Together
+ How to Tell a Story of a System, of Complexity
+ How to Tell a Story that is
++ an Element of Change
++ a Predicate for a Movement
Transmedia Ac-vism

6. Why is This Important to
Community Engagement?
Participation
Entry Points
Story Building
Co-Creation
Co-Production
Collaboration
Multiple (Diverse) Perspective
Transmedia Ac-vism

7. “By collectivizing ownership of narrative,
transmedia breaks down the “us” and
“them”
It is no longer “you” supporting ”our” work
to help “them.” Rather, it is all of us working
together to meet and overcome a
challenge”
--David Jammy
Transmedia Activism

8. Transmedia Ac-vism

9. Narrative + Social Action
Assessing Your Social Change Model
Co-designing narrative with social action is a challenging
exercise in achieving simple, engaging stories that yet capture
nuance, complexity, and multiple perspectives. In any social
change campaign where you co-design narrative with action
to create positive impact in a community, ask yourself if your
campaign meets these three conditions:
+ Respect
+ Relevance
+ Resonance
Full model available at http://www.slideshare.net/lksriv/the-3-rs-co
Transmedia Ac-vism

10. What I Look for in Transmedia Activism Projects
+ It has at its core the use of local voice, in direct
partnership with the platform creators, aiming at
community-centered participation.
+ It uses its platform to move beyond awareness, to
connect audiences and change agents to commit to
a particular worldview, advocacy or action, by using
these local stories and art.
+Uses a number of platforms that are culturally
appropriate to cross borders to foster transformation.
Transmedia Ac-vism

11. Who Is Dayani Cristal?
http://whoisdayanicristal.com
Core: Voice Amplification and
Community-centered social action
Transmedia Ac-vism

12. Text
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Sc2wu51-E

13. Audiences | Fans | Community
+Haitians in-country
+Haitian Diaspora
+Fans of World music
+Arts/activism
+People who helped post-
http://twitter.com/LakouMizik earthquake and who
www.facebook.com/LakouMizik need to reengage
Transmedia Activism

14. Social Music Platforms:
+ How do you keep a community
engaged with these tools and
platforms?
+ How do you cut through the
noise?
+ How do you create and harness
empathy?
Transmedia Activism

15. http://3generations.org
http://twitter.com/3generations

17. Risks and Challenges
+ Intellectual property concerns
+ Love of the platform and technology
+ Intentionality | Stewardship
+ Gap between engagement and action
+ Simplified narratives
+ Respect, relevance, resonance
Transmedia Ac-vism

18. Lina Srivastava
http://linasrivastava.com
info@linasrivastava.com
@lksriv